Canadian Heritage Committee on Oct. 27th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Mr. Angus.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

The issue of saving language is, I think, a great example. We would previously have thought that to save a language you would need a national policy, a national commitment, educators, and so on. We have many aboriginal languages disappearing, and unless we do this from the top down, these will disappear. It would seem to me, from my experience, that what's happening is that things are being saved from the bottom up.

For example, every night...I'm not telling what I do in the evening, but I go home and go on YouTube. I type in “Junior Walker guitar licks”, and someone teaches me how to play Junior Walker guitar licks. I type in “B.B. King”, and someone teaches me how to play B.B. King.

These are millions of people who are offering their skills. Some of them are terrible, but the great thing about YouTube is you can go to the next one. People are offering language skills. People are sharing skills that nobody thought had a value before, because nobody could get them.

So it comes back to the question my colleague asked earlier, about access. The democratic function and the ability of citizens to participate are going to be dictated by their ability to have access so they can take control of their stories and obscure languages that are dying out.

To add some context, four years ago I worked for a first nation that was 300 kilometres north of Ottawa. They had one telephone for the entire community. It was pretty hard to work for that community when there was only one telephone. Now they have Facebook pages.

That's not to say, though, they are entering the digital realm. As you say, the gap is going to begin to dramatically shift as the potential starts to move toward people who have full access and away from people who at best can get a Facebook page and nothing else.

I guess it goes back to an issue of policy. We can allow all kinds of creative development, but we need a vision for digital development as a nation. That includes broadband policy and access, and having government support this creative agenda. I'm still not sure if we as legislators have a clue about how to go about that.

[Dr. Chad Gaffield]

On the metaphor of bottom-up, top-down, and the new paradigm, the 19th and 20th century paradigm by and large was top-down. You've put your finger on the new dynamic, in which it's both. Often the strength of the bottom-up is significant. It relates to what we were talking about earlier, about the customer-driven marketplace and so on. There are many aspects, such as citizen engagement, and it goes on and on. I think that's a really important metaphor to keep in mind.

The second important thing you said is that people are contributing. They're helping you do licks on a guitar just because they want to. It's interesting that when the Internet started, the idea was that if you didn't have a business model to make money, people would not do this. It turns out that people will volunteer and create encyclopedias just for the pleasure and satisfaction of trying to contribute. So the whole motivational aspect is interesting.

Going back to my idea of tapping human potential, it turns out that we want to contribute. If you have a need, I'm willing to help; you don't necessarily have to pay me. I think that's an interesting new dynamic of the new era.

The third point is that triangle of access, content, and digital literacy. Keeping that balance and integrated package together must be front and centre.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you very much.

Being the chair, I have the last chance, but I don't really have a question. I just think that what we have to do--maybe you could answer this--is look at new media as an asset, not a liability. What you have said here today is to open it up. The asset is that it can go on and on; it's new. I think as our committee goes forward, we should look at the whole new media study in terms of how it can be an asset to us, not how it can be a liability.

Would that be right?

[Dr. Chad Gaffield]

I think that's exactly the theme. And because your committee is so concerned with issues of digital content and digital literacy, in terms of that integrated triangle that is going to move us ahead, this committee is in an ideal position to help us as Canadians, and to help the world, frankly. I do think that Canada is ideally placed to make a contribution in terms of how we build a 21st century that embraces complexity, diversity, and creativity, and that recognizes the horizontal and vertical connections, the bottom-up, top-down. Canada is ideally positioned to really contribute at a global level.

So I wish you all well. I want to say, for my colleagues and me, it has been a thrill for us to be here and chat with you. If at any point we can help in any way, if our researchers can help in any way, we're there 150%.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Schellenberger]

Thank you very much. It was a great presentation.

The meeting is adjourned.