Mr. Speaker, Monday, May 17 is the day members of the International Telecommunications Union celebrate World Telecommunications Day.
The theme of this year's World Telecommunications Day is electronic commerce. This theme captures many of the most important challenges facing the ITU as we enter the 21st century.
E-commerce means that the nature of economic activity will change everywhere in the world, not just in the developed countries.
Access to information networks will become as important for investors as raw materials, energy and labour. In the information age, countries that do not have access to information networks will not grow, no matter how rich their natural endowments.
Access to electronic information services will be necessary for consumers and producers to buy and sell products at the most efficient prices. In the coming global competition for goods and services, protected markets will not prosper.
Canada is well positioned to take advantage of the e-commerce challenge. As the Prime Minister said last year, we want to make Canada the most connected nation in the world and a world leader in e-commerce by the year 2000. I know that as a nation we will rise to this challenge.