Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am very pleased to be here with you. My name is Jean‑François Gauthier and I am the chief executive officer at the Digital Governance Institute, a non-profit organization that was founded almost 10 years ago. Our mission is to develop and implement open governance and collaborative management solutions in institutions and organizations for the common good.
Our passionate team wants to democratize the principles of collaborative management by using digital technology and the strength of collective intelligence as unifying tools. Our value proposition, as a non-profit organization, is to act to accelerate organizations' digital shift by establishing open and collaborative governance to support their growth.
I would like to introduce you to the people who are here with me today. First, there is Charlaine Bouchard, research chair in smart contracts and blockchain at Université Laval. She will be able to answer your questions later, or so I hope. Also here with me today is Guillaume Déziel, an administrator at the institute and, more importantly, a very committed entrepreneur in the area of culture and blockchains. He has a particular interest in their potential for recognition of rights holders.
In November 2019, the institute took the initiative to write a white paper on distributed ledgers and blockchains. The work was carried out by a steering committee made up of academics, entrepreneurs, lawyers and public administrators. The preparation of this white paper was made possible by the financial contributions of the chief scientist of Quebec, Hydro-Québec, the Quebec Department of the Economy, Innovation and Energy, the Quebec Department of Finance, Finance Montréal and the Hub Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean, and I thank them for that.
The two leading contributors to our white paper, Ms. Bouchard and Mr. Déziel, are experts who can talk to you about concrete applications of blockchains. I am proud to say that our efforts to produce this white paper were not in vain. An indirect benefit of our efforts was the creation of the first research chair on smart contracts in Quebec, at Université Laval. Another worthwhile benefit is the innovative projects on which Mr. Déziel is working, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts.
As I mentioned, the institute firmly believes in collective intelligence and empowering citizens. For us, distributed ledgers are a historic opportunity to give back to citizens the ability to manage their digital identity themselves.
In closing, I would like to quote a passage from the preamble of our white paper. It reads, and I quote:
Throughout history, humans have stored information in protected places. Obviously, the form of these places has changed, but whether we are talking about a guarded building or a massive, ultra-secure server, the approach has remained the same. These are basically variations on the theme of a safe. Blockchains...have turned an old practice on its head. At a time when data theft is a new scourge around the world, when the arrival of 5G connectivity is exponentially increasing the data in circulation and when the AI revolution is under way, distributed ledger technology seems to be essential. It is becoming a new symbol of this digital age, which is making data a resource and the security of personal information a condition of success.... This is a highly strategic issue. Quebec is currently a leader in AI research. This promising opportunity is based on expertise in the related field of big data.... By also developing its expertise on distributed ledger technology, including blockchains, Quebec will bring together the three pillars of the digital age and strengthen its position as a technological hub.
My colleagues will be pleased to answer your questions on the concrete applications they are working on right now.
Thank you.