In its first throne speech in 1994, Jean Chrétien’s Liberal government promised to implement a national strategy for the “information highway.” A few months later, an advisory council was appointed by the minister of industry to guide that work. David Johnston, who recently had stepped down as principal of McGill, was appointed to chair it.
Viewed from 2023, the council’s first report, published in 1995, is both prescient and quaint.
“Once the preserve of research scientists, the Internet is now used by tens of millions of individuals in their businesses and everyday life,” the council enthused. “The user can retrieve scientific information,
