"Our industry would like to see government back on the cutting-edge of technology," says Gaylen Duncan, president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of Canada.
Duncan will be one of the speakers at the Government Technology Week, which begins today at the Ottawa Congress Centre and the Westin Hotel. Many of the issues discussed during the four-day conference will focus on Canada's push to become a leader in e-commerce, the government's need to provide online services and the goal to have all Canadians connected to the Internet.
Duncan says spending cutbacks and pressure from the auditor general has made the public service wary of committing resources to developing innovative technology.
He notes that much of the growth in Ottawa's current high-tech sector can be attributed to federal government. Many companies, including recently launched Trillium Photonics and SiGe Microsystems, have been spun-out of government research laboratories.
For its part, the federal government appears to be moving on an aggressive path towards IT development.
One of its main projects is the online government initiative. The deadline for the multibillion-dollar project is 2004. "This is a tremendous opportunity to redress the pendulum," says Duncan.
Many of the region's 1,000-plus technology companies are looking to this mega-project as a means of survival, while others see it as an opportunity to secure a "pedigree customer."
Nicole Loreto, vice-president of public affairs for EDS Systemhouse, believes the government online project will help high-tech firms across the country. EDS Systemhouse has 1,200 employees in the region. Two-thirds of its staff work on government projects.
"In Ottawa, it's our bread and butter," says Loreto.
Although, EDS has seen the number of private sector projects jump in recent years, it is looking to secure some of the lucrative e-government contracts.
Bob Tuttle, Microsoft Canada's point man for government, education and health care issues, agrees that the federal government adds to the success of Ottawa-based companies, but he says impact is not limited to the region. The public sector is one of Microsoft Canada's largest and most significant customers. The company has more than 40 employees in the Ottawa region.
Tuttle is pleased to see the public service commit resources to IT projects and believes governments should be model users and early adopters of leading-edge technology.
But Tuttle says the key to Canada's IT growth will not only be in implementing projects, but also creating policies in the areas of security and e-commerce.
