About

The Canadian IGF

Since 2019, the Canadian IGF has brought together a diverse array of stakeholders from governments, civil society, and the private sector each year to discuss digital and internet policy issues. 

Now more than ever before, the internet is central to Canadians’ lives. Issues like connectivity, privacy, cybersecurity, mis- and disinformation confront Canadians everyday as they work and learn from home. The Canadian IGF is the lead forum for Canadians to discuss these issues. 

In 2020, the Canadian IGF took place as a two-day series of virtual panels and keynotes that discussed the internet governance issues that mattered most to Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics included approaches to content moderation for online platforms, approaches to data and AI governance, digital literacy in the internet age, and connecting Indigenous communities. The report summarizes these sessions and provides a statement of priorities for the Canadian multi-stakeholder internet governance community. 

The 2019 Canadian IGF represented an unprecedented level of collaboration between the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA), Innovation, Science, Economic Development Canada (ISED), CANARIE, the Internet Society (ISOC), Youth IGF Canada, and the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC) at the University of Ottawa. Approximately 200 attendees spent the day in Toronto discussing issues such as smart cities, the Internet of Things, and AI. The 2019 report summarizes the events, provides a statement of priorities for Canadian businesses and end users who engage in internet governance domestically and abroad. It also outlines considerations for the Canadian IGF and mechanisms for ongoing collaboration of the Canadian internet community going forward. 

About the Global Internet Governance Forum

The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) serves to bring people together from various stakeholder groups as equals, in discussions on public policy issues relating to the Internet. While there is no negotiated outcome, the IGF informs and inspires those with policy-making power in both the public and private sectors.  At their annual meeting delegates discuss, exchange information and share good practices with each other. The IGF facilitates a common understanding of how to maximize Internet opportunities and address risks and challenges that arise.

For more information on IGF please refer to the following documents:

In the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 16 December 2015, (70/125) ‘Outcome document of the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on the overall review of the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society’, the existing mandate of the IGF as set out in paragraphs 72 to 78 of the Tunis Agenda  was extended for another 10 years. 

IGF Mandate
Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda:

72. We ask the UN Secretary-General, in an open and inclusive process, to convene, by the second quarter of 2006, a meeting of the new forum for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue—called the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). The mandate of the Forum is to:

  • Discuss public policy issues related to key elements of Internet governance in order to foster the sustainability, robustness, security, stability and development of the Internet;
  • Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body;
  • Interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions on matters under their purview;
  • Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities;
  • Facilitate discourse between bodies dealing with different cross-cutting international public policies regarding the Internet and discuss issues that do not fall within the scope of any existing body;
  • Interface with appropriate inter-governmental organizations and other institutions on matters under their purview;
  • Facilitate the exchange of information and best practices, and in this regard make full use of the expertise of the academic, scientific and technical communities;
  • Advise all stakeholders in proposing ways and means to accelerate the availability and affordability of the Internet in the developing world;
  • Strengthen and enhance the engagement of stakeholders in existing and/or future Internet governance mechanisms, particularly those from developing countries;
  • Identify emerging issues, bring them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public, and, where appropriate, make recommendations;
  • Contribute to capacity building for Internet governance in developing countries, drawing fully on local sources of knowledge and expertise;
  • Promote and assess, on an ongoing basis, the embodiment of WSIS principles in Internet governance processes;
  • Discuss, inter alia, issues relating to critical Internet resources;
  • Help to find solutions to the issues arising from the use and misuse of the Internet, of particular concern to everyday users;
  • Publish its proceedings

Visit the Internet Governance Forum site for more information.