The Pandemic’s impact on businesses across Canada accelerated digitization as more Canadians shifted towards working remotely, online education, digital services, and e-commerce.
To support this new normal, Canada must bolster the availability and affordability of mobile cellular and broadband services.
Addressing this issue and others may improve Canada’s digital readiness, according to Cisco’s recently published Digital Readiness Index.
The study, building upon iterations in 2017, 2019, and 2021, seeks to highlight the strength of digital capability and capacity across Canada’s provinces and territories, providing insight into potential areas for future investment and intervention.
The DRI evaluates seven critical components: Basic Needs, Business & Government Investment, Ease of Doing Business, Human Capital, Start-Up Environment, Technology Adoption, and Technology Infrastructure, aggregating scores across 25 metrics to paint a comprehensive picture of a region’s digital readiness.
Overall, Canada did well. And within Canada, BC did best.
Among 146 countries, Canada ranked 17th on the 2021 global DRI, joining the Amplify category—denoting countries demonstrating the foundational elements required to exploit digital opportunities.
In particular, Canada’s strengths lie in Human Capital (ranking 5th) and Basic Needs (17th), thanks to its robust education system fostering a digitally skilled workforce.
Additionally, Canada demonstrated strength in Technology Adoption, ranking 3rd globally, signalling a high integration capability for new technologies into its economy.
British Columbia stood out as Canada’s most digitally ready region. BC outpaced all other provinces and territories in Ease of Doing Business, Start-Up Environment, and Technology Adoption, securing the highest DRI score within the country.
Despite Canada’s overall strong performance, it is essential to continue investing in and innovating within digital infrastructure to stay competitive on a global scale, according to Cisco.
The need for this investment is clear, as Cisco’s President Shannon Leininger emphasized in her foreword to the report: “Digital readiness is not static. The DRI demonstrates that Canada must continue investing to maintain its global leadership.”
According to Leininger, not only is this necessary for maintaining competitive advantage, but it’s also essential in ensuring digital equity and inclusion across the country.
Digital readiness, as Leininger emphasized, “requires ongoing efforts of both the public and private sectors to lend resources, expertise, and knowledge to move the needle on digital readiness and maximize the social and economic benefits of digitization.”
For Canada and its provinces like BC, the path forward is clear: continued investment, infrastructure development, and fostering an environment of innovation are key to unlocking the potential of digital readiness.
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