Senator Colin Deacon on Canada's digital future. Hashtag Trending for April 13, 2024

Welcome to HashTag Trending, the weekend edition. I’m your host Jim Love.

I can understand if many of you get frustrated about politics. What we see for the most part is a lot of BS. Ask a politician a simple question and you’ll get a lot of non-answers, talking points ways that their political opponents have it wrong.

Yes, that’s true even in Canadian politics.

So what do we do? We can get involved and try to change the process. I’ve certainly done that.

I’ve worked for every political party at one point. I’ve worked for the NDP - Neil Young - not the musician and Bob Rae, I’ve worked to support the Liberals under Stephane Dion, one of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, I’ve been a riding president of a Progressive Conservative riding which led me to meet and grown to like Joe Clarke for the authentic person he is.

I know what you are thinking. What’s wrong with this guy? Can’t he take a side?

And the clear answer is no. I can’t take sides. There is only side - and that’s what’s best for Canadians. So I’ve never been a believer in party labels. I wanted to work with authentic people who wanted to make Canada a better nation and make a future for our children.

And the need was never greater.

Canada is in crisis. Our productivity numbers are plummeting. Regardless of what you get fed from government sources, we are not a leader in AI, or in digital government.

But equally, the stuff that the opposition parties are feeding you - that’s nonsense as well.

The reality is if you strip away the party lines, if you talk to the smartest people in Ottawa, you’d know the truth. We are in crisis. Our future standard of living is in real jeopardy. And yet, we are an incredibly resilient people, we have so much going for us, that if we could get it together we could fulfil that quote of Wilfred Laurier - the 21st Century belongs to Canada.

But what do we do?

Fortunately, we have a structure in our Government where parties don’t really have to matter. It’s called the Senate. For my American listeners, you have a Senate as well - it’s called the body of “sober second thought.”

The difference in Canada - our senators are actually sober.

I say that in jest, but in our Senate, and I’m not taking political sides, but credit where credit is due, our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, said he would no longer make political appointments to the Canadian Senate. He would appoint knowledgeable people and challenge them to “challenge the government’s thinking.” In other words, he would try to make the Senate truly a “body of sober second thought.” A place where non-partisan citizens would join with only the best interests of the country at heart. A place where people who weren’t politicians could offer their experience and expertise to the governance of our nation.

There’s nobody you will meet that embodies this more than my guest, Colin Deacon.

Senator Deacon is a serial entrepreneur and someone who knows technology and knows how to build businesses that export to the world in a digital economy.

And we’re lucky to have him - both in the senate and for this interview.

I met Senator Deacon at the Digital Governance Council, another group of non-partisan, business and government leaders who also have one objective - to help Canada become a leader in the digital economy.

I was totally impressed by him and asked if he’s sit for an interview with us.

I hope you’ll be as inspired by it as I was.