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Like other western liberal democracies, Canada has witnessed the erosion of political participation and civic engagement on the part of its citizens. Recent studies of Canadian democracy have revealed numerous symptoms of malaise, including declines in voter turnout, participation in traditional political institutions, civic literacy, and trust in government (Gidengil, Blais, Nevitte, & Nadeau, 2004; Nevitte, 1996). Governments at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels have launched numerous democratic reform initiatives in response. Along with proposals for electoral and parliamentary system reform, governments in Canada have responded with new citizen consultation initiatives designed to increase public participation in the policymaking process. Incorporating the use of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) into these initiatives, such as online citizen consultation tools, has become a common method used to engage Canadians in the policymaking process. A gradual shift in the language and practice of citizen involvement in the policymaking process has also been taking place, one in which citizen consultation is being complemented by richer and more sustained forms of citizen engagement. This chapter examines the political context and conceptual underpinnings of online citizen consultation and engagement in federal policymaking in Canada, reviews a number of recent examples, and assesses their outcomes in light of their potential to overcome the democratic malaise currently ailing Canada’s political system.

The Canadian Research Alliance for Community Innovation and Networking (CRACIN) is a collaborative partnership amongst academic researchers in Canada, international researchers in Community Informatics, the three principal federal government departments promoting the "Connecting Canadians" agenda, and community networking practitioners in Canada. CRACIN’s substantive goal is to review the progress of community-based information and communications technology (ICT) development in the context of Canadian government programs promoting the development and public accessibility of Internet services. Central issues to be explored include the sustainability of community networking initiatives, along with an examination of how the Canadian community-based initiatives contribute to: the amelioration of "digital divides"; the enhancement of economic, social, political and cultural capabilities; the creation, provision, and use of community-oriented learning opportunities; and the development of community-oriented cultural content, open source software, learning tools and broadband infrastructures. The over-arching goal of our research is to begin the systematic documentation and assessment of the development of community-oriented ICT capacity and services contributing to local learning, to the strengthening of relations in and between communities, and more generally to community-focused social and economic development in Canada.