Connect2Canada
Connect2Canada was launched on Canada Day, July 1, 2005. The mission was threefold:
Connection. To build a virtual network of Canadians and Friends of Canada living in the United States.
Education. To keep Canadians and Friends of Canada informed on news from Canada, with a focus on Canadian-U.S. relations.
Service. To facilitate the mission of the Canadian Embassy in the United States by providing answers and services to Canadians living abroad.
On all counts, Connect2Canada has lived up to its mission and is continuing to do so.
A Virtual Network. Over 30,000 members have registered on Connect2Canada to be notified of events, find other Canadians, and share stories about living in the United States. Membership continues to climb through a variety of audiences: business professionals with an interest in Canada; students who seek to study in Canada; media who want to be notified on select cross-border issues; the average expatriate who wishes to find a Canadian connection in their area.
Education. Since its inception, Connect2Canada members have had the option to select which issues interest them the most. Issues as diverse as global troop deployments, softwood lumber trade, mad-cow disease, studying abroad and the fight against terrorism have attracted niche audiences. In the past year over 400 communications have been read more than half a million times about these different issues, advancing knowledge about Canada in the United States through a Canadian point of view.
Service. The second most visited section on the Connect2Canada website is the "Frequently Asked Questions" area. This corresponds with the Embassy's goal of allowing Canadians and travelers to find the answers to questions they have faster and easier. This also corresponds to a significant drop in phone calls to the Embassy; instead of making direct contact to Embassy staff, people are going to Connect2Canada to find the answers they need.
Featured Project
2004
A Fair Deal for Newfoundland
GRE makes Canadian history.
In 2004, a GRE campaign to pressure the Canadian federal government to fairly share revenue from off-shore oil drilling with the province of Newfoundland and Labrador resulted in a landmark agreement and became the most effective online movement in Canadian history.
