Program authorities have ended in March 31, 2025. Thank you to all for making DLEP a great success!
The Digital Literacy Exchange Program (DLEP) invested a total of $29.5 million over five years (2017-2022), with additional funding of $17.6 million in 2022-2025 to support initiatives aimed at teaching digital literacy skills to Canadians who faced barriers to participating in the digital economy. The program aimed to equip Canadians with the necessary skills to use computers, mobile devices and the Internet safely, securely and effectively.
The DLEP was launched in 2018, and in its first phase, it supported training of more than 400,000 participants from under-represented groups. Project funding for the second phase was made available from 2022–23 to 2024–25 and supported training for more than 250,000 participants, far exceeding the target reach of 100,000. In it's two iterations, DLEP reached a total of over 650,000 participants. The program ended on March 31, 2025.
Frequently asked questions
About the program
Who did this program target?
The Digital Literacy Exchange Program targeted Canadians who were newly involved with, or hadn't fully discovered the benefits of, the current digital economy. These include:
- Persons with disabilities
- Indigenous people
- Individuals who did not speak English or French at home
- Individuals aged 65 or older
- Individuals who had not completed high school
- Individuals who had low-income
- Residents of rural and remote areasFootnote *
- Newcomers to Canada
- Individuals from Official Language Minority Communities
How many participants benefited from the Digital Literacy Exchange program?
Over 650,000 participants had the opportunity tobenefit from DLEP-funded initiatives by March 31, 2025.
Was this a permanent program?
No. The Digital Literacy Exchange Program provided funding over five years from 2017-2022 and an additional three years from 2022-2025.