In 1987, the .CA domain suffix became a reality for Canadians. That year, Jon Postel, operator of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) handed over the responsibility of .CA John Demco of the University of British Columbia (UBC) - what a mighty task that must've been.

By January 12, 1988, the initial eight .CA domain names were registered, with the very first one being taken by the University of Prince Edward Island. Demco would go on to manage .CA for the next 13 years with the assistance of 100+ volunteers at UBC and other organization across Canada. During this era, more than 100,000 .CA domains would be registered.

When December 2000 hit, CIRA assumed stewardship of .CA and Demco would eventually be named as an ex-officio member of the organization's Board of Directors.

".CA has become an integral part of the Canadian economic and social landscape," says Byron Holland, President and CEO of CIRA. "Milestone anniversaries like this are times to reflect on the accomplishments of .CA, and of those key visionaries, like John Demco, who saw the Internet's potential."

Now there are nearly two million .CA domain names and, according to the CIRA, .CA is currently the world's 14th-largest country code domain registry.

"People strongly identify with national domain names," notes Demco. "It's been one of the great strengths of .CA from the very beginning - it's like having the Maple Leaf sewn onto your backpack in the digital world."

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