Reaping the Benefits of Open Government By Suzanne Legault, Interim Information Commissioner Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada Canada School of Public Service’s Armchair Discussion Ottawa, January 21, 2009

Outline Back to basics Forces of change Open Government movement Canada’s report card on Open Government The way forward Benefits of an Open.gc.ca

Back to Basics The Access to Information Act is intended to complement and not replace existing procedures for access to government information and is not intended to limit in any way access to the type of government information that is normally available to the general public. “Rights to state-held information are designed to improve the workings of government; to make it more effective, responsive and accountable.” LaForest J. Dagg v. Canada (Minister of Finance)

Forces of Change Information technology Globalization of issues/markets Knowledge-based economies Horizontality of government business Public-private partnerships Public expectations Open government movement

Open Government Movement US – Open Government UK – Smarter Government Australia – Government 2.0

US – Open Government The President’s SAVE Award Open Government Innovations Gallery Objectives Opening “doors and data” to all citizens to promote transparency, participation and collaboration Lead White House Office of Management and Budget in collaboration with Chief Technology Officer and Chief Information Officer Key Milestones - Jan. 21, 2009: Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies - May 21-July 26: Consultation Process - Dec. 8, 2009: Open Government Directive and Cabinet Commitments (20 dataset release projects) - December 2009 Progress Report to the American People Major Projects to date include Recovery.gov, Data.gov, Federal Register 2.0, and many more

UK – Smarter Government Objectives Radically opening up data and public information, releasing thousands of public data sets and making them free for re-use Lead Office of Public Sector Information, Information Commissioners, and Cabinet Office Key Milestones : Power of Information Review - February-March 2009: Wiki-based report of Power of Information Taskforce, with dedicated blog - March 2009: Initial response from government in the Strategic Government section of “Working Together – Public Services on your side” - Dec. 7, 2009: Speech delivered by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Smarter Government Projects “Show Us a Better Way” contest; data.gov.uk; several Web 2.0 projects from outside government: e.g. MySociety.org; FixMYStreet.com; TheyWorkForYou.com; PatientOpinion.com

Australia – Government 2.0 Objectives “Build a public service that is smarter, more responsive, more strategic and personally rewarding Key Milestone December 2009: Government 2.0 taskforce’s report “Engage: getting on with Government 2.0 Recommendations (13), including: - Declaration of Open Government by the Federal Government - Appointment of a lead agency - Make public sector information open, accessible and reusable. - Exhaust options to protect privacy and confidentiality before seeking an exemption - Use of information publication schemes to encourage the widest disclosure of information of general interest - Help agencies to overcome barriers

Canada’s Report Card on Open Government Source: jimborgman.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html

No Data.gov.gc.ca!

Time Required to Complete Access Requests, Total RequestsWithout Requests to CIC Treasury Board Secretariat: Info Source Bulletins

…for Less Disclosure

At the Federal Government Level Proactive disclosure: Travel and hospitality expenses of Ministers, their staff, Deputy Ministers and Assistant Deputy Ministers Contracts over $10,000 Reclassification of Public Service positions Grants and contributions Government advertising expenditures Internal audit reports

A Few Initiatives Opening the Way Collaborative content and networking tools for federal employees

Open Canadian Municipalities

datalibre.ca urging governments to make data about canada and canadians free and accessible to citizens Stimulus Watch.ca Canadians helping Canadians help government Grassroots Initiatives

The Way Forward Open Government Policy Framework: Leadership Coordinating body Clear accountabilities Clear targets embedding the three laws of Open Government Open government data must be: 1. Spidered or indexed to exist; 2. Available in open and machine readable format to engage; and 3. In a legal framework to allow it to be repurposed to empower. − David Eaves, Canadian expert in public policy and open source and network systems Engagement

Benefits of an Open.gc.ca Improve service delivery Promote transparency and accountability Make government more democratic, participatory and informed by engaging citizens Foster collaboration, creation, innovation within government and between government and all stakeholders Make policy advice more relevant to and reflective of citizen needs and concerns