Canada’s Draft Action Plan on Open Government 2.0

Canada's Action Plan on Open Government 2014-2016

Draft for consultation

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Achievements to Date
3. Developing Canada's Action Plan 2.0
4. Canada's Action Plan 2.0 Commitments
   1. Open Government Foundation - Open By Default
   2. Open Data - Open Data Without Borders
   3. Open Information - Transparency And Accountability
   4. Open Dialogue - Consult, Engage, Empower
5. Conclusion

I. Introduction

As part of the global open government movement, governments seek to broaden access to data and information, ensure transparency and accountability, and strengthen citizen engagement in the activities of government and in our democratic process. Canada has a longstanding commitment to openness and accountability as the cornerstones of a strong, modern democracy. From the passing of Access to Information legislation over thirty years ago to current open government and proactive disclosure activities, the Government of Canada has worked to ensure transparency on government operations to enable Canadians to hold their government accountable.

Canada joined the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in April 2012 and remains committed to the principles of the OGP's Open Government Declaration. Canada's membership in the OGP provides key opportunities to advance our open government agenda, share and learn from international best practices, and collaborate with our OGP colleagues on solutions that benefit citizens globally. As co-chair for the OGP's Open Data Working Group, Canada works together with governments and civil society on defining shared principles for open data, including the use of common standards that will help align open data services offered around the world.

International leadership on open government is a key priority for the Government of Canada. In June 2013, the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and other G8 Leaders adopted the G8 Open Data Charter, which established open data principles for all member countries, and called for specific commitments to release core public sector data. The Sunlight Foundation, a key non-profit organization that advocates for open government globally, has ranked Canada's Action Plan for implementing the G8 Open Data Charter highest among G8 countries. Canada is also pledging to expand its Open Government activities far beyond open data to include a wide-ranging set of initiatives on open information and open dialogue in addition to its ground-breaking work on open data. These activities will help set the tone for all the commitments in our Action Plan on Open Government moving forward.

The OGP requires that member countries consult with citizens and civil society on the development of a national Action Plan with commitments to be implemented over a two-year period aimed at addressing one or more of the following grand challenges:

• Improving Public Services: measures that address the full spectrum of citizen services by fostering public service improvement or private sector innovation;
• Increasing Public Integrity: measures that address corruption and public ethics, access to information, campaign finance reform, and media and civil society freedom;
• More Effectively Managing Public Resources: measures that address budgets, procurement, natural resources and foreign assistance;
• Creating Safer Communities: measures that address public safety, the security sector, disaster and crisis response, and environmental threats;
• Increasing Corporate Accountability: measures that address corporate responsibility on issues such as the environment, anti-corruption, consumer protection, and community engagement.

Furthermore, as required by the OGP, the Government of Canada will report regularly on the implementation of its Action Plan, including the publication of a self-assessment report and through participating in the OGP's independent review process. Through these important processes, Canadians will be able to monitor progress being made on Canada's open government commitments.

The Government of Canada is proud of its membership in the OGP and of its open government efforts to date to increase transparency, accountability, civic engagement, and trust in government. The twelve commitments in our second Action Plan on Open Government target a range of initiatives to improve access to open data, open information, and open dialogue for Canadians.

II. Achievements to Date

Canada's first Action Plan on Open Government was launched at the 2012 OGP Annual Summit in Brazil. Over the last two years, significant progress has been made on a broad range of initiatives to increase access to open data, open information, and open dialogue. This has established a strong foundation on which future open government activities can be built, including new government-wide policy on the release of open data and information, and modern, state-of-the-art platforms to enable public access to government information and engagement opportunities. Key accomplishments include:

• Next-Generation Open Data: The Government of Canada's next-generation open data portal (data.gc.ca) was launched in June 2013. This new discovery portal was built based on broad public consultations with users to define new capabilities, and enhancements were made to expand the availability of high-value data, improve data integrity, enrich the usability of the site, facilitate intuitive discovery of data, and increase user engagement.
• Modernization of Access to Information (ATI) Services: Enhanced online services were launched in 2013 to enable Canadians to search completed ATI requests across all federal departments through a single search interface, and to submit new Access to Information requests via the Web.
• Open Government Licence (OGL): In 2013, the Government of Canada issued a new open government licence for all levels of government in order to remove barriers to the reuse of published government data and information regardless of origin. This licence has been adopted not only by the Government of Canada, but also by several provincial governments and municipalities across the country.
• Canada.ca: Late last year, the federal government introduced its new government-wide web portal at Canada.ca that provides intuitive navigation features to help Canadians find the information they need more quickly and easily. The portal enables users to quickly complete tasks, and features government-wide search capabilities, better use of social media, and optimized content for mobile devices.
• Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE): In February 2014, the Government of Canada held the largest competitive open data hackathon in Canadian history, bringing together over 900 developers, students, and open data enthusiasts from across Canada to develop over 100 innovative applications using federal data.

III. Developing Canada's Action Plan 2.0

Canada has developed our new national Action Plan in consultation with citizens, civil society, and the private sector. Our multi-phase consultation approach has served to increase public awareness of our open government activities, of specific consultation activities, and of the OGP. More importantly, it has enabled us to tap into the views of Canadians on how best to advance open government priorities over the next two years. Major consultation activities have included the following.

1. Public Consultation Planning (April 2014): Citizens and civil society were able to review our proposed draft consultation plan on data.gc.ca, as well as advance notice of all planned online and in-person events to consult on the Action Plan. During this first phase of our consultations, we asked Canadians to provide suggestions on how to strengthen our consultation plan to maximize public input into the development of the Action Plan.
2. Generating Ideas (May to August 2014): During this second phase of our consultations, a variety of mechanisms were used to support public generation of ideas new and old for potential inclusion in Action Plan 2.0. Citizens and civil society were invited to participate in a series of public workshops and discussion panels in cities across the country to brainstorm on new open government commitments, and online consultations sought additional ideas for which the public could add their vote of support.
3. Proposing Activities (August to September 2014): During this critical phase of consultations, proposed activities for the Action Plan informed by the public's generation of ideas were posted online for public review and comments. In-person events during this phase also provided a public forum for discussion of proposed activities and initiatives, seeking feedback on what could be accomplished within the timeframe of the Action Plan.
4. Full Review of Action Plan (October 2014): Finally, during the final phase of consultations prior to finalizing our commitments, a full draft of Action Plan 2.0 was posted on data.gc.ca for public review and comments.

Canadians and civil society have been engaged at each stage of the development of the Action Plan with feedback sought from the public, open government experts from civil society, academia, and the private sector. A final Consultation Report will also be published that includes detailed information of the results of public consultations as well as key lessons learned throughout the process.

In October 2013, the Government of Canada published its report on the implementation of our first Action Plan, and subsequently, progress was also assessed under the OGP's independent reporting process earlier this year. As with all of our public consultations, feedback and recommendations obtained through these reviews have helped guide the development of our second Action Plan on Open Government. In particular, the OGP's independent review highlighted the need to improve our approach to consulting citizens and civil society members on the development and implementation of open government commitments. Accordingly, the Government of Canada has taken important steps to improve its approach to public consultation in support of the development of our second Action Plan. We look forward to continuing to explore opportunities to collaborate and engage with Canadian citizens and civil society members on the implementation of these activities moving forward.

IV. Canada's Action Plan 2.0 Commitments

Canada's second Action Plan on Open Government consists of twelve commitments that will advance open government principles in Canada over the next two years and beyond. The Directive on Open Government, new policy direction to federal departments and agencies on open government, will provide foundational support for each of the additional commitments which fall under three streams: Open Data, Open Information, and Open Dialogue.

Figure 1: Our Commitments

 

Figure 1: Our Commitments - Text version

Figure 1 lays out Open Government commitments in a circular model with 3 layers of rings. A foundational commitment, the Open Government Directive, is placed in the centre ring. The second ring contains the three Open Government streams with their activities as follows:

1. Open Data
   1. Open Data Canada
   2. Canadian Open Data Exchange
   3. Open Data for Development
   4. Open Data Core Commitment
2. Open dialogue
   1. Next-Generation Consulting with Canadians
3. Open Information
   1. Open Science
   2. Mandatory Reporting on Extractives
   3. Open Contracting
   4. Open Information on Budgets and Expenditures
   5. Digital Literacy
   6. Open Information Core Commitment

The outer ring of the circle contains the four open government principles: 1. Availability of Information, 2. Professional Integrity, 3. New Technologies and 4. Citizen Participation.

 

In addition to advancing OGP principles for transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement, each of our commitments provides support for one or more of the five grand challenges identified by the Open Government Partnership:

 

• GC1 - Improving Public Services
• GC2 - Increasing Public Integrity, and
• GC3 - Effectively Managing Public Resources.
• GC4 – Creating Safer Communities; or
• GC5 – Increasing Corporate Accountability.

 

A. Open Government Foundation - "Open By Default"

 

 

Increasingly governments around the world have come to recognise that free and open access to government data and information are of significant value to society and the economy. The key challenge governments face is how to shift to an environment where data and information are released openly to the public by default while respecting privacy, security, and confidentiality restrictions.

 

This represents a fundamental change in government culture, which requires a government-wide Directive to drive the release of federal information, and advance overall objectives for transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement.

 

Implement Directive on Open Government

 

 

The proactive release of data and information is the starting point for all other open government activity. It is the foundation upon which all other aspects of Canada's Action Plan are based. Accordingly, the Government of Canada will firmly establish an "open by default" position into its mandatory policy framework by issuing a new Directive on Open Government.

 

The Directive will provide clear and mandatory requirements to government departments aimed squarely at ensuring the availability of eligible government information and data while respecting any restrictions related to privacy, security, and confidentiality. Furthermore, the Directive will support broader accountability and transparency, ensuring that open government requirements are considered in the development and implementation of all federal programs and services. Departments and agencies will also be required to develop inventories of their data and information to support planning for release, and to lay out plans for release.

 

Maximizing the release of data and information will enable Canadians to better engage with their government, hold it accountable, support meaningful civic engagement, and drive social and economic benefits through the innovative reuse of data and information.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Issue a new Directive on Open Government to maximize the release of eligible government data and information of business value subject to applicable restrictions related to privacy, confidentiality, and security.
• Require federal departments and agencies to publish Open Government Implementation Plans which describe planned activities to meet the requirements of the Directive, including:
  • Establishing and maintaining inventories of data and information holdings;
  • Publishing data and information in accessible and open formats on Government of Canada Open Government websites under an open and unrestrictive licence; and
  • Reporting annually on progress made.

 

Lead Department: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3

 

B. Open Data - "Open Data Without Borders"

 

 

In its June 2014 report entitled "Open Data: The Way of the Future", the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates indicated that open data has become the "raw material for the digital age", and encouraged the federal government to continue to "innovate and develop its vision for open data in Canada."

 

Building on the strong foundation of open data efforts to date, Canada's Action Plan on Open Government includes four specific commitments to unlock the innovation potential of open data over the next two years. The first two commitments focus on deepening collaboration on open data among Canadian governments at all levels, and with the private sector, to harmonize open data services in Canada and encourage the reuse and commercialization of open data. The third commitment supports open data activities internationally in order to encourage the continued growth of the global open data movement, and reinforce Canada's role as an international leader in open government. Finally, the fourth open data commitment lays out improvements to be made to core ongoing open data activities.

 

1) Open Data Canada

 

 

As announced at the OGP Annual Summit in October 2013, the pan-Canadian "Open Data Canada" strategy will remove existing jurisdictional barriers to realizing the full potential of open data in Canada. By harmonizing and integrating the diverse range of open data activities happening at all levels of government across Canada, we will facilitate a "no wrong door approach" to open government data, regardless of which government owns it.

 

This is a challenging prospect given that Canada is a decentralized federation in which government programs and services cut across multiple jurisdictions. Health, transportation, and agriculture are just a few examples of government activities that have municipal, provincial/territorial, and federal involvement. Our consultations with citizens and civil society have reinforced how important it is that users be able to combine data from multiple jurisdictions in spite of any challenges that stand in the way. These challenges include data ownership, search and discovery barriers, licensing, cataloging, and significant differences across jurisdictions with regard to capacity. As part of our commitment to open data in Canada, we will address these challenges head-on.

 

Work on these activities will be governed by a national Open Data Canada Steering Committee with representation from all levels of government. The end result will provide unprecedented access to comprehensive open data from across Canada to spur innovation, increase productivity, and ultimately improve the lives of Canadians.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Establish common open data principles for adoption by governments across Canada.
• Adoption of a common or compatible open Government Licence by all Canadian governments to facilitate the release and reuse of open data and information.
• Establish common open data standards (e.g., metadata, data formats) to be adopted by governments across Canada.
• Pilot federated open data search with provinces to provide a "no wrong door" approach for accessing open data, so users can easily find and download data regardless of which government open data portal they choose to use.
• Expand and deliver a national appathon event, the Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE), to promote access to, and reuse of, multi-jurisdictional data to develop new and innovative tools and services for Canadians.

 

Lead: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat working with Provinces, Territories, and Municipalities.

 

Grand Challenges: GC1

 

2) Canadian Open Data Exchange (CODEX)

 

 

The global movement of technology and social media is generating massive amounts of information. Capitalizing on data offers $1.3 trillion in possible economic development in North America alone (Open data: Unlocking innovation and performance with liquid information). This type of opportunity is leading public sector institutions in Canada at all levels to undertake open data initiatives. In response to the tremendous commercial opportunity represented by open data, the Government of Canada has announced an investment of $3M over three years to launch a new institute on open data: the Canadian Open Data Exchange (CODEX).

 

While governments collect much of the world's data, they do not always share these data in ways that are easily discovered, accessed, used, or understood by the public. Today, citizens expect to be able to access information and services electronically when and how they want it. The creation of an information economy has motivated government to release vast amounts of public data, but there remain real challenges to accessing that data in a way that can generate insights, ideas, and services to truly benefit society. CODEX will work with government, the private sector, and academia to help realize the full potential of open data for the economic and social benefit of Canada. CODEX will bring together all of the pieces to enable a sustainable market-driven, open-data ecosystem whose success is measured by commercialization outcomes such as job creation, company creation, and wealth creation.

 

The vision of CODEX is that by creating a platform and toolsets to help commercial actors use available datasets, new products and companies may be launched to meet market needs, social challenges will be addressed to improve the quality of life for Canadians, and above all – new jobs will be created.

 

CODEX will develop industry standards for open data, build a national marketplace where commercialization of open data can flourish, and support a pan-Canadian open data innovation community that will help incubate the next generation of data-driven companies. Through CODEX, Canadians will be able to see the measurable economic benefits of open data in the form of job creation, investment in data-driven companies, and the establishment of a national hub for the commercialization of open data.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Create the CODEX platform – a national marketplace that includes an online community for those engaged in the commercialization of open data.
• Develop prototypes for new tools and applications that access and manipulate government data.
• Establish a framework for open data standards – the articulation of industry standards for presenting/providing access to open data in key sectors.
• Develop demonstration projects in priority sectors as determined by industry champions and CODEX.
• Launch a National outreach program – including events, workshops, hackathons, and student contest opportunities nationwide.
• Incubate new data-driven companies.

 

Lead: Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern  Ontario

 

Grand Challenges: GC1

 

3) Open Data for Development

 

 

Open data holds an enormous potential to enhance development efforts around the world. As the OGP Open Data Working Group co-chair, Canada is committed to strengthening a truly global open data movement, exploring ways to use collaboration and technology to strengthen democracy and build prosperity. As noted in the OGP's Four-Year Strategy (2015-2018), national action plans are meant to provide an organizing framework for international networking. The OGP is in many ways a global platform to connect, empower and support open government reform across member countries.

 

In recent years, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has supported initiatives in developing countries to better use open data for development, establishing a global network of partners around the Open Data for Development (OD4D) initiative. The OD4D initiative aims to support global and regional efforts from governments, civil society organizations, and entrepreneurs harnessing open data to achieve development outcomes, and enrich the international sharing of open data solutions and best practices.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Build the capacity of the open data initiatives in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, and establish important partnerships with the open data movement in Canada:
  • support developing countries to plan and execute national open data initiatives;
  • create data standards and solution-driven networks that can help to bring about social and economic innovation; and
  • measure and evaluate the relationship between open data initiatives and socioeconomic development, informing the quality and reach of future open data initiatives.
• Host an International Open Data Conference in 2015 to bring together experts from around the world to share knowledge and experience to strengthen international collaboration on open government issues.

 

Lead: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3

 

4) Open Data Core Commitment

 

 

Having now launched its next-generation portal for federal open data, and released the Open Government Licence, as part of meeting the deliverable of our first Action Plan, the Government of Canada is focused on continuing to raise the bar on ensuring high-quality open data services for Canadians.

 

Through its open data initiatives to date, the Government of Canada is providing Canadians with access to timely, comprehensive, high-value data in open, reusable formats. Already, more than 40 departments and agencies have made available more than 200,000 datasets on everything from weather, to border wait times, to product recalls,  to our vast collection of maps and geospatial data. Moving forward, we will accelerate the release of high-value data, and continue to enhance and improve our open data platforms and services. By driving the proactive release of open data, we will increase government transparency, drive innovation, and maximize Canadians' potential reuse of federal data.

 

In 2013, the first Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) was envisioned to challenge innovators across the country to test their talent and liberate the data available on data.gc.ca. From February 28th to March 2nd, over 900 participants raced against the clock to code an open data application in the largest hackathon in Canadian history. Over the next two years under Action Plan 2.0, the government will work with partners, other levels of government, and the private sector to expand this flagship activity to further engage open data users across the country to promote the availability and reuse potential of federal open data.

 

In addition, we will continue to increase the transparency of Canada's international development activities through open data to improve transparency in relation to international development aid, which contributes to greater aid effectiveness, and increases the ability of citizens in partner countries to hold their governments to account on development projects overseas.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Continue to prioritize and expand the release of open data from federal departments and agencies under a single Open Government Licence.
• Launch a new government-wide Open Government portal with expanded open data services:
  • Interactive thematic open data communities (e.g. environment, health and safety, etc.) and enhanced consultation functionality and online forums;
  • Directory of open data services across Canada;
  • Expanded developers' tools to support reuse of federal data;
  • Enhanced data discovery;
  • Standardized release procedures, formats, and metadata.
• Expand and deliver Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) as the premier national open data competition to drive creative and ambitious innovation in Canada:
  • Increase promotion of CODE activities and events;
  • Expand use of regional hubs to increase participation  in all areas of Canada;
  • Create sub-themes to focus application development on everyday challenges facing Canadians.
• Consolidate the management of federal geospatial data across the Government of Canada to make it more accessible and reusable via federal open government websites.
• Broaden adoption of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) standard in the Government of Canada, and encourage other Canadian actors to publish their own data, in particular civil society organizations.

 

Lead: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC3

 

C. Open Information - Transparency And Accountability

 

 

The Government of Canada, like all modern governments, possesses a vast wealth of information about our country and its citizens. From program and policy-related information, to scientific and research data, to financial and expenditure information, and to historical archives, the breadth and depth of government information can be overwhelming.

 

Improved awareness and access to this information for both the public and for government officials is an essential element of open government. As the OGP notes, "governments collect and hold information on behalf of people, and citizens have a right to seek information about governmental activities." Put into the hands of the public, this information can lead to greater accountability and a stronger civil society.

 

Canada's Action Plan places a strong emphasis on providing Canadians with access to open information, and includes six specific commitments to advance activities in this area over the next two years. New commitments focus on improving access to scientific research and data, legislating mandatory public reporting to improve transparency of extractive industries in Canada, and broadening open information on government contracts, budgets, and expenditures. Additionally,  Canada will work to improve Canadians' skills as consumers of digital data and information.

 

Finally, enhancements to core open information activities initiated in Canada's first Action Plan will also be advanced, including efforts to modernize the administration of Access to Information services, to develop new online resources which support the proactive release of government documents and publications, and to establish the Government of Canada's new government-wide web presence (Canada.ca). Together, these activities will provide Canadians with unprecedented ease of discovery and access to a wealth of Canadian federal government information.

 

1) Open Science

 

 

The Government of Canada makes significant investments in scientific research. As a result, Canada has become a world leader in a number of important scientific research areas, and continues to support leading-edge research by some of the world's best scientific minds. Increasing public access to government funded scientific research data and information has the potential to further drive innovation and discovery across the broader scientific community.

 

On June 12, 2013, the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State for Science and Technology, signed the G8 Science Ministers Statement on behalf of the Government of Canada "to promote policies that increase access to the results of publicly funded research results to spur scientific discovery, enable better international collaboration and coordination of research, enhance the engagement of society and help support economic prosperity". Accordingly, the Government of Canada will establish a government-wide approach to Open Science to increase access to federally-funded scientific publications and data.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Develop and publish a government-wide Open Science Implementation Plan which lays out strategies and milestones to:
  • engage in consultations on the implementation of Open Science;
  • maximize open access to publications and to data resulting  from federally-funded scientific activities;
  • develop and adopt policies, guidelines and tools to support effective stewardship of scientific data;
  • promote the adoption of Open Science standards in Canada;
  • publish government funded scientific data; and
  • establish a timeline for release of publication and data.
• Establish an online service to enable a one-stop search for publications and data resulting from federally-funded scientific activities.
• Establish common Open Access requirements for federally funded scientific research.
• Develop inventories of scientific data, and initiate the public release of data supporting scientific research publications.
• Publish and maintain a consolidated online list of peer-reviewed articles by Government of Canada scientists dating back to 2012.

 

Lead: Environment Canada.

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC3

 

2) Mandatory Reporting on Extractives

 

 

As a country with abundant natural resource wealth, Canada understands the necessity of openness and accountability in resource development both at home and abroad. Responsible development attracts investment, helps enhance the reputation of Canada's extractives firms, and strengthens international partnerships.

 

Accordingly, the Government of Canada will establish reporting standards on the payments made to governments in Canada and abroad by Canadian companies in the mining, oil, and gas sectors. Extractive companies are often required to make such payments to cover licence fees, rental and entry fees, royalties, and other costs. Mandatory reporting standards will increase Canadians' awareness about how extractive companies' revenues are spent, which supports transparency and social responsibility, helps to combat corruption, and promotes a level playing field for companies operating in Canada and internationally.

 

By creating an open reporting environment, with clear and understandable information made available to the public, greater transparency and accountability in resource development can be achieved everywhere Canadian extractives firms operate.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Introduce new legislation to enact mandatory reporting by companies in the mining, oil, and gas sectors.
• Complete public consultations on the implementation of mandatory reporting standards that will require extractive companies to report annually on payments to all levels of government, domestically and internationally, on a project-level basis.
• Develop and implement processes to require extractives companies to publish data on the payments they make to governments in Canada and around the world in formats that are easily accessible and understandable by the public.
• Provide a directory of extractives companies to which the new legislation will apply on the federal open government portal.

 

Lead: Natural Resources Canada

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3, GC5

 

3) Open Contracting

 

 

The federal government spends millions of dollars every year on procurement activities, and Canadians need to understand how that money is spent and what is being received in return. This is essential to ensuring accountability for the stewardship of public money. In addition, parties involved in public contracts must understand that the open, proactive disclosure of contracting data is one of the conditions of doing business with the Government of Canada.

 

The Government of Canada has demonstrated global leadership in this area through its robust disclosure regime for contracting data. Since 2004, federal departments and agencies have been required to proactively disclose information on contracts awarded over $10,000 on their websites. Furthermore, the Government of Canada's buyandsell.gc.ca website for procurement data has been influential in the design of the Open Contracting Partnership's (OCP) draft international Open Contracting Data Standard. Canada supports the steps taken by the OCP to strengthen openness and transparency of procurement processes in the international community through the establishment of Open Contracting Global Principles. In this regard, the Government of Canada commits to engaging in interdepartmental consultations to improve upon the disclosure of contracting data to strengthen openness and transparency of its procurement processes.

 

Moving forward, planned enhancements to the Government of Canada's approach to open contracting will increase Canadians' knowledge of how their tax dollars are being spent on procurement activities.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Complete interdepartmental consultations on the harmonization of Government of Canada open contracting activities.
• Streamline and centralize contracting data into a single, public, machine readable database.
• Pilot a project to significantly increase the level of detail disclosed on government contracts over $10,000.
• Provide additional guidance and training to government departments and agencies on open contracting.

 

Lead: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Public Works and Government Services Canada

 

Grand Challenges: GC1

 

4) Open Information on Budgets and Expenditures

 

 

One of the most important things Canadians want from their government is information on how their tax dollars are being spent. Often the budget and expenditures process can be somewhat opaque to the average citizen, and it is incumbent on the government to make every effort to ensure taxpayers understand how their money is being spent.

 

Canada has demonstrated clear leadership in providing Canadians with access to information on government expenditures. Since 2003, federal departments and agencies have proactively released information on government operations (e.g., travel, contracts, hospitality expenditures) on their Web sites to allow Canadians and Parliament to better hold the Government and public sector officials to account. Currently proactively disclosed information is fragmented, published on over a hundred individual departmental websites. Under our new Action Plan, Canadians will be provided with single-window access to search and compare this information across government.

 

In order to ensure Canadians have the information they need on government finances and expenditures, the Government of Canada will provide enhanced online tools that provide a clear picture of the financial expenditures of federal departments and agencies. These new tools will provide innovative visualizations of data, interactive infographics, and public reports released as interactive documents. By using these tools Canadians will be able to track government spending by departments and agencies over time, and more effectively compare and contrast expenditures across departments.

 

Deliverables for 2014-2016:

 

• Launch a new interactive online service to enable Canadians to review federal spending broken down by department and compare expenditures across departments.
• Standardize procedures for publishing mandatory Proactive Disclosure information by federal departments and agencies.
• Provide single-window online access for searching and interacting with information proactively disclosed by departments and agencies (travel and hospitality, contracts, grants and contributions, etc.).
• Release comprehensive open data on historical, current, and planned government spending across departments and agencies.

 

Lead: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3

 

5) Digital Literacy

 

 

Increasingly, Canadians are required to use technology to access, use, and create digital information in their work and other daily activities. Similarly, digital literacy skills are needed to take full advantage of the benefits of open data, information, and dialogue. The potential reach and impact of Canada's open government activities can be significantly augmented  by efforts to ensure citizens understand how to make use of the technologies that enable open government.

 

To this end, the Government of Canada will develop tools, training resources, and other initiatives to support digital skills development by Canadians. In order to target these activities more effectively, initiatives will be undertaken to better understand the relationship between digital skills and labour market and social outcomes.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Sponsor projects to increase understanding of the relationship between digital skills and relevant labour market and social outcomes, including building a profile of Canadians' digital skills competencies by region and by demographic group.
• Develop online tools, training materials, and other resources to enable Canadians to assess and improve their individual digital skills.
• Fund initiatives aimed at improving the digital skills of Canadians (e.g. digital skills in rural small business, essential skills for northern youth, business technology management accreditation).

 

Lead: Employment and Social Development Canada

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3

 

6) Open Information Core Commitment

 

 

Providing open information helps to build a more engaged and informed citizenry, which promotes informed policy making  and better management of public resources.

 

Throughout our public consultations, Canadians have expressed their desire to see the Government of Canada expand its open information activities and facilitate easier access to published federal information. The Government of Canada will continue to take bold steps to make government information more widely available. This ranges from ensuring more effective records management across all federal departments and agencies as the foundation of transparency and accountability, to the development of new public facing open government resources like "Open Docs", a new online virtual library, to improved access to historical and archival records, and finally to better and more efficient Access to Information services to Canadians.

 

Digital technologies have made it far easier to for governments to create, repurpose and disseminate information than ever before. Robust information management and next-generation search and discovery services will significantly improve the sharing of government information in support of government transparency and accountability. At the same time, public access to government research and analysis will open to the door to the unlimited reuse of this information in new and innovative ways.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Modernize the administration of Access to Information (ATI) services across the federal government, including the development of:
  • Standardized, whole-of-government services and solutions to expedite ATIP requests;
  • Expanded whole-of-government training strategy to help government officials understand and manage their responsibilities under ATI and Privacy legislation.
• Launch the "OpenDocs" Virtual Library to provide access to federal publications through a one-stop online, indexed and searchable repository of published federal documents of all kinds.
• Improve the management and accessibility of government records and facilitate faster responses to requests for information through the roll-out of GCDOCS, a government-wide records management solution for the federal government.
• Improve Canadians' access to federal records by removing access restrictions on  federal archives held by Library and Archives Canada.
• Accelerate access to all online Government of Canada information through the new whole-of-government Canada.ca website:
  • Intuitive user-centric design;
  • Whole-of-government search;
  • Faster access to frequently used services and information.

 

Leads: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Library and Archives Canada

 

Grand Challenges: GC1, GC2, GC3.

 

D. Open Dialogue - Consult, Engage, Empower

 

 

Open dialogue between governments and citizens is critical for building trust. Through better engagement with citizens and civil society, the Government of Canada intends to ensure that programs and services are designed and delivered to meet the needs and priorities of Canadians. This begins by enhancing the availability of data and information to inform active civic participation. It matures when citizens and civil society are empowered to voice their insights and opinions, and governments demonstrate their willingness to meaningfully incorporate that public feedback as part of decision-making processes.

 

In its Action Plan, the Government of Canada's open dialogue activities will focus on creating an environment that encourages and enables departments and agencies to consult Canadian with citizens and civil society organizations.

 

Next-Generation Consulting with Canadians

 

 

Modern technology has enabled governments to connect faster and more easily with citizens. Given Canada's geographic diversity, federal departments and agencies often face a challenge in conducting wide-ranging consultations with Canadians from diverse areas of the country and backgrounds. Evolving technological solutions can help government departments and agencies better consult with citizens and civil society on a wide range of policy, program, and regulatory issues. The result will be a more informed society on government programs and direction, and improved policy development for the government.

 

To meet this challenge, the Government of Canada will develop new and innovative approaches and solutions to enable Canadians to more easily take part in federal consultations of interest to them. The government will also develop a set of principles and procedures to guide consultation processes in order to increase the consistency and effectiveness of public consultations across government. As a result, Canadians will be more aware of the opportunities to engage with their government, will have consistent, advanced notice of government consultations, and will have access to easy-to-use solutions for providing their ideas on federal programs and services.

 

Deliverables to be completed in 2014-2016:

 

• Launch a renewed Consulting Canadians site to facilitate easier access to information on federal consultation activities for citizens.
• Develop and launch a new government-wide consultation portal to promote opportunities for public participation, host online consultations, and share findings from completed consultations.
• Expand the use of social media across government to enable departments and programs to connect to Canadians in innovative ways and enhance engagement in support of citizen-centric services.
• Develop a set of principles and standards for public consultations (e.g., advance notice, effective use of social media, reporting on results), including setting out minimum benchmarks for consultations.

 

Lead: Privy Council Office, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

 

Grand Challenges: GC1

 

V. Conclusion

 

The Government of Canada continues to be committed to Open Government and its role as a dedicated member of the Open Government Partnership. We support the principles of the OGP which we believe will propel innovation, economic opportunity, and deeper democratic engagement worldwide.

 

Canada's Action Plan on Open Government will provide real opportunities to accelerate the transformation of our public service and our government through a fundamental commitment to transparency, accountability, and civic engagement. Our success will be measured by the impact our activities will have on the engagement of Canadians and their use of our open data, open information, and open dialogue services moving forward.

 

"The sky is truly the limit — and we are proud to play an important role in leading our citizens into the next stage of the global information age."