Country Commitments

Canada

Canada

20 September 2011
Commitments Delivered
Download the Action Plan

Canada’s commitment to open government is part of the federal government's efforts to foster greater openness and accountability, to provide Canadians with more opportunities to learn about and participate in government, to drive innovation and economic opportunities for all Canadians and, at the same time,create a more cost‑effective, efficient and responsive government. 

“The Government of Canada remains committed to fostering the
principles of open government by putting forward this Action Plan.
It offers Canadians greater opportunities to learn about and participate in government, in the economy, and in our democratic process.”

- The Honourable Tony Clement
President of the Treasury Board of Canada

The Government of Canada first launched its Open Government strategy in March 2011, and then further enhanced its commitment by announcing its intention to join the Open Government Partnership in September 2011. 

Over the past two years, we have consulted Canadians on both the development of a Digital Economy Strategy and on Open Government.  Our Digital Economy consultation sought feedback from all Canadians on how to improve innovation and creativity, and achieve the shared goal of making Canada a global leader in the digital economy.  More recently, in the fall of 2011, we launched a consultation to explore Canadians’ perspectives on Open Government in order to inform the development of Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government.

The results of these consultations stressed the importance of providing open access to public sector information and data and, in particular, the need to improve the availability of data to researchers and the private sector with fewer restrictions on reuse of these information assets.  Canadians also want the opportunity to engage in an ongoing dialogue with government on policies and priorities.  Cumulatively, the valuable information and insight received from Canadians have helped us shape the direction for open government in Canada.  As we move forward, we will continue to consult with Canadians and Canada’s active open government community on how best to implement this plan.

Our Action Plan on Open Government sets out our commitments to Canadians and for the Open Government Partnership, which we will achieve over a three-year period through the effective and prudent use of resources.  It is structured along the three streams of our Open Government Strategy: Open Information, Open Data, and Open Dialogue. 

The Evolution of Canada's Open Government Strategy 

Historically, Canada has been a world leader in making information available and in being accountable to its citizens.  Government of Canada legislation, policies, and practices have consistently advanced transparency and openness.  Major advancements have included: 

  • 1977 – Privacy Commissioner: appointment of Canada’s first Privacy Commissioner to protect and promote the privacy rights of individual. 
  • 1983 – Access to Information Act: Canada became one of the first countries to enact federal access to information legislation almost three decades ago. 
  • 1983 – Information Commissioner: appointment of the first Information Commissioner in Canada to ensure that individuals' rights to information under the Access to Information Act are respected and that government operates within a culture of transparency and fairness. 
  • 1983 – Privacy Act: legislation enacted to place limits on the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, and provides Canadians the right to see and correct personal information the Government of Canada holds on them. 
  • 2003 – Proactive Disclosure: began publication of information on government operations to allow Canadians and Parliament to better hold the Government and public sector officials to account. 
  • 2005 – Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act: legislation enacted to give federal public sector employees a secure and confidential process for disclosing serious wrongdoing in the workplace and protection from acts of reprisal.  
  • 2006 – Federal Accountability Act: Government of Canada brought forward specific measures to help strengthen accountability and increase transparency and oversight in government operations. 
  • 2007 – Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner: first appointment of agent of Parliament to help appointed and elected officials prevent and avoid conflicts between their public duties and private interests. 
  • 2007 – Public Sector Integrity Commissioner: appointment of the first Public Service Integrity Commissioner to enable public servants and the general public to disclose wrongdoings committed in the public sector. 
  • 2008 – Commissioner of Lobbying: agent of Parliament first appointed to ensure transparency and accountability in the lobbying of public office holders in order to increase the public's confidence in the integrity of government decision-making. 
  • 2011 – Open Government Initiative: on March 18, 2011, the Government announced its commitment to an open government initiative along three main streams: open information, open data, and open dialogue. 
  • 2011 – Open Data Pilot Project: launched an Open Data Portal – data.gc.ca – which now has more than 272,000 datasets from 20 departments and which has already resulted in over 100,000 dataset downloads since its launch. 
  • 2012 – Access to information Request Summaries: all departments are now publishing summaries of completed ATI requests monthly on their websites. 
  • 2012 – Modernized Values and Ethics Code: the Government issued its enhanced Values and Ethics Code of conduct for all public officials.