The document discusses open government and open data in Canada. It makes three key points: 1. Canada's government is not fully accountable or transparent according to its constitution, which does not mention elected officials like the Prime Minister or require transparency. Opening government data and proceedings can increase accountability. 2. Releasing open government data provides benefits to both the public and the government by increasing transparency, innovation, and efficient service delivery. However, more progress is still needed. 3. Achieving open government and open data requires an ongoing collaborative effort between the government and engaged citizens to work towards the common goal of a more responsible democracy.

1. OPEN GOVERNMENT
THE PEACEABLE REVOLUTION

2. What Is Open Government?
OPEN GOVERNMENT: A governing doctrine
which holds that citizens have the right to access
the documents and proceedings of the
government to allow for effective public
oversight.

3. Opening Pandora’s Political Box
• Who is Canada’s Head of State?
• Who is Canada’s Government accountable to?
• According to our Constitution, who is Canada’s
Government?
• What powers does our Constitution grant Cabinet?
• Who elects Canada’s Prime Minister?
• What responsibility does the Prime Minister’s Office have to the
Canadian public?

4. Dieting on a Can of Worms
• Who is Canada’s Head of State?
– The Queen
• Who is Canada’s Government accountable to?
– Parliament – not the Canadian people
• According to our Constitution, who is Canada’s
Government?
– The Queen, acting on the advice of her Privy Council
• What powers does our Constitution grant Cabinet?
– None. Cabinet isn’t even mentioned in our Constitution
• Who elects Canada’s Prime Minister?
– Nobody. In fact, the Prime Minister doesn’t even need to be an elected official
• What responsibility does the Prime Minister’s Office have to the Canadian public?
– None. They are just the support staff of the Prime Minster of the Crown in the Queen’s
Government

5. “We’ll go over the heads of the members of
Parliament; go over the heads, frankly, of
the Governor General; go right to the
Canadian people.”
- John Baird, Government House Leader (2008)

6. • Canadians do not elect
their government
• Canada’s government is
not constitutionally
answerable to Canadians
• Ministers of the Crown
(Prime Minister, Cabinet)
don’t have to be elected
officials
It’s by convention, not by law, that our Prime
Minister and Cabinet come from the Political Party
with the most seats in the House

7. An Ancient Rite: From Absolute
Monarchy…
Our system of government dates back to 1066 and
feudal Britain – before there was a commons
- Monarch’s rule was absolute
- Had a Council to offer advice, called the
Privy Council
- When Privy Council became too big,
formed a small council (or cabinet) of
administrators
- This is why Members of Cabinet are
called Ministers of the Crown

8. … To Responsible Government
Magna Carta (1215)
• Crown cannot make laws or impose taxes without
approval of feudal barons
• Approval body evolved into Parliament
• Parliament sat only when called upon by crown for law
and tax approval purposes
English Civil War (1600s)
• Crown and Crown’s Ministers became responsible to
Parliament in practice
• Parliament becomes a more regular thing
A responsible government is one where the Crown’s Ministers are responsible
to Parliament, not Parliament being accountable to the Crown

9. Convention if necessary…
After TV:
– 24-hour political cycle
– Increased partisan control of
levers of government
– The campaign never ends
Before TV:
- Media was a component of politics,
not the driver
- Cabinet Ministers more control; less
rigid, centralized file-coordination
- Campaigns have beginnings and
ends

10. … but not necessarily
Convention
• Shift in power from Parliament to unelected staff
has left MPs uncertain who they answer to
• Political success = Party line and fundraising
PM = new monarch
PMO = new Privy Council
• By constitution and convention, citizens are left
out of the process

11. An inconvenient convention
• More committees meeting behind closed
doors
• Senior bureaucrats slapped down or fired
– Linda Keen, Nuclear Energy Watchdog
– Kevin Page, Parliamentary Budget Officer
– Munir Sheik, Head of StatsCan
• Muzzled civil servants and recipients of
federal funding
Do you know what information government
considers when it makes policy choices?

12. OPENING GOVERNMENT: Government data and
decision-making processes are open to all Canadians
• Allows for Canadians to more effectively hold
Parliament and government to account
• Enables us to participate more openly in the policy-
shaping and review process

13. The Open Government movement is our
generation’s Magna Carta moment –
A peaceable revolution for a responsible
democracy

14. Because it’s not such a bad thing to think
beyond the box.

15. OPEN DATA
A STEP TOWARDS THE GOAL

16. OPEN DATA: Data that can be freely used,
reused and redistributed by anyone.
What is Open Data?
Open
Data
Principles

17. The Benefits of Open Data
Public
 Transparency
 Accountability
 Innovation
 Service Offerings
 Empowerment
Government
 Public Engagement
 Cost-Effective
 Service Delivery

18. Where do we stand today?
Community
People getting
involved, sharing
and contributing
Commitment
Active initiatives
from all levels of
Government
Collaboration
Government and
citizens working
together to
achieve common
goal

19. AN EXERCISE IN
STRATEGIC ADVOCACY
KNOW be
YOUR their
FOE friends