CLA responds to the Canada’s Draft Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation

The CLA believes that access to the widest variety of information and points of view is critical to the functioning and evolution of a democratic society. Citizens, organizations, and governments make better, more informed decisions when they take part in a free exchange of ideas facilitated by open, affordable, equitable, and timely access to information.

It is with such values in mind that CLA responds to the Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation, with specific recommendations to support openness, transparency, and access to and the preservation of government information in Canada.

Read the full response here. 

Survey on Fugitive Canadian Government Information

This survey is being conducted by a working group of the Canadian Government Information Private LOCKSS Network (CGI-PLN) in order to learn more about how institutions are collecting fugitive materials and, if they are, how these materials are being identified and preserved. The CGI-PLN will use this information to help set web harvesting priorities.

A fugitive document is a “document” published by a government agency but not collected and distributed by an official depository program.

For the purpose of this survey we are focusing on documents produced by the Government of Canada. In this context, fugitive documents include all types and formats of digital materials including press releases published as HTML pages, reports published as MS Word documents or PDFs, digital maps from the Atlas of Canada, databases such as Trade Online from Industry Canada, audio and video recordings, etc.

Click here to complete the survey!

The Lyon Declaration

The Lyon Declaration on Access to Information and Development was launched at the IFLA World Library and Information Congress in Lyon, France, 15-22 August 2014. The Declaration focuses on the UN’s post-2015 development agenda, currently being developed, and includes important statements on the access to and the preservation of government information, including the recognition on behalf of signatories that:

Information intermediaries such as libraries, archives, civil society organisations (CSOs), community leaders and the media have the skills and resources to help governments, institutions and individuals communicate, organize, structure and understand data that is critical to development. They can do this by:

…

Preserving and ensuring ongoing access to cultural heritage, government records and information by the public, through the stewardship of national libraries and archives and other public heritage institutions.

The full text of the Declaration is available here. Please share widely.

Contribute to the Open Government Ideas Dialogue

An “Ideas Dialogue” has been development as part of the Government of Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0 Consultation:

What is the Idea Dialogue? It is a way to take the next step in building Canada’s Action Plan on Open Government 2.0. We’d like you to share your ideas on ways the Government of Canada could focus its efforts toward increased openness and transparency. You could also help build on someone else’s idea by adding your comments on the idea details discussion pages.

Canada’s first Action Plan on Open Government helped us make significant strides in providing easier access to the data and information Canadians want.

This could be a great opportunity for the government information community to make concrete suggestions for improving access to government information and data in Canada. Please, contribute your recommendations to this consultation, spread the word, and upvote the ideas you support!

Un dialogue en matière d’idées relatives à l’élaboration du Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert 2.0 a été développé:

En quoi consiste le dialogue en matière d’idées? Il s’agit d’un moyen de passer à l’étape suivante dans l’élaboration du Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert 2.0. Nous aimerions connaître vos idées sur la façon dont le gouvernement du Canada pourrait orienter ses efforts en vue d’accroître son ouverture et sa transparence. Vous pourriez également enrichir l’idée d’une autre personne en ajoutant vos commentaires aux pages de discussion relatives aux détails de l’idée en question.

Le premier Plan d’action du Canada pour un gouvernement ouvert nous a aidé à réaliser d’importants progrès qui ont permis de faciliter l’accès des Canadiens à l’information.