Minister Clement Hosts Teleconference with Open Government Advisory Panel

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 18, 2013) - The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, today hosted an Advisory Panel meeting to review progress on Canada's Action Plan on Open Government.

"The Advisory Panel provides important feedback and advice on implementing our Government's commitments to Open Government," said Minister Clement. "These experts have significant expertise in understanding what information should be released and how it should be made accessible to Canadians. Their input will help our Government fulfill its commitment to transparency, while ensuring that Canadians receive relevant information in a way that is most useful."

The Panel also discussed key concepts of an Open Government Directive. The Directive, to be issued later this year, will provide guidance to departments on what kind of information and datasets to publish on the Government's Open Data Portal and in what form so that Canadians receive relevant information in a timely and user-friendly way. In April 2012, The Government of Canada joined the Open Government Partnership and committed to a 12-point action plan to make government data and information more accessible and encourage greater citizen engagement.

"The advice from today's meeting will help the Canadian government make information more accessible," said Alex Miller, President's Advisory Panel Member and founder of Toronto-based Esri Canada. "Access to open data - and in particular open geographic data - is critical for promoting innovation that drives economic growth. By making that data standards-based, costs can be dramatically reduced."

The President's Advisory Panel on Open Government consists of experts from civil society, business, and academia, including independent commentators from Canada and abroad. The mandate of the Advisory Panel members is to provide advice and guidance on Open Government activities. The meeting was held in person and virtually with Advisory Panel members from various national and international locations.

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