The Future of Accessing Government Information presentation to the Canadian Library Association June

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The Future of Accessing Government Information
presentation to the Canadian Library Association
June 15, 2006

• Nancy Brodie
• Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat

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I will cover

• GC Information Management Program
• More free information (Statistics Canada, NRCan)
• Proactive Disclosure
• Federal Accountability Act
• Access to Information reform
• Duty to document

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Information Management in the Government of Canada

• The IM Program

An IM Program more effective within the context
of the GC enterprise

• Any GC Program needs
• Preservation and safeguarding of program
  information
• Program information is available to collaborators
• Information to use in managing program and
  services
• Information to use in tracing decisions and
  process
• Information to use in delivering service outputs

Preserved and safeguarded information
Ensured availability of program information to
collaborators
Improved architected information and
its supporting processes ensure the GC record
has integrity
Ensured availability of information to use in
delivering service outputs
Improved architected information and its
supporting processes result in GC undertaking
change with agility
Ensured availability of information to use in
tracing decisions and process

• GC Executive needs
• GC programs that operate effectively in the
  enterprise context
• Ability of GC to operate as an enterprise
• Ability of GC to undertake change with agility
• Assurance that the GC record has integrity
• Assurance that client rights are upheld in the
  conduct of GC business

Ensured availability of information to use in
managing program and services
Improved architected information and its
supporting processes result in GC operating as
an enterprise
Evidence that the IM Program is operating
effectively within the context of the GC
enterprise
Improved architected information and its
supporting processes foster service
integration in the GC
Improved architected information and its
supporting processes ensure clients rights are
upheld in the conduct of GC business

• Any Integrated Service Delivery Program needs
• Ability to integrate services across GC programs

PLUS the needs and outcomes of Any GC Program
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The 3 Target Groups Their Needs

• Any GC Program
• Program information is available to
  collaborators, is preserved, and is safeguarded.
• Information to use in managing program and
  services, in tracing decisions and process, and
  in delivering service outputs
• Any Integrated Delivery Program
• Ability to integrate services across GC programs.
• GC Executive
• Assurance that the GC record has integrity.
  Assurance that client rights are upheld in the
  conduct of GC business.  
• Ability of GC to operate as an enterprise.
• Ability of GC to undertake change with agility.

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IM Program Strategic Objectives

• Availability of information to achieve program
  outcomes
• Support transparency decision and process
• Compliance with information rules
• Responsible stewardship of information assets
• Responsible management of the resources of the IM
  program

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Developments in Public Access to Government
Information
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More free government information

• Statistics Canada
• All electronic publications available on the
  website are free of charge as of April 24, 2006
• Environment Canada
• National Climate Data and Information Archive

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Natural Resources Canada

• Atlas of Canada reference and thematic maps
• GeoPub (geoscience publications available for
  download - free)
• Geoscience Data Repository (geoscience datasets
  available for viewing and downloading - free)
• Toporama (images of topographic maps) (free)
• Atlas of Canada base map digital data (download,
  free)
• GeoGratis - some base map data in vector format
  (download, free)
• GeoBase - geospatial data (download, free)

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Proactive Disclosure Impetus

• Fall 2003 analysis of Access to Information
  requests
• The most requested topics included
• hospitality and travel expenses
• contracts
• grants and contributions
• Templates were developed for institutions to
  populate with information extracted from
  documents or records

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Proactive Disclosure Requirements

• Mandatory publication on departmental Web sites
• travel and hospitality expenses of ministers
  and senior public servants
• contracts for amounts over 10,000
• reclassification of public service positions
• grants and contributions above 25,000.

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Proactive Disclosure Goals

• enhance transparency and oversight of public
  resources
• increase trust in government by making the
  operations of government more visible
• reduce the need for citizens to request
  information under the Access to Information Act.

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Implementation of Proactive Disclosure
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Other Disclosure Initiatives

• Internal audits and evaluations
• Environmental Assessments
• There are frequent Access to Information Requests
  for information already posted on Web

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Environmental Assessments
The Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry
links to all GC environmental assessments. The
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is an
independent federal body, accountable to
Parliament through the Minister of the
Environment. The Agency has a searchable registry
their website dates to November 2003.
http//www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/index_e.cfm
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Audit and Evaluation Reports
TBS links to all GC completed audits, evaluations
and similar studies for Schedule 1, 1.1 and 2
Departments. This initiative has been in effect
since 1994-95. TBS relies on departments to
report, using a network of internal audit and
evaluation offices.
http//www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/database/aeve_e.asp
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Consultation Opportunities
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Federal Accountability Act

• Expand coverage of the Access to Information Act
  (ATI) to Crown corporations, Agents of
  Parliament, and three federally created
  Foundations
• Duty to assist requesters
• New time limit for lodging complaints with the
  Information Commissioner
• http//www.faa-lfi.gc.ca/index_e.asp

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Discussion Paper - Strengthening the Access to
Information Act

• Coverage
• parameters for determining coverage
• Ministers offices
• Members of the House of Commons
• Cabinet Confidences exemption or exclusion an
  option would be to legislate a certification and
  review process in the ATIA that would closely
  parallel the Canada Evidence Act
• Creation of a public register of every record
  disclosed
• http//canada.justice.gc.ca/en/dept/pub/atia/

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Duty to Document

• an obligation to create records necessary to
  document Public Servants actions, decisions,
  advice, recommendations and deliberations
• Duty must be precise enough to allow Public
  Servants to understand what is expected of them
• Duty must be narrow and specific if sanctions are
  to be applied
• Penalties (if any) must be appropriate to the
  failure

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International Developments

• EU
• Green Paper on Public Sector Information in the
  Information Society
• Explore and demonstrate the commercial potential
• Directive on re-use of public sector information
• UK
• HMSO rebranded as Office of Public Sector
  Information
• campaign Free our data "Give Us Back Our Crown
  Jewels"

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(No Transcript)