In collaboration with Powered by Data, OpenNorth identified the opportunities for Canada to take a leadership role in the global open government movement and expand the Federal Government’s open government policy internationally. We position open government within the arena of foreign policy and as an alternative form of Canadian soft power.
Open Government Themes and Recommendations
Based on the views of 13 Canadian open government experts, the following 6 themes provide guidance for Canada’s leadership role as a member of the Open Government Partnership Steering Committee:
1. Lead by Example
First, leadership in open government can involve being a frontrunner in the adoption of international transparency standards. Canada’s existing support of the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) is one such example. There exist other transparency standards that Canada can adopt in full, such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and the Open Contracting Data Standards (OCDS). Comprehensive adoption of such initiatives will help Canada leverage its position at the OGP and elsewhere while improving efficiencies locally. In addition, Canada has the capacity and experience to develop a formal approach to solving national-level problems, using multi-stakeholder fora and collaboration across jurisdictions. Piloting such programmes domestically will encourage and empower other nations to follow suit.
2. Active and Proactive Participation by Politicians and Civil Servants at all Levels
Second, increasing the engagement of civil servants and politicians in open government will spread its implementation beyond TBS. This will mobilize all units into a ‘whole of government’ approach whereby employees at all levels subscribe to and are responsible for implementing discrete components of a comprehensive open government vision. This would be one step towards ‘open-by-default’ culture.
3. Clarify the Message
Third, clear and succinct communications will improve coordination of Government of Canada activities abroad. This could include the designation of a liaison to coordinate foreign interactions on open government and ensuring the goals of domestic civil society stakeholders aligns with government. This is important as Canadian civil society organisations also have a significant presence abroad (including the OGP).
4. Go Beyond Compliance
Fourth, leadership also involves going beyond compliance and raising mini-mum standards on open government. This can be in the realm of transparency, where Canada has the experience necessary to influence global transparency standards. As open government principles, such as transparency, become an integral part of foreign diplomacy, becoming the global standard-bearer for open government may benefit Canada’s negotiating position in other areas such as trade and investment.
5. Translate Open Government to Other Policy Areas
Fifth, linkages can be made between open government and other, unexplored policy and problem areas. Harmonizing open government policy with related policy, such as education and or international development, will reduce redundancies and create cohesion. One example is Parliamentary Openness, an operationalization of open government in the legislature that also has great potential for alignment with existing open government commitments both domestically and at the OGP.
6. Reinforce the Relationship with Canadian Civil Society Organisations
Finally, the relationship between the government and Canadian civil society organizations should not be forgotten. Because Canadian civil society has been an innovator in open government both domestically and abroad, closer collaboration between the two spheres is desirable.
These recommendations cover both domestic and international reforms to bolster Canadian leadership in open government. An interesting theme that cuts across the recommendations is how success in open government reinforces and strengthens Canada’s existing foreign policy goals. Where Canada has recently signalled a change in its foreign policy towards a more outward-looking approach, open government provides an innovative vector to reinforce those goals while projecting strength on the world stage. Open government and transparency, therefore, become additions to Canada’s options in exerting soft power. Based on the research conducted for this report, we conclude that it is highly advantageous for the Government of Canada to explore how successful involvement in the open government movement may require linkages across ministries and agencies, most notably between Global Affairs Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.