18 June 2013
Enniskillen, Northern Ireland
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today formally adopted an Open Data Charter with other G-8 Leaders at the Lough Erne Summit in Northern Ireland. In keeping with the Charter, the Prime Minister launched a new Government Open Data Portal, data.gc.ca, which will provide Canadians with unprecedented access to government data and information.
“The launch of Canada’s next-generation Open Data Portal and the adoption of the Open Data Charter clearly demonstrate our firm commitment to a more open, transparent and accountable government,” said the Prime Minister. “It is my hope that making this information available to the public will generate innovation and the economic and social benefits that come with it.”
The Open Data Charter commits Canada to the proactive release of more data via a comprehensive online registry of data holdings, and to setting standards for data quality, interoperability, and comparability. The Charter also calls for a process of prioritizing high-value data for early release, and to giving users unrestricted rights to reuse the data.
The next-generation Open Data Portal, which will be officially launched today in Toronto by Treasury Board President Tony Clement, is based on leading-edge collaborative open source technologies, and includes new interactive features and search capabilities that will make finding and using government data easier and more user friendly. It can be accessed at data.gc.ca
New datasets now accessible to the public via the Portal include information in the areas of housing, health and the environment. More datasets will be accessible through the Portal as they become available.
The Government of Canada’s commitment to Open Government and Open Data are in keeping with Canada’s Open Government Action Plan, and Canada’s participation in the Open Government Partnership, a global initiative to secure concrete commitments from member countries to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance.
