What is Open Government?

Question: So what is Open Government?

Thomas Kearney, senior project officer: Open Government to me is a path towards better democracy. It is a way to solve complex problems, to bring other people in.

Allison O’Berine, senior advisor: Open Government is about bringing Canadians closer to the government that is supposed to serve them.

Jordan Zed, director, open government: Part of what we’re trying to do in Open Government is give citizens the tools that they need to create, to innovate, collaborate —

Melanie Leury, project coordinator support officer: And from there, people can see it, people can review it, and they can comment on it. They can have a say. They can feel like they’re involved in a process that usually they would feel very removed. And I think that’s a great thing for democracy as a whole.

Portia Taylor, senior policy analyst: Adding your values, help shaping the open information, but also the decisions that are being made from the information that we hold as a government. It’s a great way for citizens to take hold of democracy and become a part of shaping it.

Taran Wasson, policy analyst: Yeah, I wish everyone will check open.canada.ca, check out our portal. You can find tons of information there on open data, open information, our action plan, and a lot more. Well, I have to put my pocket square back in.

On screen: Share your ideas on open.canada.ca