Canada's 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government

represented by the President of the Treasury Board, 2018

Catalogue No: BT22-130/2018E-PDF

ISBN: 978-0-660-29109-3

This document is available at open.canada.ca

This document is available in alternative formats upon request.

Contents

Canada’s 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government .............................................................. 1

Message from the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government ....................... 3

Letter from the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open Government .............................................................. 4

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 7

Progress achieved to date ........................................................................................................................ 8

Canada’s global open government leadership ........................................................................................ 9

Developing Canada’s plan for 2018 to 2020 .......................................................................................... 10

From comments to commitments ......................................................................................................... 11

Our guiding principles ............................................................................................................................ 12

1. User-friendly open government ............................................................................................................ 14

2. Financial transparency and accountability ............................................................................................ 18

3. Corporate transparency ......................................................................................................................... 22

4. Digital government and services ........................................................................................................... 24

5. Open science........................................................................................................................................... 28

6. Healthy democracy................................................................................................................................. 31

7. Access to information ............................................................................................................................ 34

8. Feminist and inclusive dialogue ............................................................................................................. 37

9. Reconciliation and open government ................................................................................................... 41

10. Open government community ............................................................................................................. 43

Annex A: Summary of Canada’s 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government ....................... 47

Annex B: Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) of national action plan commitments ............................. 53

Annex C: How our identity affects our experiences: What is “intersectionality”? .................................. 56

Message from the President of the Treasury Board and

Minister of Digital Government

I am pleased to present Canada’s 2018-20 National Action Plan on Open Government. Building

on the foundation of our first three plans, this Plan launches 10 new commitments, while

continuing to promote openness, transparency, and accountability in the Government of

Canada.

Open government plays a critical role in ensuring citizens are served by their governments in

ways that are responsive, efficient and fair. It connects governments to the people they serve,

and helps make policies and services more citizen-centred.

This Plan is an example of open government. In our most ambitious public engagement process

to date, it was developed with contributions from thousands of Canadians. More than 10,000

people from coast to coast to coast provided their ideas and suggestions online and in-person. I

want to thank everyone who participated in helping to shape the future of open government in

Canada.

In 2018-19, Canada is also leading the global open government movement as co-chair of the

international Open Government Partnership. In this role, we have committed to a vision of

open government that focuses on three priorities: inclusion, participation and impact. The

2018-20 National Action Plan on Open Government complements and supports our

international activities. It outlines how we’ll improve financial transparency, upgrade our digital

services, and keep making government more open for Canadians.

I invite you to read this Plan and see for yourselves what we’ll be doing over the next two years

to reinvent government for the digital era.

The Honourable Scott Brison

President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government

Letter from the Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open

Government

Canada’s Multi-stakeholder Forum (MSF) on Open Government is a unique platform for

strengthening open government across Canada. It provides for ongoing and continuous

engagement and dialogue between government and civil society. Its creation represents an

earnest attempt at co-creating and building a common platform for shaping and influencing the

actions and policies of government.

This is the first year that the MSF has been in place to guide the development of one of

Canada’s open government plans. It has played a central role in developing Canada’s 2018-2020

National Action Plan on Open Government.

Establishing the MSF

The MSF launched in late 2017. The MSF emerged from sustained calls from the open

government community for such a Forum. It was also a top recommendation from the OGP’s

Independent Review Mechanism.

To create the MSF, a group of dedicated volunteers ran an open process across the country to

identify the right mix of people to advance discussions. Establishing the MSF was based on the

recognition that the open government movement is meant to be a dialogue between partners

inside and outside government. Sometimes this dialogue takes the form of collaboration and

sometimes it means responding to constructive critiques.

The role of the MSF in developing the National Action Plan

Launching the 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government offers an opportunity to

take stock of how the MSF is working. It provides an important opportunity to assess whether

we are being successful in reflecting Canadians’ needs into open government commitments. It

The Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open Government is a group of 8 civil society

representatives and 4 federal government officials who provide input and advice on the

development and implementation of the Government of Canada’s open government

activities. Multi-stakeholder forums of this type are an international best practice, and the

Open Government Partnership requires that all member countries maintain a ‘forum to

enable regular multistakeholder consultation on OGP implementation.’

is also an opportunity to provide the MSF’s assessment of the plan, and the development

process for the plan.

We’ll be clear: we view the current status of our collaboration as a starting point. This has been

a learning year. It has allowed us to identify many challenges for meaningful collaboration and

co-creation, but we remain committed to the vision of the MSF. It can provide an opportunity

for its members to better understand each other’s realities and concerns and to explore how to

work together. We appreciate that everyone came to the table with deep expertise, sharp

insights, and a commitment to work together.

From the government perspective, we learned that we need to do far more to secure a deep

and meaningful commitment to the MSF process across the entire government. We need to

find a way to connect the work of the MSF to decision points for the many programs and

policies that run in parallel to open government. This means that we need to align our work

more closely to budget cycles and policy development processes. We also need to do a better

job to ensure that public servants understand that open government is not a box to be checked

off but rather a new way to do things. It is a new lens through which we can review our goals,

our methods, our processes, our accomplishments… and even our failures. We need to

enshrine the principle of genuine openness between collaborative partners. This is not only

about listening; it’s about acting.

From the civil society perspective, there was a sense that the 2018-2020 National Action Plan

initiative was not ready for incorporating civil society contributions into the process. Initial

timelines for deliverables and public engagement were tight, expectations to have access to

public officials in various key departments were high, and there was a realistic belief that the

pent-up collection of previously recommended but unaddressed commitments would be

foundational components of the 2018-2020 Plan. It was a challenge for the civil society

members, both volunteering their limited time and potentially compromising their reputations

in the broader civil society community, to remain committed and actively engaged in the

process. Civil society members contributing to the 2018-2020 Plan had to rationalize that the

process was an important and necessary growing pain to establish a more fruitful foundation

for future National Action Plans.

Results: learning to work together

From the perspective of the MSF as a whole, we did not reach consensus on the direction of the

National Action Plan, or even how it should be developed. But we still believe in the value of

this process and the possibilities it raises. We believe in the value of co-creating and we think

that we have taken meaningful steps and learned important lessons to realize that value.

The government members found the MSF helpful in creating momentum around particular

commitments to chart bolder paths forward. The civil society members of the MSF appreciated

that the government members were truly committed to the principles of open government and

collaboration and actively sought to understand civil societies’ concerns and frustrations.

We recognize that members have different roles as both part of the MSF and as officials,

advocates, and leaders in other capacities. As such, members continue to be free to express

their thoughts about the National Action Plan and to advocate for the progress they want to

see.

The 2018-2020 National Action Plan is undoubtedly better because of the MSF and its

discussions. That said, we recognize that there is room for improvement and progress. It is

precisely that belief that drives the open government movement: that we can always do better.

We hope that the MSF can build on what we accomplished, mature into a stronger body, and

drive ambitious open government reforms that have lasting and meaningful impact on

Canadians’ lives.

Introduction

Open government is an approach to governance that focuses on transparency, accountability,

and citizen participation.

The Government of Canada is committed to open government. We have made good progress in

recent years, working with partners in government and civil society across Canada and around

the world to support and promote the principles of open government. But we need to do more.

This 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government is our commitment to the people of

Canada, and our plan for how we will continue to raise the bar on open government.

This Plan comes at a moment of global importance for the open government movement. Rapid

digital progress is increasing people’s expectations for their governments. Citizens want us to

show we are ready and capable, and we will look out for them.

Taking action to build public trust in government institutions is of ongoing importance. Open

government can be an important way to renew that trust. It can show how governments are

working, how they seek to understand citizens’ needs, and how they serve those needs. It can

also help to keep governments honest and accountable.

At the same time as open government is growing in international importance, it is also

undergoing a significant shift. Early open government reforms focused on publishing more

government data and information. For governments, the goal was simply to open up as much

information as possible, with the expectation that citizens would do the rest.

More and more, governments are recognizing that they need to provide the tools that make

government information and data useful and reusable for everyone. The information and data

governments provide need to be published in a way that makes them accessible to and usable

by everyone. There is also greater focus on the importance of citizen participation in

government decision-making processes. Governments must not only hear citizens’ questions

and concerns; they must listen to them and take steps to address them.

Most importantly, there is a growing recognition that government is not open unless it is open

to everyone. When governments open up opportunities for citizens to speak up and participate,

they need to ensure that all people can make their voices heard. It is critical that governments

design public engagement processes that are welcoming to communities that have too often

been marginalized or under-represented.

As the Government of Canada continues to expand and transform its open government efforts,

we always come back to our core definition of what it is we want to achieve: “a governing

culture that fosters greater openness and accountability, enhances citizen participation in

policymaking and service design, and creates a more efficient and responsive government.” But

this next stage is about enshrining open government into everything we do. It’s about shifting

the capabilities, behaviors and processes, and making government open by default.

Progress achieved to date

Canada’s commitment to open government is reflected in the sustained, incremental progress

that has brought together partners from across the Government of Canada and in governments

and civil society organizations across the country.

As part of the implementation of our 2016-2018 National Action Plan, we took significant steps

to make government more open, including:

● establishing a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open Government, bringing together

government and civil society representatives to provide strategic direction for our work

● increasing the transparency of information on grants and contributions using a

collaborative approach

● publishing the full data tables from the federal budget, just one week after the tabling of

the budget in the House of Commons

● creating a new search function on open.canada.ca, allowing users to search through

Government of Canada and Government of Alberta data through a single site

In all, we were able to complete implementation of 16 of the 22 commitments in our 2016-

2018 Plan and significant progress was made on the other 6 commitments. You can learn more

about our successes and the lessons we learned in our End-of-Term Self-Assessment Report.

The 2016-2018 Plan gave us an important framework to guide our open government efforts.

But it could never capture all that the Government of Canada is doing to advance openness. As

of September 2018, there are 67 departments and agencies contributing data and information

to the open.canada.ca open government portal. Over the last 3 years alone, the Government of

Canada has done more than 300 public consultations to ensure our work meets the needs and

expectations of Canadians. And through learning materials, workshops, and training sessions,

we have reached thousands of public servants to help them understand how they can make

their work more open and accountable to Canadians. Other notable actions taken by the

Government of Canada to enhance openness during the 2016 to 2018 period include:

● The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat launched its @OpenGovCan Twitter account,

allowing Canadians to keep up with our work and learn more about open government in

Canada and around the world.

● Library and Archives Canada launched Co-Lab, a tool that allows any Canadian to

contribute to making history more accessible by transcribing, tagging, translating and

describing digitized images in Library and Archives Canada’s collection.

● Changes were made to the House of Commons Standing Orders to better align the

federal Budget and Estimates processes, ensuring Canadians and Parliamentarians have

more accurate, detailed information, and they are better able to hold government to

account for how it spends taxpayer dollars.

● Departments and agencies across the Government of Canada held dozens of public

consultations on issues as diverse as the legalization of cannabis, a new Government of

Canada Social Innovation and Social Finance Strategy, the protection of oceans, the

Government of Canada’s approach to big data and innovation, the transition to a low

carbon energy future, and the federal budget.

Canada’s global open government leadership

Canada’s accomplishments in open government have been recognized on a global scale. In

March 2017, Canada was elected to the Steering Committee of the Open Government

Partnership (OGP) for a 3-year term. The OGP is the leading global forum on open government

issues. It works with member governments around the world to create concrete commitments

to make governments more inclusive, responsive and accountable. They provide structure to

Canada’s open government work through their 2-year National Action Plan process, which

allows us to make commitments and report regularly on how we are following through on

those commitments.

In September 2017, Canada accepted the role of co-chair of the OGP’s Steering Committee. This

is a position of unprecedented leadership for Canada in the global open government

community. Canada is honoured to serve as lead government co-chair of the OGP Steering

Committee from October 2018 to October 2019.

The Government of Canada will work in close collaboration with our civil society co-chair

Nathaniel Heller, Executive Vice President for Integrated Strategies at Results for Development.

In October 2018, we released our OGP co-chair strategy which included our priorities of

inclusion, participation, and impact. We also committed to reporting publicly on progress on

our leadership commitments. Canada also announced that we would host an OGP Global

Summit in May 2019, welcoming the world to Ottawa to share experiences and face common

challenges in open government.

Developing Canada’s plan for 2018 to 2020

From November 2017 to April 2018, the Government of Canada conducted an extensive public

engagement process to understand Canadians’ priorities and expectations with regard to the

fourth Plan. This was the Open Government team’s most ambitious public engagement event

to date. You can find more information about this process in our What We Heard Report

(coming soon).

In total, more than 10,000 people participated through in-person and online events, providing

suggestions and ideas for the 2018-2020 Plan. In-person events were held in 14 cities across

Canada, and online events included a Reddit discussion, webinars on key thematic areas, an

online questionnaire, and an ongoing Twitter dialogue. Ideas were also submitted via email and

online through open.canada.ca. In the course of the consultation, over 5,000 ideas and

comments were received from Canadians across the country.

Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open Government

In addition to the extensive public engagement process, Government of Canada officials also

engaged with civil society representatives through Canada’s Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Open

Government.

Launched in January 2018, the Multi-Stakeholder Forum is composed of 12 members, 8 from

civil society and 4 from the Government of Canada. The Forum supports ongoing dialogue

between government and Canadian civil society on open government. Its mandate is to provide

input and advice on the Government of Canada’s commitments on open government, identify

new areas of focus, and build the open government community across Canada.

Civil society members of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum identified a number of key action areas

for inclusion in the National Action Plan, such as access to information, feminist open

government, and beneficial ownership transparency. The Multi-Stakeholder Forum met

in-person or via teleconference regularly to discuss the broad direction of the plan as well as

individual elements of commitments.

Feminist and inclusive peer review

As we began the process of developing our National Action Plan, the Open Government team

discussed options for ensuring that the commitments in the plan reflected the needs and

expectations of under-represented communities, including equity-seeking groups like women,

girls, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and two-spirit (LGBTQ2) people, racialized

communities, persons with disabilities, young Canadians, low-income Canadians, and others.

For the first time ever, the Government of Canada has undertaken a gender-based analysis plus

(GBA+)

assessment of its open government plan, which you can find in Annex B. It is an

important way to examine how various intersecting identity factors might impact the

effectiveness of our open government work. Furthermore, taking onboard the advice of the

Multi-Stakeholder Forum, we recognized the need to engage external experts in conducting a

GBA+ assessment to ensure commitments reflected broader expertise in inclusive and feminist

policy-making.

We therefore decided to reach out to 4 experts to ask them to conduct a peer review of our

draft National Action Plan, make recommendations, and suggest changes. Our 4 peer reviewers

were:

● Nasma Ahmed, facilitator and developer

● Elodie Joy Jacquet, Dialogue and Public Engagement Consultant, SFU Morris J. Wosk

Centre for Dialogue

● Saadia Muzaffar, tech entrepreneur, author, and advocate

● Leslie Shade, Professor and Associate Dean, University of Toronto

The full input provided by our peer reviewers can be found in our What We Heard Report. This

peer review process influenced the way we wrote our commitments, and the way we

understood the key principles underlying all of our work.

From comments to commitments

Based on the input received through the public engagement process, the Multi-Stakeholder

Forum, and the feminist and inclusive peer review, the Open Government team worked closely

with departments across the Government of Canada to develop 10 draft National Action Plan

1. GBA+ is an analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of women, men, and gender-diverse people may

experience policies, programs, and initiatives. The “Plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological

(sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who

we are, so GBA+ also considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or

physical disability.

commitments. Where possible, commitment text was co-created (drafted in collaboration) with

both internal (government) and external (civil society) partners.

These 10 draft National Action Plan commitments were made publicly available and over a

3-week period Canadians were invited to provide their thoughts on the draft commitments.

Almost 600 comments and ideas were received, which have helped to improve and shape the

plan’s final commitments.

The commitments in our 2018-2020 Plan cover a wide range of areas, and each commitment

includes specific milestones and success indicators. We believe we have drafted an ambitious,

forward-thinking Action Plan that not only reflects the OGP values of transparency,

accountability, and participation, but also reflects our co-chair priorities of inclusion,

participation, and impact. We look forward to working with our partners throughout the

federal government, across Canada, and around the world to implement these commitments

between now and August 31, 2020.

Our guiding principles

What is captured in the commitments below are the specific actions we will take to make

government more open. But we also know there are core principles that we must apply to all

our open government initiatives. These are the principles that will guide our work every day,

through every step in every process we take:

● Inclusion: The inclusion of citizens in decision-making processes is the core of

democracy. In all our work, we will be inclusive and welcoming of everyone, with special

focus on supporting meaningful participation from communities who are marginalized,

at risk, or left out of government decisions.

● Gender equity: We know that the commitments in our plan may affect different people

in different ways based on various aspects of their individual identities. We are

committed to the inclusion of women, girls, and non-binary people in all open

government activities, and we will apply an intersectional

lens to all commitments and

open government activities.

2. Intersectionality refers to the idea that individuals’ lived experiences, and the organization of power in society,

are not only shaped by a single factor (such as gender, race, or social class) but by many factors that work together

and influence each other. These factors can include gender, race, social class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual

orientation, religion, age, disability and illness, as well as other forms of identity. For more a more detailed

definition, check our Annex B.

● Accessibility: We will continue to ensure that the open information and data we provide

and our public engagement activities are accessible to all, using a variety of in-person

and online platforms to reach a wide audience of Canadians.

● User-centric thinking: We know that governments sometimes work and communicate in

ways that are hard for Canadians to understand. We will work to communicate in plain

language, and we will think about our intended audience when we publish new

information. We will also work to design programs and services that respond to the

needs of Canadians, and we will talk to Canadians to understand those needs.

● Reconciliation: We must do more to ensure that our open government work reflects the

needs and expectations of our partners in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities

across the country. The implementation of all our commitments will be guided by

Canada’s renewed nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous peoples. We will also

be guided by the fundamental principle of “nothing about us, without us” so that all

programs, policies, and services affecting Indigenous peoples are designed in

consultation and in collaboration with them.

● Collaboration: The global open government movement is only as powerful as the

people that fuel it. Our progress is made more meaningful, and ultimately more

sustainable, if we remain open to a diversity of views and experiences, and we learn

from each other. We will work in collaboration with partners inside and outside

government, across Canada and around the world. We will identify best practices, share

lessons learned, and support each other to open up government and better serve

citizens. We will be learning along the way, and sharing these lessons, as our efforts will

help shape a new way for government to work.

1. User-friendly open government

Issue to be addressed

Canadians want their government to reflect the values of transparency, accountability, and

citizen participation in all of its work. To do this, the Government of Canada needs to put

citizens at the centre of its open government efforts. The more Canadians know about and

understand the work government does, and the more they are able to actively participate in it,

the more we can all harness the social and economic potential of open government.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will provide opportunities for Canadians to learn about open

government. We will also improve the openness of federal government data. We will:

• make improvements to open.canada.ca

• help Canadians learn more about Government of Canada work on open government

• improve the quality of open data available through open.canada.ca

• expand the Open by Default pilot project

• provide tools for government and citizens to work together

• develop open data privacy guidelines

Lead department(s)

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS); Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC);

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)’s Federal Geospatial Program (FGP); Statistics Canada

(StatCan); Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS); other departments and agencies across

the Government of Canada

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

1.1 Make improvements to

open.canada.ca to make it

easier for users to find what

they’re looking for and

contribute to the open

government community

(TBS)

Pilot launched for users to submit

datasets, visualizations, and reports

based on open government data or

information

At least 20 user-

submitted

records available

by June 2020

Space provided on open.canada.ca for

stories of open data impact, including

user-submitted stories

At least

50 stories

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

available by

June 2019

Quarterly reporting on progress on

releasing datasets submitted via the

Suggest a Dataset form on

open.canada.ca

December 2018

Regular public reporting on

improvements, user research and

feedback on open.canada.ca, including on

top task success rates

June 2020

1.2 Help Canadians learn about

Canada’s work on open

government through learning

materials, information

sessions, and enhanced

training for public servants

(CSPS/TBS)

Materials for teachers and educators

drafted and published

June 2019

Outreach to at least 50 teachers or

educators to encourage them to review

and use these materials

March 2020

70% of teachers using the material are

satisfied with it

March 2020

At least 300 public servants from at least

15 Government of Canada departments

or agencies trained through learning

activities indicate a better understanding

of open government following the

learning activity

June 2020

A Government of Canada Digital Academy

is established, and at least 40 nominated

participants complete its premium course

curriculum

August 2019

3 workshop events are held to train

federal public servants on employing

administrative data in decision-making

June 2020

3. Premium curriculum may include content on development, design and user experience, disruptive technologies,

artificial intelligence and data science. Agile, open data and working in the open will likely be recurring themes

throughout all premium curriculum.

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

Public open government and open data

webinars are held at least every 2 months

6 held by

October 2019

12 held by

June 2020

Participants are happy with webinar

content and format (at least 70%

satisfaction measured by a short survey

after each webinar)

June 2020

1.3 Improve the quality of open

data available on

open.canada.ca

(NRCan/StatCan/TBS)

Data quality criteria developed and

published, and workshops are held with

government officials to develop their

capacity to improve quality of datasets

June 2019

A new data quality rating system to

supplement current “Rate this dataset”

function is developed in consultation with

users and national partners and available

on open.canada.ca

June 2020

200 frequently downloaded datasets are

reviewed for quality,

standardization,

complete metadata, contextual

documentation, and plain language

descriptions

June 2020

An additional 500 geospatial datasets

reviewed using the Federal Geospatial

Platform (FGP) data quality assessment

criteria from NRCan

June 2020

1.4 Expand the Open by

Default pilot to make working

documents from government

officials open by default,

subject to applicable

Open by Default pilot is expanded to

capture working documents produced by

the Open Government team at TBS

June 2019

New innovative technologies are

implemented to improve accessibility and

April 2020

4. Data quality may include things like relevance, accuracy, timeliness, accessibility, interpretability, and

coherence. For more information, check out the Government of Canada’s

Policy on Informing Users of Data Quality

and Methodology.

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

restrictions associated with

privacy, confidentiality, and

security

(TBS)

availability of documents in both official

languages in order to comply with the

Official Languages Act, the Treasury

Board Policy on Official Languages, and

the Standard on Web Accessibility

A subset of working documents produced

by at least 3 government departments, in

addition to the Open Government team

at TBS, is available through the Open by

Default portal

June 2020

1.5 Co-create a public, digital

collaboration space where

citizens and government

employees can work together

(TBS)

A public, digital collaboration space is

launched, and made available for

Canadians and government officials to

use. The collaboration space will:

• allow users to register with a single,

easy-to-use sign-in

• allow Canadians and government

officials to share files, work

collaboratively, and participate in

community discussions

June 2019

1.6 Develop open data

guidelines to protect the

privacy of citizens, businesses,

and institutions

(StatCan)

A series of workshops is delivered by

Statistics Canada to train participants on

the application of guidelines for the

anonymization of datasets

June 2019

1.7 Help Canadians understand

the data and models used to

design and study government

programs

(ESDC)

Microsimulation models, including

underlying datasets, results and

supporting documents, are made publicly

available to help to explain how the

government uses these models to design

programs and to estimate their impacts

December 2019

and ongoing

2. Financial transparency and accountability

Issue to be addressed

Many Canadians find it difficult to understand how the government spends their tax dollars.

Governments can improve financial transparency by providing tools and information to make

their spending easier to understand and by releasing more detailed information to allow

citizens to hold governments to account.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will continue to improve the transparency of its spending and its

open contracting to make it easier for Canadians to understand federal budgets, track funding

decisions, and examine government procurement and spending processes. We will:

• make government budget and spending information easier to find and understand

• publish an analysis of gender-based impacts for all Budget measures

• ensure Canadians have access to open data on Government of Canada procurement

• explore adoption of common contracting data standards across Canada

Lead

department(s)

Department of Finance Canada (FIN); Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC); Treasury

Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS); other departments and agencies across the Government of

Canada

Mil

estones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

2.1 Make government budget

and spending information

easier for Canadians to find and

understand

Parliamentarians and Canadians are

engaged in reviewing the Government’s

progress in improving the timeliness,

completeness, and transparency of the

Budget and Main Estimates

October 2019

5. This type of analysis is known in the Government of Canada as Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+). GBA+ is an

analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of women, men, and gender-diverse people may experience

policies, programs, and initiatives. The “Plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and

socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are, so

GBA+ also considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

(FIN/TBS)

Based on feedback received in the

engagement above, recommendations

are published on the approach to the

Budget and Main Estimates for 2020 to

2021 and future years

February 2020

The description and detail of budget

spending plans is improved, including

more detailed information on budget

allocation by department

February to

March 2019

GC InfoBase is expanded to allow

Canadians to easily follow funding and

results, from announcement to

implementation, for all Government of

Canada programs

March 2019

Government of Canada Guidelines on the

Reporting of Grants and Contributions

Awards are updated to ensure proactive

disclosure of grants and contributions

data continues to meet Canada’s legal

and policy requirements

June 2020

2.2 Publish the Gender-based

Analysis Plus (GBA+) for all new

announced budget expenditure

and tax measures in future

budgets

(FIN)

Canadians and Parliamentarians have

access to information on the gender and

diversity impacts of budget measures.

February to

March 2019

2.3 Ensure Canadians have

access to open data on

Government of Canada

procurement

(PSPC/TBS)

Pilot data that tests the implementation

of the Open Contracting Data Standard

(OCDS) is undertaken, which includes a

cross-section of at least 300 contract

records for a variety of contracts,

including major projects. Pilot data will

include all stages of the procurement

cycle (planning, tender, award, contract,

and implementation).

December 2019

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

3 to 5 public workshops on open

contracting are held to analyze what

types of contracting data are currently

available and assess barriers to releasing

open contracting data.

• The workshops consider the results

of the open data pilot.

• Workshops include participation

from civil society, procurement

experts, and industry

representatives.

• A report is developed outlining input

received and recommendations

developed during the workshops.

June 2020

Tender, award, and contract data aligned

with the Open Contracting Data Standard

(OCDS) is published for all contracts for

fiscal years 2016 to 2017 and 2017 to

2018. Data is published on

open.canada.ca and is updated on a

regular schedule.

August 2020

PSPC’s new e Procurement Solution (EPS)

is designed to increase the release of

open contracting data for all PSPC

contracting records. A report is published

on progress in developing the EPS,

including reporting on progress in aligning

open contracting data with the

international Open Contracting Data

Standard (OCDS)

June 2020

Government of Canada Guidelines on

Proactive Disclosure of Contracts are

updated to ensure proactive disclosure of

contracts data continues to meet

Canada’s legal and policy requirements

June 2020

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

2.4 Explore adoption of

common contracting data

standards across Canada

(PSPC)

Representatives of federal government

and provincial and territorial

governments have met to discuss

potential adoption of common

contracting data standard for tender

notices

August 2019

Government officials have further

explored adoption of common

contracting data standards across the

broader procurement cycle

June 2020

3. Corporate transparency

Issue to be addressed

Concealing information about corporate ownership can facilitate:

• tax evasion

• money laundering

• terrorist financing

• human rights abuses

• corruption

By improving corporate transparency, governments can safeguard against the misuse of

corporations and other legal entities while continuing to facilitate the ease of doing business in

order to foster growth and innovation.

In Canada, the responsibility for corporate law is shared between federal, provincial, and

territorial governments. Additionally, international collaboration and information-sharing

where appropriate can support more effective work in this domain by identifying best practices

and common challenges. Coordination is therefore needed to address corporate issues

effectively.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will continue to work with provincial and territorial governments to

implement the federal, provincial, and territorial finance ministers’ December 2017 Agreement

to Strengthen Beneficial Ownership Transparency. We will:

• require federal corporations to hold beneficial ownership information

• engage with key stakeholders on possible options to improve timely access to beneficial

ownership information

Lead department(s)

Department of Finance Canada (FIN); Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada

(ISED)

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

3.1 Implement legislative

amendments to require federal

corporations to hold accurate

and up to date beneficial

ownership information, and

eliminate use of bearer shares

(FIN/ISED)

Amendments made to the Canada

Business Corporations Act

July 2019

3.2 Work with provincial and

territorial governments and key

stakeholders representing

various perspectives on

possible options to improve

timely access to beneficial

ownership information,

including retention and

disclosure obligations relating

to such information and the

exploration of a public registry

option

(FIN/ISED)

Consultations, framed by a discussion

document, with stakeholders from civil

society, private sector, academia and

other sectors are held to discuss issues

relating to beneficial ownership

information, including emerging best

practices in other jurisdictions

July 2019

Federal recommendations are provided

to provincial and territorial governments

on improving timely access to beneficial

ownership information

August 2019

3.3 Continue to work with

provincial and territorial

governments to support

coordinated implementation of

the Agreement to Strengthen

Beneficial Ownership

Transparency

(FIN/ISED)

All elements of the Agreement are

implemented by the federal government

August 2020

4. Digital government and services

Issue to be addressed

The Government of Canada is going digital, and that means we need to fundamentally change

the way we work. We want our investments in digital government to make Canadians’ lives

better, and we want the benefits of digital government to reach as many people as possible. To

achieve this goal, we need to follow the principles of transparency, accountability, and

accessibility in implementing new and evolving government digital technologies and services.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will apply the principles of openness to its digital services, allowing

it to meet evolving user expectations while enhancing transparency and inclusion. We will:

• develop a Government of Canada digital policy and data strategy roadmap for the

federal public service

• engage with Canadians on what digital and data transformation means for them

• create a performance dashboard to track service to Canadians

• publish analytics on Canada.ca website traffic

• prioritize open source code in developing digital solutions

• improve transparency and awareness of the Government’s use of artificial intelligence

(AI)

Lead department(s)

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC); Canada School of Public Service (CSPS);

Library and Archives Canada (LAC); Privy Council Office (PCO); Statistics Canada (StatCan);

Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED); Treasury Board of Canada

Secretariat (TBS); other departments and agencies across the Government of Canada

Milestones

What will we do?

How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

4.1 Create a digital policy for

the Government of Canada

(TBS)

Canadians are engaged on the

development of a Treasury Board digital

policy. Public input is solicited and

accepted via online platforms

June 2019

What will we do?

How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

Input received is included in a summary

report to be released publicly

November 2018

A Treasury Board digital policy is

published. The policy will integrate

requirements with respect to service,

information technology, information

management and data, as well as

components of cybersecurity

June 2019

4.2 Develop a data strategy

roadmap for the federal public

service

(PCO/StatCan/TBS)

A data strategy roadmap is developed for

the federal public service to strengthen

the government’s management and use

of data for decision-making. The strategy

will:

• foster trust in the government’s data

stewardship

• demonstrate to Canadians that the

government uses data for decisions

that can improve their lives

December 2018

4.3 Engage with Canadians on

what digital and data

transformation means for

business, civil society, and

Canadians

(ISED)

Canadians are informed and engaged,

offering bold ideas through online forums

and at least 25 in-person events

Feedback from diverse stakeholders helps

to inform future policy work

December 2018

4.4 Create a performance

dashboard to track service to

Canadians

(TBS)

Data on service delivery performance for

all major service departments is collected

and published via a dashboard on

open.canada.ca.

The dashboard indicates which services

are available online, and specifies service

December 2019

6. For more information, see the website for Canada’s National Digital and Data Consultations.

What will we do?

How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

standards, fees, volumetric data, and

performance results

4.5 Publish analytics on

Canada.ca website traffic in a

timely manner, in the spirit of

sites like

http://analytics.usa.gov

(ESDC)

As a first phase, analytics are

understandable and available and for

public review for the top pages on the

Canada.ca site and key service portals

June 2019

4.6 Prioritize open source code

in development and

procurement of digital

solutions

(LAC/TBS)

Code for all new projects presented to

the Enterprise Architecture Review Board

(EARB) is publicly released within

6 months of launch, or a justification is

published

March 2019

Guidance is provided to departments on

how to remove barriers for developers by

publishing source code under open

licenses

Guidance is provided to departments on

the use of open standards

A business case for Open Source is

published

September 2018

A registry of open source code and open

source software is established to provide

consolidated access to government open

source resources

September 2018

Source code used in LAC’s Co-Lab

crowdsourcing tool is opened up and

available publicly for other institutions to

use

March 2019

An open source day event is organized September 2018

What will we do?

How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

4.7 Improve transparency and

awareness of artificial

intelligence (AI) supported

public services

(CSPS/ISED/TBS)

AI supply arrangements and other

procurement vehicles are available to

support departments in experimentation

and innovation

September 2018

A Treasury Board directive on decision

support systems is developed to set rules

on how departments can use AI ethically

to make decisions

January 2019

An algorithmic impact assessment tool is

available to help institutions better

understand and mitigate the risks

associated with automated

decision-making systems

July 2019

An international conference on AI is

hosted by Canada in fall 2018. The

Summit will focus on themes of the G7

Statement on AI, in particular, enabling

environments that facilitate responsible

adoption of AI

December 2018

Through the CSPS Digital Academy, an AI

curriculum is established at the Canada

School of Public Service to help build

literacy on AI among federal public

servants. Curriculum will support the data

analyst community, raise awareness of AI

supported public services across the

government, and help to reach common

nomenclature aligned with existing best

practices

January 2019

Workshops, conferences, and AI days are

organized to increase awareness and

assist public service to skill-up on AI and

other emerging technologies. Where

possible, events will be open to other

sectors and to the public

Ongoing

5. Open science

Issue to be addressed

Public access to science conducted or collected by the federal government has great potential

value, but government-funded science is sometimes hard to access. This is because it is not

open, easy to find, or communicated in a way that resonates with Canadians. Many Canadians

also do not know how to find information about federal scientists who are working on issues of

interest to them.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will make federal science, scientific data, and scientists more

accessible. We will:

• develop a Canada Open Science Roadmap to provide a plan for greater openness in

federal science and research activities

• provide a platform for Canadians to find and access open access publications from

federal scientists

• raise public awareness of federal scientists’ work and of open science

• promote open science and solicit feedback on stakeholder needs

• measure progress in implementing open science and the benefits it can provide

Lead department(s)

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC); National Research Council Canada (NRC);

Office of the Chief Science Advisor; Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS); other

science-based departments and agencies (SBDAs)

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

5.1 Develop an Open Science

Roadmap for the Government

of Canada

(Office of the Chief Science

Advisor, with support from

SBDAs)

A Canada open science roadmap is

developed to provide a plan for greater

openness in federal science and research

activities. It is shared with the

science-based departments and agencies

(SBDAs)

July 2019

Science-based departments and agencies

(SBDAs) have released their action plans

March 2020

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

in keeping with the Canada open science

roadmap

5.2 Pilot an open science portal

to provide access to open

access publications from

federal scientists

(NRC, Office of the Chief

Science Advisor; and TBS, with

support from SBDAs)

A roadmap for the future of the Canadian

Federal Science Repository prototype is

published, including post-pilot next steps

August 2019

A pilot portal for open access federal

science publications is launched

March 2020

Report on options for integrating

federally funded open science into the

pilot portal

June 2020

5.3 Launch a platform allowing

Canadians to more easily:

• find National Research

Council science

professionals

• find and access

publications and pre-prints

they have published

• understand what they are

working on

• connect with them via

social media networks

(NRC)

An online, searchable directory of NRC

scientists that other departments can join

is in operation by fiscal year 2019 to 2020

March 2020

The platform leverages existing digital

identification systems, such as ORCID iD

March 2020

Options are explored to link the NRC

directory to the existing Government of

Canada directory, which is led by

Innovation, Science and Economic

Development Canada

May 2020

5.4 Promote open science and

actively solicit feedback from

stakeholders and federal

scientists on their needs with

respect to open data and open

science

(ECCC)

10 open science engagement sessions

held with federal scientists and invited

stakeholders across Canada

5 by June 2019

10 by June 2020

A report on identified user needs is

published and used to inform ongoing

and future open science efforts

June 2020

5.5 Measure the Government

of Canada’s progress in

implementing open science,

Indicators for measuring the benefits of

open science for Canadians are

developed and published

June 2019

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

and the benefits open science

can provide to Canadians

(ECCC, with support from

SBDAs)

Indicators report on the benefits of open

science for Canadians is published

June 2020

Yearly reporting on progress against

existing metrics measuring

implementation of open science by

SBDAs.

Reports released

in June 2019 and

June 2020

6. Healthy democracy

Issue to be addressed

There is growing evidence that trust in public institutions is low and citizens are concerned

about campaigns of false information and ‘fake news.’

These factors can present a threat to

healthy democracy. It is critical for Canadians to have the tools and information to think

critically about public policy, so they can participate more effectively in democratic processes.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will build the resilience of Canadian democratic institutions in the

digital age, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms. We will:

• strengthen democratic institutions in Canada through modernized election laws

• strengthen international capacity to identify and respond to evolving threats to

democracy

• support a healthy and reliable news ecosystem in Canada

• champion diversity of content, and quality and transparency of information online

Lead department(s)

Canadian Heritage (PCH); Global Affairs Canada (GAC); Privy Council Office (PCO)

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

6.1 Strengthen democracy and

democratic institutions in

Canada, both in advance of and

following the 2019 federal

election

(PCO)

Election laws are modernised to be more

secure, transparent and accessible,

including by:

• modernizing Elections Canada and

reinforcing the role of the

Commissioner of Canada Elections

• prohibiting foreign funding

• increasing transparency around

how Canadians are targeted by

traditional and online and

advertising

October 2019

See, for example, the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

Government of Canada delivers on

Budget 2018 commitment to support a

new process that would ensure that

federal leaders’ debates are organized in

the public interest and improve

Canadians’ knowledge of the parties,

their leaders and their policy positions

October 2019

6.2 Leverage the G7 Rapid

Response Mechanism (RRM)

to strengthen international

capacity to identify and

respond to a diversity of

evolving threats to democracy,

including through sharing

information and analysis, and

identifying opportunities for

coordinated responses

(GAC)

The RRM is fully operationalized, and the

coordination unit at Global Affairs Canada

is established

November 2018

The RRM Focal Points convene on a

regular basis

Ongoing through

June 2020

The RRM will be tried and tested during

its first year of operation

January 2020

6.3 Leverage existing Canadian

Heritage programs, including

Youth Take Charge and Canada

History Fund, to support a

healthy democracy

(PCH)

Projects and initiatives are supported

with a focus on digital, news and civic

literacy for Canadians

June 2020

6.4 Support a healthy and

reliable news ecosystem

(PCH)

Government of Canada delivers on

Budget 2018 commitment to provide

$50 million to support local journalism in

underserved communities

June 2019

Work has been completed to better align

the Canada Periodical Fund with the

reading choices of Canadians and an

increasingly digital world

June 2019

The RRM was launched after the G7 Leaders’ Summit in June 2018. Government of Canada officials have already

begun to operationalize the mechanism, establish a Canada-based coordination unit, and leverage open source

analytical tools to monitor threats.

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

New models are explored that enable

private giving and philanthropic support

for trusted, professional, non-profit

journalism and local news

June 2019

Media organizations are consulted to

consider how the government can further

support the transition to digital media

June 2019

6.5 Champion international

norms to support diversity of

content, and quality and

transparency of information

online

(PCH)

The Government of Canada hosts a

working session for experts on diversity

of content in the digital age to advance

the national and international

conversation on principles that should

guide action in this space

June 2019

7. Access to information

Issue to be addressed

Canadians want to have easier access to information held by the Government of Canada,

including their own personal information.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will advance its commitment to more open and transparent

government. We will:

• undertake a full review of the Access to Information Act

• improve tools available to people who request government information

• improve transparency about personal information that the government holds

Lead department(s)

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS); other departments and agencies across the

Government of Canada

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

7.1 Undertake a broad review

of the Access to Information

Act, including examining:

• the extent of coverage of the

act, including the range of

institutions that are subject

to the act and who can make

requests

• ways to improve the

timeliness of responses to

requests

• the regime of exemptions

and exclusions

• appropriate protections for

information relating to

The full review begins within one year of

royal assent of Bill C-58

Stakeholders are engaged through online

consultations and in-person engagement.

Indigenous organizations and

representatives are engaged about how

the Access to Information Act needs to

evolve to reflect Canada’s relations with

Indigenous peoples, including how

information and knowledge of Indigenous

communities is protected and accessible.

The full review

will begin within

one year of royal

assent of Bill

C-58

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

Indigenous peoples and

governance

• how new technologies could

be used to improve the

functioning of the system

and service to the user

All sectors of Canadian society,

including Indigenous

organizations and

representatives, will be

engaged through online

consultations and in-person

engagement on issue clusters

(TBS)

7.2 Issue a plain language guide

offering clear explanations of

exemptions and exclusions

under the Access to

Information Act and the Privacy

Act and their relationship to

the work of federal institutions

(TBS)

A plain language guide is issued June 2019

7.3 Increase the number of

summaries of previously

released access to information

requests posted to

open.canada.ca and available

through informal requests

(TBS)

50% of institutions publishing summaries

by June 2019

June 2019

75% of institutions publishing summaries

by June 2020

June 2020

7.4 Make it easier for

Canadians to access

government information by

improving the Access to

Information and Privacy (ATIP)

Online Request Service

(TBS)

The number of participating government

institutions is expanded by 50 institutions

in each year of the Action Plan

June 2020

Canadians, including users from a variety

of backgrounds and levels of ATIP

experience are engaged to improve the

At least 2 rounds

of user testing

conducted

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

ATIP Online Request Service through user

testing and feedback

before

June 2020

7.5 Enable government

institutions to provide

requesters with responses to

access to information requests

electronically, subject to any

necessary limitations to protect

privacy and security

(TBS)

Rather than receiving paper copies or

through compact discs, requesters can

receive their requests through a digital

means

June 2020

7.6 Improve online information

about how to make an access

to information or personal

information request

(TBS)

User testing demonstrates that users find

the online information about how to

make an access to information or

personal information request helpful

January 2020

7.7 Improve transparency

about the personal information

held by government by making

descriptions of Canadians’

personal information holdings

(known as personal

information banks (PIBs))

available on open.canada.ca in

a consolidated, searchable

format

(TBS)

PIBs from 60 government institutions are

available via open.canada.ca

June 2019

8. Feminist and inclusive dialogue

Issue to be addressed

Open government should benefit all Canadians. Yet many communities continue to be

under-represented in government engagement processes. These communities seeking equality

can include women, girls, LGBTQ2 people, racialized communities, persons with disabilities,

young Canadians, low-income Canadians, and others who face barriers in accessing government

information and participating meaningfully in the government’s decision-making

Commitment

The Government of Canada will support greater inclusion and diversity in its public

engagement. We will apply an intersectional

lens to open government activities and work to

ensure that the voices and experiences of marginalized and under-represented communities

are represented, considered, and included. In particular, we will:

• test ways to make government engagement and consultation processes more open to

everyone

• implement Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in public engagements and consultations

• build capacity for governments officials to design, facilitate, and support open and

inclusive dialogue

• engage Canadians on gender equality

• support initiatives that build the capacity and longer term viability of women’s

organizations

• increase access to gender and inclusion data

• put people with lived experiences of the consequences of public policy, including

members of vulnerable communities such as persons who are homeless or in poverty, at

the centre of Government of Canada policy design processes

• ensure our own National Action Plan on Open Government is as inclusive as possible by

conducting a rigorous analysis of gender-based impacts of all commitments

9. Intersectionality refers to the idea that individuals’ lived experiences, and the organization of power in society,

are not only shaped by a single factor (such as gender, race, or social class) but by many factors that work together

and influence each other. These factors can include gender, race, social class, ethnicity, nationality, sexual

orientation, religion, age, disability and illness, as well as other forms of identity. For more a more detailed

definition, check our Annex B.

10. This type of analysis is known in the Government of Canada as “Gender-Based Analysis Plus” (GBA+). GBA+

is an analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of women, men, and gender-diverse people may experience

policies, programs, and initiatives. The “Plus” in GBA+ acknowledges that GBA goes beyond biological (sex) and

Lead department(s)

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS); Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC);

Statistics Canada (StatCan); Status of Women Canada (SWC); Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

(TBS); other departments and agencies across the Government of Canada

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

8.1 Test best practices for

inclusive dialogue and

engagement

(TBS)

10 public engagement or

awareness-raising sessions organized in

partnership with community

organizations representing

equality-seeking communities

April 2020

At least 4 best practices tested as part of

in-person events, for example, use of

alternative venues, event amenities such

as child care and transportation, and

event structure

Report on inclusive engagement practices

and guidance for government

departments published

August 2020

8.2 Promote development of

skills and competencies

required to design, facilitate,

and support open and inclusive

dialogue in policy

development, with support

materials and capacity building

activities

(CSPS/TBS)

Competencies for supporting open and

inclusive dialogue are part of a policy

competency framework for public

servants

March 2019

Capacity-building activities are developed

and offered to public servants

September 2019

Open and inclusive dialogue case studies

and supporting materials are published

and shared with the public

September 2019

8.3 Implement Gender-Based

Analysis Plus (GBA+) in public

engagement and consultations

A guide to integrate GBA+ in public

consultations and engagement has been

December 2018

socio-cultural (gender) differences. We all have multiple identity factors that intersect to make us who we are, so

GBA+ also considers many other identity factors, like race, ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

(SWC)

developed and implemented, as part of

the Guide to Public Engagement

8.4 Engage Canadians on

gender equality by hosting a

national roundtable on GBA+,

leading a national conversation

on gender equality with young

Canadians, and developing a

strategy that engages men and

boys as partners in advancing

gender equality

(SWC)

In-person or online engagement sessions

held:

• Roundtable: targeting approximately

250 stakeholders reached in person

• Engaging men and boys: targeting

approximately 90 organizations

engaged on the development of a

strategy

June 2020

Engagement sessions include

participation from youth, Indigenous

people, officials from different levels of

government, academics, civil society

representatives, and industry

representatives

Information discussed during

engagement sessions are shared in public

reports (for example, What We Heard

Reports, website platform)

8.5 Support initiatives that

build the capacity and

longer-term viability of

women’s organizations

(SWC)

Capacity supports (for example,

resources, tools, strategic plans,

sustainability plans) are generated by

funded projects

June 2020

8.6 Increase access to relevant

and timely gender and

inclusion data

(StatCan/SWC)

More than 50 indicators are released to

improve access to sex-disaggregated and

gender data to support GBA+ analysis

June 2019

Data strategies are developed, including

concepts and standards, to address gaps

as the relate to the concerns of LGBTQ2

communities

October 2019

A gender-based violence (GBV)

knowledge centre is established to serve

Fall 2018

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

as a hub to coordinate federal initiatives

under Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and

Address Gender-Based Violence, support

data collection and research, and

disseminate and mobilize GBV-related

knowledge and evidence

Annual reports to Canadians on the GBV

Strategy’s results are released

June 2020

Data and research in priority areas

related to gender-based violence are

released

June 2020

8.7 Put people with lived

experiences of the

consequences of public policy,

including members of

vulnerable communities such

as persons who are homeless

or in poverty, at the centre of

Government of Canada policy

design processes

(ESDC)

A Federal Housing Advocate and National

Housing Council are appointed and are

starting to consult and collaborate with

stakeholders, including people with lived

experience of housing need and

homelessness

August 2020

An independent National Advisory

Council on Poverty is established to

provide advice to the Minister of Families,

Children and Social Development. The

Council will be representative of Canada's

diversity in terms of gender, ethnicity,

regions, Indigenous people, and official

languages, and include members with

lived experience of poverty

December 2019

8.8 Conduct GBA+ for all

commitments in Canada’s

fourth National Action Plan on

Open Government

(TBS)

A feminist and inclusive peer review of

National Action Plan commitments has

been conducted

August 2018

A GBA+ review of National Action Plan

commitments has been completed

October 2018

9. Reconciliation and open government

Issue to be addressed

The Government of Canada is committed to a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with

Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation, and partnership, open

government activities.

The Government of Canada acknowledges the great harm some of its policies and laws have

caused to Indigenous people and their cultures, heritage, and languages. Government must

strive to ensure this history is not repeated by working to ensure Indigenous perspectives,

values, and lived experiences are included in decisions about the policies, laws, relationships,

and decisions that impact their lives. As expressed in the United Nations Declaration on the

Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), government must also “respect and promote the

inherent rights of indigenous peoples which derive from their political, economic and social

structures and from their cultures, spiritual traditions, histories, and philosophies, especially

their rights to their lands, territories, and resources.”

Commitment

Open government is a way to ensure that government decision-making processes represent

and are informed by the voices of the people that will be affected by them. The Government of

Canada will engage directly with First Nations, Inuit and Métis rights holders and stakeholders

to explore an approach to reconciliation and open government, in the spirit of building

relationships of trust and mutual respect.

This commitment has been purposely designed to allow for significant co-creation and

co-implementation, encouraging First Nations, Inuit, and Métis rights holders and stakeholders

to define their own approaches to engagement on open government issues. We recognize that,

in contrast to other commitments, government cannot act alone to define an approach.

Instead, we must work in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of activities and engagement processes that we could

explore in the coming years to allow us to continue our journey of reconciliation and

relationship-building.

Lead department(s)

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNA); Statistics Canada (StatCan);

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS)

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

9.1 Work with Indigenous

peoples to advance open

government

(TBS)

Through in-person and online dialogue,

scope is assessed for stronger

collaboration with Indigenous peoples on

open government and data governance

August 2020

All members of the Open Government

team in TBS receive OCAP training

(Ownership, Control, Access and

Possession)

April 2019

Options are explored, in collaboration

with the First Nations Information

Governance Centre (FNIGC) and the

Canada School of Public Service, for

supporting officials in departments across

government to receive OCAP training

June 2020

9.2 Build capacity for

Indigenous communities and

organizations to use data and

research for their own

requirements and needs

(StatCan)

In co-development with Indigenous

organizations and communities,

15 workshops are delivered in Indigenous

communities on the use of open

government data to support improved

social and economic outcomes. Where

possible, remote participation options

will be provided

June 2020

9.3 Work with Indigenous

peoples to identify ways in

which transparency around

consultation and engagement

activities can be enhanced

(CIRNA)

Systems supporting consultation and

engagement are updated to enhance

transparency

August 2020

10. Open government community

Issue to be addressed

As the global open government movement has matured in recent years, we have increasingly

recognized that open government initiatives have the potential to transform the lives of

citizens. But these efforts can be vulnerable to changes in political leadership and competing

government priorities. For open government to be sustainable, we need to make efforts to

foster a strong, cohesive community across Canada and around the world that can continue to

push for ambitious reforms in all levels of government.

Greater collaboration across the open government community can also lead to more effective

work, as good practices and lessons learned can be shared to help others identify challenges

and opportunities.

As lead government co-chair of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), Canada has an

unprecedented opportunity to convene and support the open government community around

the world and here at home.

Commitment

The Government of Canada will demonstrate leadership at home and abroad, working with

partners in government, civil society, and the private sector to share lessons learned and

support a collaborative approach to align and advance open government efforts. In particular,

we will:

• launch an ambitious strategy as co-chair of the OGP Steering Committee, in partnership

with its civil society co-chair, Nathaniel Heller of Results for Development

• help to advance the responsible release and use of open data in OGP countries

• support international events to drive peer learning and measure open government

impact internationally

• build capacity for governments worldwide to design more inclusive open government

initiatives

• strengthen collaboration with other governments in Canada through the Canada Open

Government Working Group, and expand the working group to include representatives

of national municipal organizations

Lead department(s)

Canada School of Public Service (CSPS); International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

through Open Data for Development (OD4D); Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS);

partners in provincial, territorial, and municipal governments across Canada

Milestones

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

10.1 Demonstrate global

leadership during Canada’s

term as lead government

co-chair of the OGP Steering

Committee

(TBS)

A co-chair strategy, co-created with our

civil society co-chair, and developed in

collaboration with governments and civil

society (both domestic and

internationally), is published and

assessed quarterly in January, April, July,

and October 2019

Strategy

published

October 2018

Commitments

fulfilled by

June 2020

Canada hosts an OGP summit in

spring 2019 that showcases open

government to a domestic and

international audience

Spring 2019

10.2 Support the OGP Thematic

Partnership on Open Data,

helping to advance the

responsible release and use of

open data in OGP countries

(IDRC)

The Open Data for Development

Network, hosted at the International

Development Research Centre (IDRC) and

supported by Global Affairs Canada, will:

Provide technical support to 10 OGP

governments and civil society in

developing countries for implementing

open data commitments

June 2020

Support research and innovative

initiatives on the availability and use of

open data for better service delivery,

gender equality, inclusion, progress on

the Sustainable Development Goals, or

transparency and accountability in

10 countries

June 2020

10.3 Support international

events to drive peer learning

and measure open government

and open data impact

internationally

(IDRC/TBS)

Co-hosted the International Open Data

Conference 2018 in Buenos Aires,

Argentina

September 2018

Independent global assessments on the

status of open data are supported around

the world in a State of Open Data report

and through the next edition of the Open

Data Barometer

July 2019

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

Canada has participated in at least

2 bilateral peer learning events and at

least 3 international forums, and included

language on open government in at least

3 international declarations

June 2020

10.4 Build capacity for more

feminist open government

initiatives worldwide

(IDRC)

An international coalition has been

established that will work to make open

government processes more inclusive.

This group releases an Action Plan with

commitments and progress markers

May 2019

Research is funded in various regions to

contributes to an evidence base for the

impact of gender equality in open

government on public service delivery

December 2018

A synthesis publication is released and

shared, with future actions and

recommendations outlined

May 2019

10.5 Building on current

collaboration between the

Governments of Canada and

Alberta, extend federated open

data search pilot to additional

provinces and onboard at least

2 municipalities

(TBS)

Government of Canada has federated

open data with at least 2 additional

provinces and 2 municipalities

May 2019 to

onboard

2 provinces

May 2020 to

onboard

2 municipalities

10.6 Implement a pilot project

to move toward

cross-jurisdictional common

data standards in line with the

International Open Data

Charter and other international

standards

(TBS)

Cross-jurisdictional metadata mapping is

completed with a common set of core

elements

February 2019

A pilot project to standardize 5 high-value

datasets across jurisdictions from among

the list of high value datasets previously

identified by the Canada Open

Government Working Group is completed

September 2019

What will we do? How we will know we succeeded?

What is our

deadline?

At least 5 more subnational governments

in Canada have adopted the Open Data

Charter

May 2020

10.7 Promote data literacy and

management for public

servants within all levels of

government

(CSPS/TBS)

Data literacy and management resources

have been identified and are made

available to government employees

September 2019

10 data literacy events are held to

promote employees skills in open data

May 2020

Annex A: Summary of Canada’s 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government

Commitment Milestone Lead

1. User-friendly

open

government

1.1 Make improvements to open.canada.ca

to make it easier for users to find what they’re

looking for and contribute to the open government community

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

1.2 Help Canadians learn about Canada’s work on open government through learning

materials, information sessions, and enhanced training for public servants

• Canada School of Public Service

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

1.3 Improve the quality of open data available on open.canada.ca

• Natural Resources Canada

• Statistics Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

1.4 Expand the Open by Default pilot to make working documents from government officials

open by default, subject to applicable restrictions associated with privacy, confidentiality, and

security

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

1.5 Co-create a public, digital collaboration space where citizens and government employees

can work together

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

1.6 Develop open data guidelines to protect the privacy of citizens, businesses, and institutions

• Statistics Canada

1.7 Help Canadians understand the data and models used to design and study government

programs

• Employment and Social Development

Canada

2. Financial

transparency

and

accountability

2.1 Make government budget and spending information easier for Canadians to find and

understand

• Department of Finance Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

2.2 Publish the Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) for all new announced budget expenditure

and tax measures in future budgets

• Department of Finance Canada

2.3 Ensure Canadians have access to open data on Government of Canada procurement

• Public Services and Procurement Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Commitment Milestone Lead

2.4 Explore adoption of common contracting data standards across Canada

• Public Services and Procurement Canada

Corporate

transparency

3.1 Implement legislative amendments to require federal corporations to hold accurate and up

to date beneficial ownership information, and eliminate use of bearer shares

• Department of Finance Canada

• Innovation, Science and Economic

Development Canada

3.2 Work with provincial and territorial governments and key stakeholders representing

various perspectives on possible options to improve timely access to beneficial ownership

information, including retention and disclosure obligations relating to such information and

the exploration of a public registry option

• Department of Finance Canada

• Innovation, Science and Economic

Development Canada

3.3 Continue to work with provincial and territorial governments to support coordinated

implementation of the Agreement to Strengthen Beneficial Ownership Transparency

• Department of Finance Canada

• Innovation, Science and Economic

Development Canada

4. Digital

government and

services

4.1 Create a digital policy for the Government of Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

4.2 Develop a data strategy roadmap for the federal public service

• Privy Council Office

• Statistics Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

4.3 Engage with Canadians on what digital and data transformation means for business, civil

society, and Canadians

• Innovation, Science and Economic

Development Canada

4.4 Create a performance dashboard to track service to Canadians

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

4.5 Publish analytics on Canada.ca website traffic in a timely manner, in the spirit of sites like

http://analytics.usa.gov

• Employment and Social Development

Canada

4.6 Prioritize open source code in development and procurement of digital solutions

• Library and Archives Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

4.7 Improve transparency and awareness of artificial intelligence (AI) supported public services

• Canada School of Public Service

11. For more information, see the website for Canada’s National Digital and Data Consultations.

Commitment Milestone Lead

• Innovation Science and Economic

Development Canada

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

5. Open science

5.1 Develop an Open Science Roadmap for the Government of Canada

• Office of the Chief Science Advisor

• With support from science-based

departments and agencies

5.2 Pilot an open science portal to provide access to open access publications from federal

scientists

• National Research Council Canada

• Office of the Chief Science Advisor

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

• With support from science-based

departments and agencies

5.3 Launch a platform allowing Canadians to more easily:

• find National Research Council science professionals

• find and access publications and pre-prints they have published

• understand what they are working on

• connect with them via social media networks

• National Research Council Canada

5.4 Promote open science and actively solicit feedback from stakeholders and federal scientists

on their needs with respect to open data and open science

• Environment and Climate Change Canada

5.5 Measure the Government of Canada’s progress in implementing open science, and the

benefits open science can provide to Canadians

• Environment and Climate Change Canada

• With support from science-based

departments and agencies

6. Healthy

democracy

6.1 Strengthen democracy and democratic institutions in Canada, both in advance of and

following the 2019 federal election

• Privy Council Office

6.2 Leverage the G7 Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) to strengthen international capacity to

identify and respond to a diversity of evolving threats to democracy, including through sharing

information and analysis, and identifying opportunities for coordinated responses

• Global Affairs Canada

Commitment Milestone Lead

6.3 Leverage existing Canadian Heritage programs, including Youth Take Charge and Canada

History Fund, to support a healthy democracy

• Canadian Heritage

6.4 Support a healthy and reliable news ecosystem

• Canadian Heritage

6.5 Champion international norms to support diversity of content, and quality and

transparency of information online

• Canadian Heritage

7. Access to

information

7.1 Undertake a broad review of the Access to Information Act

, including examining:

• the extent of coverage of the act, including the range of institutions that are subject to the

act and who can make requests

• ways to improve the timeliness of responses to requests

• the regime of exemptions and exclusions

• appropriate protections for information relating to Indigenous peoples and governance

• how new technologies could be used to improve the functioning of the system and service

to the user

All sectors of Canadian society, including Indigenous organizations and representatives, will be

engaged through online consultations and in-person engagement on issue clusters

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

7.2 Issue a plain language guide offering clear explanations of exemptions and exclusions

under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

and their relationship to the work of

federal institutions

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

7.3 Increase the number of summaries of previously released access to information requests

posted to open.canada.ca

and available through informal requests

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

7.4 Make it easier for Canadians to access government information by improving the ATIP

Online Request Service

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

7.5 Enable government institutions to provide requesters with responses to access to

information requests electronically, subject to any necessary limitations to protect privacy and

security

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Commitment Milestone Lead

7.6 Improve online information about how to make an access to information or personal

information request

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

7.7 Improve transparency about the personal information held by government by making

descriptions of Canadians’ personal information holdings (known as personal information

banks, or PIBs) available on open.canada.ca

in a consolidated, searchable format

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

8. Feminist and

inclusive

dialogue

8.1 Test best practices for inclusive dialogue and engagement

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

8.2 Promote development of skills and competencies required to design, facilitate, and support

open and inclusive dialogue in policy development, with support materials and capacity

building activities

• Canada School of Public Service

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

8.3 Implement Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in public engagement and consultations

• Status of Women Canada

8.4 Engage Canadians on gender equality by hosting a national roundtable on GBA+, leading a

national conversation on gender equality with young Canadians, and developing a strategy that

engages men and boys as partners in advancing gender equality

• Status of Women Canada

8.5 Support initiatives that build the capacity and longer-term viability of women’s

organizations

• Status of Women Canada

8.6 Increase access to relevant and timely gender and inclusion data

• Statistics Canada

• Status of Women Canada

8.7 Put people with lived experiences of the consequences of public policy, including members

of vulnerable communities such as persons who are homeless or in poverty, at the centre of

Government of Canada policy design processes

• Employment and Social Development

Canada

8.8 Conduct GBA+ for all commitments in Canada’s fourth National Action Plan on Open

Government

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

9. Reconciliation

and open

government

9.1 Work with Indigenous peoples to advance open government

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

9.2 Build capacity for Indigenous communities and organizations to use data and research for

their own requirements and needs

• Statistics Canada

Commitment Milestone Lead

9.3 Work with Indigenous peoples to identify ways in which transparency around consultation

and engagement activities can be enhanced

• Crown-Indigenous Relations and

Northern Affairs Canada

10. Open

government

community

10.1 Demonstrate global leadership during Canada’s term as lead government co-chair of the

OGP Steering Committee

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

10.

2 Support the OGP Thematic Partnership on Open Data, helping to advance the responsible

release and use of open data in OGP countries

• International Development Research

Centre

10.

3 Support international events to drive peer learning and measure government and open

data impact internationally

• International Development Research

Centre

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

10.

4 Build capacity for more feminist open government initiatives worldwide

• International Development Research

Centre

10.

5 Building on current collaboration between the Governments of Canada and Alberta,

extend federated open data search pilot to additional provinces and onboard at least

2 municipalities

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

10.6 I

mplement a pilot project to move toward cross-jurisdictional common data standards in

line with the International Open Data Charter and other international standards

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

10.

7 Promote data literacy and management for public servants within all levels of government

• Canada School of Public Service

• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Annex B: Gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) of national action

plan commitments

Canada’s work on open government, including the 2018-2020 National Action Plan above,

covers a wide range of sectors and policy areas. While the analysis below seeks to identify GBA+

considerations relating to commitments in the Plan, it is only a brief overview of the key issues

to be addressed. All commitment lead departments are expected to work to address GBA+

considerations throughout the implementation of their commitments.

One of the fundamental qualities of open government initiatives is that they should be open to

all. The principles of openness and transparency seek to return data, information, influence,

and power to the people that governments are designed to serve. It is therefore crucial that

communities that remain under-represented in the highest circles of public power and

influence be empowered by Canada’s open government initiative.

One important consideration is how open government efforts may have different impacts on

people of different genders. Open government initiatives are typically designed to be gender

neutral. However, there is evidence that women around the world tend of have lower levels of

access to information and fewer opportunities to participate in government consultations and

engagement processes. Feminist open government is a central theme of our 2018-2020

National Action Plan, with a number of commitments focused on empowering women, girls,

and LGBTQ2 people. This includes commitments to:

• implement GBA+ in public engagement and consultations

• increase access to relevant and timely gender and inclusion data

• fund research that contributes to an evidence base for the impact of gender equality in

open government

Gender is not the only dimension that can affect how Canadians experience open government.

During the National Action Plan development process, many Canadians raised concerns that

increasing digitization of government services and information could leave some people

behind. In particular, lower levels of digital literacy among Canadian seniors and less reliable

internet access in rural and remote communities can make digital government inaccessible to

those groups. While issues of digital access are not addressed directly in the 2018-2020

National Action Plan, they will continue to be a priority for the Government of Canada. For

open government specifically, consultation and engagement activities will continue to be

designed to incorporate both digital and in-person options for participation. This ensures that

open government activities can reach a geographically diverse audience through digital

channels, while still providing some opportunities for Canadians to participate in their own

communities.

As part of the 2018-2020 Plan, the Government of Canada has also committed to exploring new

ways to make public consultation and engagement processes more inclusive to all. As part of

the Feminist and inclusive dialogue commitment, the Government of Canada will test best

practices for designing more inclusive engagement events. These best practices will be based

on what Canadians have told us they need to make it easier to participate in government

processes. They could include, for example:

• exploring more community-oriented venues for events (for example, libraries)

• providing meals or childcare for event participants

• covering the costs of public transportation for those who want to attend events

The goal of this commitment is to understand how the Government of Canada can better

design consultation and engagement events to include all Canadians, including people with

disabilities, low income Canadians, and families with children.

Finally, one of the most important dimensions of making open government more inclusive is

establishing relationships of mutual trust and respect with marginalized and under-represented

communities. For open government to be successful, our work needs to reflect a wide range of

experiences. But doing so requires us to engage thoughtfully, meaningfully, and consistently

with community groups and organizations that represent those diverse experiences.

This process of reaching out directly to all communities affected by our work requires patience

and understanding. It is not directly reflected in the commitments of our 2018-2020 National

Action Plan because it is a process that cannot be easily defined. Its success cannot be

measured in the number of engagement events held, or the type of comments received. We

can only know that we have succeeded if more Canadians feel they are better able to engage

with the government to make their voices heard in decision-making processes that affect them.

One way we have represented this process of relationship-building is in our reconciliation and

open government commitment, where we commit to spending the full Plan implementation

period engaging in dialogue with Indigenous rightsholders and stakeholders to assess scope for

stronger collaboration on open government and data governance. We have also made

inclusion, reconciliation, and collaboration key principles guiding our work on the

implementation of this Plan.

Annex C: How our identity affects our experiences: What is

“intersectionality”?

In our 2018-2020 National Action Plan on Open Government, we talk about applying an

‘intersectional lens’ to all of our work. But what is intersectionality?

One of the original definitions of the word comes from Kimberlé Crenshaw, an American civil

rights advocate and law professor at UCLA School of Law and Columbia Law School. Crenshaw’s

work focuses primarily on the issues of gender and race. She was the first scholar to use the

word ‘intersectionality’, and built the concept as a theory within feminist theory.

Her 1991 article, “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against

Women of Color,” mapped the understanding of intersectionality by black feminists and social

justice projects, looking at the race and gender dimensions of violence against women of

colour. Reflecting on intersectionality in 2017, Crenshaw described it as “a lens through which

you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply

that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LBGTQ problem there.

Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these

things.”

Continued context around the word intersectionality has been provided by Patricia Hill Collins

and Sirma Blige in their book, Intersectionality:

Intersectionality is a way of understanding and analyzing the complexity in

the world, in people, and in human experiences. The events and conditions

of social and political life and the self can seldom be understood as shaped

by one factor. They are generally shaped by many factors in diverse and

mutually influencing ways. When it comes to social inequality, people’s lives

and the organization of power in a given society are better understood as

being shaped not by a single axis of social division, be it race or gender or

class, but by many axes that work together and influence each other.

Intersectionality as an analytic tool gives people better access to the

complexity of the world and of themselves (Hill Collins and Bilge, 2016, p. 2).

They further argue that using intersectionality as an analytic tool requires unpacking 6 core

concepts: inequality, relationality, power, social context, complexity, and social justice.

For the open government team, applying an intersectional lens to our work means striving to

understand how various intersecting identity factors might impact the effectiveness of our

open government work, and how we can design our open government initiatives in a way that

responds to the needs and expectations of all Canadians by thinking about how those

intersecting identities are affected by what we do.