Federal-Provincial-Territorial Information and Privacy Commissioners’ Summit

NEWS RELEASE – ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMMISSIONERS CALL FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT

Governments at all levels in Canada should embrace open government principles to enhance transparency and accountability. In a joint resolution issued today, federal and all provincial and territorial Access to Information and Privacy Commissioners are endorsing and promoting these principles while calling on their respective governments to demonstrate their commitment to a culture of openness.

“Open Government is about promoting a new way of viewing the role of government and the participation of citizens in it,” says Yukon Ombudsman and Information and Privacy Commissioner, Tracy-Anne McPhee. “Knowing what kind of information Canadians want and making it proactively available is a fundamental feature of an open, democratic and transparent government.”

The Open Government Resolution is the product of the annual meeting of Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Commissioners from federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions across Canada, being held in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Around the world, many governments have recognized that providing better and free access to their information promotes citizen engagement, instils trust in government and ultimately results in a more open and responsive democratic government.

 

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The resolution is available on the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s website, and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's website.

For more information and/or media interview requests with federal, provincial or territorial Commissioners, please contact:

On site in Whitehorse:

Heather Ormerod
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Telephone in Whitehorse (August 31 – September 2): (867) 668-8170

Off site media contacts:

Yukon
Name: Danielle Noel
Email: Danielle.Noel@ombudsman.yk.ca
Tel: (867) 667-8467

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Name: Francine Charbonneau
Tel: (613) 947-2311
Cell: (613) 299-4320

Alberta
Name: Wayne Wood
Email: wwood@oipc.ab.ca
Tel: (780) 644-4015

British Columbia
Name: Sue Grimm    
Email: SGrimm@oipc.bc.ca
Tel: (250) 387-0777

Manitoba
Name: Gail Perry
Email: gperry@ombudsman.mb.ca
Tel: (204) 982-9139

New Brunswick
Name: Anne Bertrand, Access to Information and Privacy Commissioner
Tel: (506) 453-5965
           
Newfoundland and Labrador
Name: Robynn Arnold
Email: RobynnArnold@oipc.nl.ca
Tel: (709) 729-3627

Northwest Territories
Name: Elaine Keenan Bengts, Information and Privacy Commissioner
Tel: (867) 669-0976

Nova Scotia
Name: Dulcie McCallum
Tel: (902) 424-4684

Ontario
Name: Angus Fisher
Email: Angus.Fisher@ipc.on.ca
Tel: 416-326-3902

Prince Edward Island
Name: Mary-Lynn Smith
Email: mlsmith@gov.pe.ca
Tel: (902) 368-4099

Québec
Name: Alain Gingras
Tel: (418) 643-2505

Saskatchewan
Name: Gary Dickson, Information and Privacy Commissioner
Tel: (306) 787-8350

Nunavut
Name: Elaine Keenan Bengts, Information and Privacy Commissioner

Tel: (867) 669-0976