We witnessed in 2009 some political will on the part of leaders around the world to adopt more open and more proactive information disclosure practices. The election of Obama was one example. The governments of the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Finland and Mexico all moved to become truly open.
The order came from the top, because the political will must exist. The process moved very quickly in the United States, once the go-ahead was given. In a mere 45 days, the Data.gov website was up and running. On February 6, a request was made for information about all government activities. A response was forthcoming with the prescribed 60-day period. So then, the process is moving forward everywhere and proactive disclosure of information is proceeding smoothly and quickly.
Australia appears to be leading the way at this stage. You went to Australia, Mr. Moore. What difference did it make gathering the information on site rather than over the Internet or by videoconference? Did travelling to Australia change anything? What did you learn that you could bring back with you to Edmonton?
The problem stemmed from the fact that the States, the provinces, the municipalities and agencies all have different approaches.
Would you care to comment on what I've just said?