Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Be assured that I will continue asking myself questions because the motion introduced raises numerous questions, but I will try not to speak to my colleagues so as to abide by the rules.
Following this reading of an excerpt from House of Commons Procedure and Practice, I have come to the point where I ask myself whether we are really dealing with a government that wants openness or whether we are dealing with an enormous image or show.
I found another document absolutely extraordinary. It's the one the government published on the subject of open, transparent government. There are a lot of policies. I am going to read a few, just so we have an idea of the government's tone and desire to be open. If that is the case, I will find it even harder to make a connection between the idea of a government that wants to govern openly and the motion that is being put before us this morning. This states that the Government of Canada is developing its open government policy through three main streams, and committee work is likely not one of them.
The first stream is open data. It states:
Open data makes Government data available in machine-readable formats for citizens, private sector organizations and not-for-profit organizations [...]
I believe this is drifting away slightly from citizens.
[...] to reuse in innovative ways. It's about letting Canadians explore our data sets to find information that is of value to them. Why Open Data? Open data initiatives foster innovation, job creation and improved community services for Canadians and help create new business or research opportunities. They also allow citizens to access data to learn about and participate in the Government.
I almost feel like applauding. On the one hand, they want people to participate in government, and, on the other hand, they slap them and tell them they won't know what is being said.
How do we achieve this? The Government of Canada launched the Open Data Portal: to provide single-window access to federal datasets; to make data available for commercial or research purposes to benefit all Canadians.
However, making our discussions available for all Canadians does not seem possible in view of the motion before us.
For our purposes, open information may be even more relevant than statistical data, although I don't deny the importance of having access to statistical data. This states:
Open information [...] is about proactively releasing information, including on Government activities, to Canadians on an ongoing basis.
The wording is absolutely extraordinary. It seems to me that the proceedings of a committee must be part of government and that it should be possible to have information that is made accessible to all citizens on an ongoing basis.
I will continue reading:
By proactively making Government information available, it will be easier to find and more accessible for Canadians. Since the launch, many additional departments are now posting completed access to information summaries on their websites. In addition, all departments are now posting quarterly financial reports on line.
I told you there were three major streams. The third and final major stream of this policy of an open government, hold on to your hat, as we say back home, is entitled "Open Dialogue". The expressions "open dialogue" and "in camera" are stuck in my mind; they won't go away. It states:
Open dialogue [...] is about giving Canadians a stronger say in [...]