GOVERNANCE

Commitment 5.3.5 – We will establish an Open Government Policy to enhance civic participation, increase the availability and accessibility of information about government activities, and explore new technologies for openness and accountability.

The term ‘open government’ reflects a broader emphasis by governments to become more transparent, accountable, and responsive to citizens. Open Government includes three components: open data, open information, and open dialogue. The Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) committed to develop an Open Government Policy that meets the needs of NWT residents.

Development of the Open Government Policy included input from GNWT departments and Standing Committee, research on open government initiatives of other federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments, and feedback collected through public engagement on Open Government conducted by the Minister of Public Engagement and Transparency from December 2016 to May 2017 (Milestone 1).  The Minister tabled a ‘What We Heard’ report on the public engagement in fall 2017 (Milestone 2).

Establishment of the Open Government Policy includes the sharing of the Policy with Standing Committee and the public release of the Policy (Milestone 3), accompanied by a communications plan.

The Policy provides a framework for the GNWT to develop approaches to expand the volume and accessibility of GNWT open data sets and support the public in accessing government information, and guidelines for rationalizing and modernizing approaches to public engagement (Milestone 4).

Links to Other Commitments:

• Commitment 5.3.1 – We will improve access to information and the protection of privacy by:
• Developing and proposing amendments to the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP Act).
• Creating a GNWT privacy framework and management programs, so that the privacy protections in the ATIPP Act are administered consistently and fairly.
• Commitment 5.3.3 - We will improve collaboration for easier access to government programs and services online, including by:
• Aligning territorial approaches with pan-Canadian efforts to establish and use digital identities for online government.
• Creating a single integrated online portal for residents and businesses to securely transact with government.
• Commitment 5.3.4 – We will maximize citizens’ ability to access government by using consistent approaches to social media, visual identity, and overall communications.
• Commitment 5.3.6 – We will improve public visibility and accessibility of Cabinet by organizing Cabinet meetings in each region of the NWT, holding selected Committee-of-Cabinet meetings in public, and meeting with standing committees in public more frequently.
• Commitment 5.3.7 – We will improve opportunities for meaningful public input into government decision making by improving access to government public engagement initiatives and reporting on how public views have shaped government decisions.
• Commitment 5.3.8 – We will enhance collaboration between Cabinet and Regular Members by ensuring early, regular and open consultation by Cabinet with Regular Members and Committees of the Legislative Assembly, exploring more options to formally work together, and strengthening processes for consistently sharing and tracking information provided to standing committees.
• Commitment 5.3.9 – We will develop and implement an effective communications plan to make residents aware of the mechanisms available to appeal government decisions.
• Commitment 5.3.10 – We will do a better job of making our residents, particularly those in smaller communities, aware of available government programs and services, and how to access them, through Single Window Service Centres and our Government Service Officers.

For more information about this initiative, please contact the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs.