Got a question? Click on our frequently asked questions below to view the answer. Not finding the answer to your question? Contact us by emailing [email protected](External link)!
When will the consultation take place?
The consultation will begin November 9 until December 18, 2020.
What is the objective of the consultation?
Our goal is to hear what Canadians coast to coast to coast want to see in Canada’s next National Action Plan on Open Government. Tell us your ideas, experiences, insights and stories on what open government means to you; what is or isn’t working well so far and where you think open government needs to go.
How can I participate during the consultation?
Once the consultation is launched on November 9, 2020, you’ll be invited to participate online by clicking the “Participate Now” button on the home page, or by attending a virtual event. A full schedule of planned events will be shared ahead of time, so you’ll be able to register for an event that interests you.
What can I do to prepare for the consultation?
Visit the toolbox to get learn more about the basics and the latest open government hot topics.
I participated in the consultations that happened earlier this year, what will happen to the ideas and comments that I shared?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our consultations that launched in spring 2020 were paused to focus on delivering the services and information Canadians needed most at that time.
If you shared your ideas and comments online or participated in our events back in the spring, they are not lost. Your comments will be integrated into this round of engagement activities to ensure we review every comment, idea and suggestion made for our next National Action Plan on Open Government.
How are Canada’s National Action Plans on Open Government created?
The Government of Canada continuously renews its approach to open government, working with Canadian citizens, business and civil society. The engagement for Canada’s plan on open government covers a two-year cycle of listening, responding and learning as we collaboratively set an agenda and implement commitments. Anyone is welcome to contribute to the plan.
Learn about the current plan(External link) and our progress to date(External link), or search through the history of open government(External link) in Canada. The supporting consultations, analyses, and reports are available on each plan page. Learn more about Why We Consult.
How will my information be collected and used by the Government of Canada?
The Open Government team will analyze all comments received during the consultation. This input will help us draft commitments for Canada’s 5th National Action Plan on Open Government. All personal data will be removed prior to publishing comments as open datasets and within the ‘What we heard report’ which will be posted on open.canada.ca.
Any personal information that may be collected will be protected, used and disclosed in accordance with the Privacy Act and as described in the Standard Personal Information Banks entitled Public Communications (PSU 914)(External link) and Outreach Activities (PSU 938)(External link), which can be found in the publication InfoSource(External link).
For more questions about this process, please email us at [email protected](External link).
Why do I have to submit my email address and a screen name to share my idea?
Anonymous participation allows you to make comments publicly without site administrators having access to your email address. However, you need to provide a username and email address in order to agree to Bang the Table’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This is required because Bang the Table moderates all publicly-posted comments and this is one of the ways we are able to help protect your privacy.
Note that your email address and username are not stored on this site and site administrators don’t have access to it. This information is only accessible by our moderators that are doing their job to keep this space a safe for everyone to participate.
The username you choose will be the name that will show up on the screen when you provide feedback, and can be any username you choose. The only reason this is required is that the software requires a username to post alongside a publicly-viewable comment. You can choose a username that is anonymous.
If you prefer not to share an email address, you have the option to share your idea with us by using the private feedback form. Private feedback will be used internally by our team for analysis and will be released anonymously as part of our open dataset.