Minister Clement Promotes Open Data with Toronto Innovators and Entrepreneurs

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 19, 2013) - The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board, was a key speaker today at Accelerate TO, an annual conference that brings together experts, investors, and innovators to support Canadian technology and entrepreneurship.

"Accelerate TO has been pivotal in bringing together the high tech community and celebrating Canadian entrepreneurship and innovation," said Minister Clement. "Our Government believes strongly that these are fundamental elements to promoting jobs, growth and long-term prosperity, and we are committed to doing our part to enable innovation and create the conditions that allow Canadian entrepreneurs to thrive."

In his remarks, Minister Clement focused on Open Data, the Government of Canada's plans to renew its Web presence, and several new initiatives launched this year that demonstrate the Government's commitment to innovation and modernization. A few examples include:

- The Expenditure Database, a financial data portal that provides Canadians and parliamentarians with easy access to historical financial information regarding government spending;

- The new Open Data Portal, data.gc.ca, a one-stop shop for some 195,000 government datasets, ranging from border wait times and water quality indicators to information on natural health product ingredients that can be downloaded and reused free of charge;

- A new Open Government Licence that allows for unrestricted reuse of government information; and

- The ATIP Request and Buy Online pilot service, a new, convenient and cost-effective online method by which to request information.

"An innovative and modern government supports innovative businesses," said Chris Albinson, Founder and Managing Partner, Founders Circle Capital and C100 Co-Founder. "Greater access to government information and data, as well as embracing time-saving open technology like Twitter and Square, helps boost productivity and allows Canadians to use information and do business in new and unprecedented ways. The Canadian government and Minister Clement were some of the first globally to embrace open and transparent use of Twitter. It is awesome to have Jack Dorsey and Minister Clement meet with Canada's next generation of entrepreneurs."

In addition to these new tools, the Government of Canada has also established new standards that support the increasing use of social media and the development of mobile websites as a way to better communicate with and provide information to Canadians.

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