"We want to hear from Canadians on how we can advance the Open Government initiative in Canada," said Minister Clement. "The valuable input we receive will help us develop an action plan for the International Open Government Partnership, and help make the Government of Canada more accessible to Canadians."

The consultation will take place from December 6, 2011, to January 16, 2012, and can be accessed though the Open Government website. Participants can make their views known online, by email or by letter. A report on the findings from the consultation will be published in March 2012.

"In addition to the online consultations, I will be hosting a moderated tweet chat on Open Government on December 15, where I will welcome the questions of Canadians, providing an additional way to take part in this important discussion," added Minister Clement.

In September 2011, Canada signalled its intent to join the International Open Government Partnership and plans to present its Open Government Action Plan in Brazil in April 2012.

"Canada is proud to be participating in this important partnership," said Minister Clement. "We will share our country’s best practices on Open Government at the International Open Government Partnership forum, where countries from across the world will exchange ideas on this important and dynamic approach that modern governments are adopting."

Information on the Open Government activities currently underway in Canada is available on the Open Government website.

The English tweet chat on Open Government will take place on December 15 from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. EST with a French chat occurring from 4:00 to 4:45 p.m. EST. The hashtag for the English session is #opengovchat and #parlonsgouvert for the French session. The discussion will be hosted on the official Treasury Board Secretariat Twitter accounts @TBS_Canada (English) and @SCT_Canada (French).

See Open  Government Initiatives