Laye Kanté, a vision of open data extending to Francophonie

Abdoulaye Kanté is a consultant in information technology for development (ICT4D) and social media. He is the co-founder of the Link4Dev Group, which advises and supports the development of organizations and States to implement process optimization and productivity through the use of information technology and communication.

His vision of open data extends beyond the African continent, to the Francophonie. He recently founded the Forum francophone des données ouvertes, and dreams about gathering through a conference, a community of open data and open government experts in Dakar, Senegal.

Earlier this year, he wished that his government, Senegal, would have become the Francophone State flagship of the Open Government and Francophonie Project (created by open government activists Lyne Robichaud and JohnFMoore, see the mission report, Longing for open government).

Laye was assigned with high responsibilities as ICT4D manager at NGO Enda Lead Francophone Africa, as well as technical adviser for a number the Department of Information Technology and Communication (ICT) of the Government of Senegal. His areas of expertise are public ICT policies in the context of developing countries and analysis of usage arising from the wave of the Internet community (open data, open government, open innovation, business 2.0, e-gov and mobile development. Laye Kanté is very familiar with the context of the ICT in sub-Saharan countries and is a member of several networks of experts working for the development of information technology in Africa.

Read more about Laye
http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/users/laye

Jean-François Gauthier, a vision for the future of public services through open government

Jean-François Gauthier, who specialized in management consulting for the Quebec City firm Loran Technologies, is concerned about the interaction between the government and citizens. His professional experience enabled him to understand the needs of citizens and the constraints of a public system.

He is worried about the lack of public confidence in their representatives and civic disengagement. Jean-François and his family witnessed a coup in Haiti in September 1990. Two weeks of constant gun shots around his house in this country opened his eyes. He knows how we too easily take democracy for granted, how precious it really is.

Jean-François believes in leveraging technology to render public services more efficient. During a strategic consulting assignment at the Treasury Board of the government of Quebec, he became aware of the potential of open government. An "awesome discovery", he said. He realized that technology tools available today can be integrated to a government within a structured approach, something useful to increase public confidence. Jean-François sees how transparency and information flow increases public trust, improve policy makers accountability, and can increase the level of performance of public agencies. He likes how open government brings a unifying vision of business that can help meet the challenges of government budget constraints.

Jean-François also has a keen interest in developing multilateral partnerships that will support development of open government initiatives in the French speaking countries. He's a founding member of recently launched Democratieouverte.org.

Read more about Jean-François

― Mon cheminement vers le gouvernement ouvert http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/share-your-ryde/mission_case/mon-cheminement-vers-le-gouvernement-ouvert

John F Moore, a vision of worldwide collaboration

His drive for making society better and doing something worthwhile is bigger than his fear of failure. He has the courage to refuse to play small. Courage is contagious! One brave innovator sparks the pilot light that encourages others to think big and act bold. It takes guts to get out of the lunatic fringe where new breakthroughs are found, encourage people to write about dumb processes and bad systems that limit potential.

Meet John F Moore, founder and CEO of Government in the Lab ― http://govinthelab.com, the online magazine for government and politicis across the world. He preaches that open government creates jobs. He embraces change without batting an eyelash, deals with turmoil with serene calmness. Through chaos, he always sees opportunities for action and for business. Throughout his career, it became increasingly clear to John that open communication, honest dialog, is a key component for success for all individuals, organizations, and governments.

John's vision of open government is a worldwide collaboration. He invites all to participate in making his online magazine better, by constantly requesting input and encouraging action. He has the ability to increase optimism, raise energy, and momentum: he creates movement. John enhances and disseminates knowledge created through collaborative and productive relationships locally, nationally and worldwide.

If you take the time to know John, you will find out it is time to start dreaming again, test new ideas, try new things and challenge the status quo. And even be wrong.

Read more about John

― A vision for open government http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/bootcamp/mission_case/vision-open-government-worldwide-collaboration

― Open government data is world-wide, gaining in priority, and creating jobs http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/spotlight-open-government/mission_case/open-government-data-world-wide-gaining-priority-and-creating

― Hacking for change ― Mapping our way to a global vision of positive change http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/bootcamp/mission_case/mapping-our-way-global-vision-positive-change

Casting a vote on actions at UN

My comment to JohnFMoore's new discussion thread at Citizens in the lab: Do you see a role for open government and citizen participation at the United Nations? http://citizensinthelab.com/forum/topics/do-you-see-a-role-for-open-government-and-citizen-participation-a

Casting a vote on actions... we can wait a couple of decades before seeing this happen at UN!

The 43 State members of the Open Government Partnership (at UN), which signed an open government Declaration, IF THEIR RULES OR PARTICIPATION were modified to include avenues of exploration to promote the development of open government around the world, they could create an association of open government states. On the portal of such an association, challenges to solve global problems could be asked to citizens from around the world (something similar, for instance, to the OpenIdeo.com platform.

Consider the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie: it has several vectors, operating under its umbrella. Several associations of state members, municipalities or universities, with various missions:

. Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie
. Agence universitaire de la Francophonie
. Association internationale des maires francophones
. Université Senghor

In the Open Government and Francophonie Project, at Step 6 (of 6), it was proposed to create a new OIF vector dedicated to open government. But the Francophonie would have to create first a multilateral partnership, similar to the OGP, for Francophonie member States. This Francophone multilateral partnership could merge with the existing OGP, or a more realistic avenue would be to establish bridges of collaboration between these multilateral partnerships. Eventually, these multilateral partnership structures could be heading toward a global association of open governments, in a few years from now.

Many initiatives are undertaken, having to do with open data. But in my opinion, the collaborative component of open government needs to be further defined and consolidated, for international organizations to successfully tap into collective social intelligence.

Multiplying challenges to solve global problems, where citizens of the world would collaborate, co-create and co-produce, would probably lead to a gradual change in global governance.

This is how I imagine things. There were no resources allowed for proper thinking of this grand vision of open government, in regards to the Open Government and Francophonie Project. Maybe, one day, I will have the opportunity to continue in this direction, or others will take up this task. It would be a logical step, in my opinion, to set up a global organization of open governments.

Can citizens take action? Can they create it themselves, without waiting for UN or other umbrella organizations? We have seen some attempts, last year, such as the Global citizenship project, driven (among others) by Lovisa Williams and Alan W. Silberberg. These efforts have stalled, just like the Open Government and Francophonie Project did. Why is that? Because of risk aversion from governments and lack of support of citizens' efforts. Where can citizens find the financial support to undertake such bold initiatives? Will governments agree to cooperate?

There is a need to write a decent business plan for such a social enterprise. I asked for help at Innovation and Economic Development (of my municipality). They refused to grant me access to their program. These local authorities told me that they do not have the expertise to conduct the business analysis of such a project. Citizens should go knock at some door, somewhere, a willing institution to provide financial support, with a project along these lines. I still think that it was a good idea to propose an international committee of experts, to do the thinking. We should try, and try and try again. But how not to sink into bankruptcy? I still hope that the think tank Edgeryders can identifiy possible solutions to this problem. We would have to discuss it, however.

The dark side of humanity

This post is one of my comments, in a discussion about Agustina Piedrabuena's excellent Edgeryders mission report on open government.

I really like this quote from George Bernard Shaw: "Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

I seek to know what are the thoughts of leaders.

Photo: Marie-France Hirigoyen

These past years, as a personal interest, I documented myself about manipulators. I looked at the work of psychiatrists. Dr Marie-France Hirigoyen, a French psychiatrist specialized in bullying in the work place and harassment, describes the behavior of manipulators with great magnificient details. In what was initially a personal research, I realized that several of these behaviors can be observed among decision makers. While some may accept to change, Hirigoyen underlines that for a category of individuals in particular, there is nothing to do, nothing to expect.

HIRIGOYEN: "A person completely devoid of empathy, devoid of respect for others, that he/she considers as useful objects for their needs of power and authority. He/she needs to crush to exist. His/her victims remain fragile and malleable because of their thirst for love and recognition.

They can not stand to be wrong, do not have open and constructive discussions, they openly flout their victims, they do not hesitate to denigrate. They do it subtly, by allusions, just as destructive, but invisible to the unsuspecting eye.

They are insensitive, without affect. In this way, they do not suffer. If they were aware of their suffering, there could be a start of something for them.

These are individuals facing megalomania as a reference. They set themselves as a standard of good and evil, a standard of truth. They are often credited with a sanctimonious air of superiority and remoteness. Even if they say nothing, others feel at fault. They point to their impeccable moral values ​​that gives a good image of themselves. They denounce human malevolence. They have a total lack of interest and empathy for others, but they want others to be interested in them. They criticize everyone, allow no questioning and no complaint. They point faults in others, as a way to avoid seeing their own faults.

They are often described as bright and attractive people. Once the fish is caught, they just keep hanging to it as they are needed. Others does not exist, others are not seen, others are not heard, others are only useful.

Their critical function is exacerbated, therefore they spend their time criticizing everything and everyone. In this way, they remain in the omnipotence. If the others are not competent, therefore they fell necessarily better than them.

The most important thing is to understand that the manipulator does not change, EVER.

You can never get from him/her any recognition, remorse, regrets, apologies. The only thing you can do is protect yourself."

And Hirigoyen concludes with this: "It does not call into question the notion of humanity, it challenges our ideals. ONE IS FORCED TO ACCEPT THE DARK SIDE OF HUMANITY."

There is a bright side to Humanity. By contributing to creating a model of "luminous man", I am hoping that diversification in leadership models will eventually have those locked in the dark side be eliminated from political circles and governments. I do not want any dark side leaders in an open government environment. Please go away, dark side leaders! Step out!

In my twenties, I had a picture of Yoda above my bed. Star Wars had a really deep effect on me!

Read more about this discussion at Edgeryders.

Where are the current challenges to open government?

This post is an answer John F Moore's questions, from Government in the Lab,

'What is the biggest challenge to open government success?
Is open government progressing as you expected?
Where are the current challenges?'

No, open government isn't progressing as much as I would like to. To such an extent that I worry if it isn't just any fad.

There are several factors that hinder the development of this new trend in public management. A couple of months ago, Kieran Harrop, from British Colombia, wrote a post about 'Risk Aversion', being one of the greatest risks. I quite agree with him. 'Risk aversion and fear of the unknown thwarts public institutions from realizing the benefits of open government.' She Kieran's post: http://govinthelab.com/open-government-risk-aversion-one-of-government%E2%80%99s-greatest-risks/

Mark Garriga from Spain speaks of 'integrity' in his Edgeryders mission report, Desde Web Analytics hasta OpenData // From WebAnalytics to OpenData http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/share-your-ryde/mission_case/desde-web-analytics-hasta-opendata-webanalytics-opendata

In order to have more integrity, we need to define new model of leadership based on a new model of 'luminous' Human being. Communities of philosophers, like Michel Filippi from France, can help us to define these new models.

There are still mountains of work to do. Fear is our greatest enemy. Poverty is another (lack of contracts and jobs in this area).

There are people who have visions of open government. There are people who dream of that, and continue to hope that open government will become a main trend of public management. Gather them into collaborative teams, highlight their visions, and create a maximum of leaders. I believe that this is one way to drive change. http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/shine-some-light/mission_case/how-can-we-drive-change

Help each opengov activist to define his/her vision. This is what I can help to do right now, via Edgeryders.

I wish I had clearer answers. But that's all I see for now. Each month, by talking to people from my network and sharing with them about these issues, the path becomes clearer in my mind.

A comprehensive strategy, I do not know if this is too ambitious. We often criticize the lack of vision of political leaders. John, you often talk about 'fearless leaders'. Do these leaders exist? Who are they? Where are they? Someone, somewhere, has to develop a global vision of open government, and share it with the highest spheres of power. Is there an institution to fund these efforts? I believe that as a community, we can succeed in defining visions, and bring all of these visions into a bigger scope, all-encompassing vision.

When I get to see things very clearly in my mind, at this precise point of space and time, the seed of intention gets planted in my soul, and the order for materialization of my thoughts is placed. I do not know how it happens. I just need to believe. This is how the human mind works, through visualisation, intent, and hope. We are creators. Citizens, they should be co-creators with their government. I know it would be a good thing. How to materialize it? I am still looking for answers...

Edgeryders needs your collaboration

A new project run by Council of Europe, called Edgeryders, needs your collaboration. The CoE is looking at ways in which young people are building the new world we all live in. Knowledge gathered at this think tank aims to influence European policy discourse. Do you consider that open government, open data, we-gov, wiki gov and various forms of Internet enabled participation are part of this world? Please register at Edgeryders platform and explain what you have been doing in this area. Why do you think it is part of a sustainable solution? Your support is important. There is a lot of room for collaboration! Edgeryders will need all the wisdom and all the help it can get.

Join us today!

ALL HANDS ON DECK! Call to action: Edgeryders

Do you know that on LinkedIn, some Francophones have a discussion about open government issues?

There is no shadow of an open government to the horizon, but these issues are floating around in people's minds, and are discussed here and there.

What can we do now?

Yesterday, Thanh Xuan T. wrote:

(translation) "How the French government, and even the European governments, operate prevents the application of open government, and also the fear of losing a little more power (both legislative and executive) and overall control over the people. Democracy often goes backwards, or serves some obscure purposes, only to result in more control and censorship "discreetly" practiced by the government. Regarding the question of political will: it is obvious that this type of "management" far exceeds the ability of our political leaders, who more consistently care about maintaining their elected mandate, than have a genuine interest in citizens and their nation. Therefore, open government becomes a paradox: a rather unpopular democratic method, not welcomed by officials, even in the land of liberty (especially by the current ruling party)." (Ref. Is France to soon have an open government policy?

Last week, at Edgeryders, it was discussed, with philosopher Michel Filippi, how to go about defining models of leadership and open government. I explained yesterday (see this post) that we covered risk aversion and locking processes.

Edgeryders is a bridge between government authorities and citizens: what a great opportunity to help them understand what are our concerns! Government officials are listening, via this platform. Let's speak up!

The time has come for citizens from European countries - and other nations - to mobilize in an unprecedented move. Students, open government apostles, culture hackers, worldview hitchhikers, open scholars, geeks, artists, scientists, philosophers, thought leaders, change agents, social alchemists, activists, advocates, communicators, lobbyists, writers, thinkers, visionaries, etc., people from all spheres of society, ALL HANDS ON DECK! Let's gather at Edgeryders!

1) Sign up on the platform http://edgeryders.ppa.coe.int/

2) Upload your (real) pic

3) Complete your profile

4) Do the 'Share your ryde' mission (TELL YOUR STORY. What matters to you? Do you care about open government? Why?)

Here are examples of cool stories: do you know the Kyopol system? (mission by pedro.prieto-martin); Michel Filippi's mission; Neal Gorenflo's mission; Lyne Robichaud's mission, including discussions with philosopher Michel Filippi.

And soon, we'll start doing small packets of research together, we'll play Edgeryders missions and campaigns. Stay tuned.

Opengov dreams that do not die out (Edgeryders)

Two weeks ago, I traveled to Strasbourg, France, to meet the Edgeryders team, a new project run by the Social Cohesion Research and Development Division of the Council of Europe, with financial support from the European Commission. I am very pleased and honored to be part of this team.

I'm not a European, but my vision extends to Francophonie, and beyond.

I 'shared my ryde' (I told my personal and professional story) at Edgeryders, since it is through the eyes of citizens that these government agencies wish to understand what is important to European youth (and not so young people as well). From this information, the Council of Europe will seek solutions to help youth overcome adversity (particularly with regard to unemployment). Thus, this is how should be an open government: listen, show a genuine interest in what is proposed by the citizens, and use this information (the creation of knowledge) to improve public policy.

At Edgeryders, I talked about my open government dream, because this is what has concerned me for several years, enough to have spent much of my time and my energy to try to achieve this ideal. To date, no Francophone country in the world truly adopted an open government policy. None have succeeded in applying the fundamentals of this philosophy (transparency, participation and collaboration).

My opengov dreams are still alive, although what I proposed, the Open Government and Francophonie project, has not come to life yet. When something inside drives you with such intensity, nothing and no one, can destroy it. While government authorities have rejected the ideas I proposed, these ideas were not destroyed. They continue to exist somewhere in me, and in other people as well.

At Edgeryders, I shared the details of a project that does not exist yet. Maybe it will never exist at one point. It is not real for now, but it has gravitated inside me, and in other people, for more than a year.

These ideas are not just mine, they belong to the community.

By sharing my story at Edgeryders, I met on my way a philosopher. A special type of philosopher: an experimental philosopher. Last week, with Michel Filippi, a discussion took shape, about leadership and open government models. This kind of discussion has never taken place yet in the Francophone world (and probably beyond): I was happy to see it take shape in a place like Edgeryders.

Michel Filippi also shared his story at Edgeryders. Thus, I learned that he is good at creating relationships between things and people, he excels at making models. He pointed to an article by Karl Dubost, dating from 1999, entitled "Semantic proximitiy":

"Let the form of action emerge, rather than model the action of the form."

This sentence has been floating in my mind for several days. I was wondering how I would shape a collective Edgeryders mission in connection with open government issues. This sentence comes to me at the perfect timing, as a gift. Thanks Michel Filippi!

I invite those who have open government dreams, like me, and also those who are concerned about the future of our society, to share their story at Edgeryders, and join in discussions, missions, and campaigns, as we weave together valuable information knowledge over the upcoming months.

In what way I am an Edgeryder

The Edgeryders team asked me to answer two questions:

In what way are you an Edgeryder?

An explorer ― of beauty, consciousness, empowerment, structures of technology and open governance ― I intertwine a creative spirit with a passion for human progress. An experienced web communicator, project manager and analyst, I excel at managing complex flows of information and believe in the power of collective intelligence. My sense of observation helps me to assess internal and external needs of businesses and governments.

For several years, I’ve been passionate about open government. It has mostly meant observing other countries develop initiatives while being utterly disappointed for not putting my shoulder to the wheel, since Quebec is not yet an open government.

For five years, I have created projects that promote transparency, participation and citizen engagement. In 2007, I presented Zonegrippeaviaire to the government of Quebec. This project aimed to engage the public to prepare for a pandemic, with plans and strategies designed to involve citizens directly. This year, I collaborated with Government in the Lab (Massachusetts, USA) to propose open government strategies of organizational transformation. In December 2010, we designed the Open Government and Francophonie project, similar to the Open Government Partnership, but adapted to OIF Francophone countries. I was able to influence the government of Quebec to include an open government component in an analysis of the potential of Web 2.0.

Une exploratrice ― de beauté, conscience, empowerment, structures de la technologie et de gouvernance ouverte ― j'enchevêtre un esprit créatif avec une passion pour le progrès humain. Communicatrice web et gestionnaire de projet expérimentée, j'excelle dans la gestion de complexes flux d'information et je crois en la puissance de l'intelligence collective. Mon sens de l'observation m'aide à évaluer les besoins internes et externes d'entreprises et de gouvernements.

Depuis plusieurs années, je me passionne le gouvernement ouvert. Cela a surtout consisté à observer d’autres pays développer des initiatives tout en étant totalement désappointée de ne pouvoir mettre la main à la pâte puisque le Québec n’est pas encore un gouvernement ouvert.

Depuis cinq ans, je travaille à la conception de projets favorisant la transparence, la participation et l'engagement des citoyens. En 2007, j'ai présenté Zonegrippeaviaire au gouvernement du Québec. Ce projet visait à faire participer le public à se préparer à une pandémie, par des plans et stratégies visant à impliquer directement les citoyens. Au cours de la dernière année, j'ai collaboré avec Government in the Lab (Massachussetts, États-Unis) à l'élaboration de stratégies de transformation organisationnelle de gouvernement ouvert. Nous avons conçu en décembre 2010 le projet Gouvernement ouvert et Francophonie, semblable à l'Open Government Partnership, mais adapté aux pays de l'OIF. J'ai réussi à influencer le gouvernement du Québec à inclure un volet de gouvernement ouvert dans une analyse du potentiel du Web 2.0.

Why do you want to be part of the community?

That each one of us has the opportunity to attain the highest vision of who she/he is: shouldn't it be the goal of every State? Every flower in the fields tries to grow as straight and as high as possible, to hatch all the splendor of his beautiful petals. It's the same for human beings. We have within us a force (empowerment) that drives us to transcendence. Each person is unique and wonderful. The Edgeryders recognize the potential of each, try to identify problems and seek collective solutions to eliminate barriers to development.

An orphan of open government, until this new type of governance is adopted by Quebec, I'm so passionate about this and I believe so much in its potential for society that I do not want to wait a second longer to participate.

To be a "global citizen" has a special connotation for me: I know that we are all connected to each other, not only through social media. This connection also exists in the immaterial world: we are a localized part of a unified field of consciousness. Therefore, whether one is located here or there, it does not really matter. Solutions that will be imagined and created by the Edgeryders will have a positive impact on improving systems, policies and structures, and ultimately on the quality of life of countless of communities of citizens.

I like how the Edgeryders show optimism, pay attention to solutions, and seek collaboration to determine the "right" priorities for development. I wish us good luck!

Que chacun ait la possibilité d'atteindre la plus haute vision de qui il est: voilà quel devrait être l'objectif de chaque État. Chaque fleur dans les champs cherche à pousser le plus droit et le plus haut possible, à éclore de toute la splendeur de ses magnifiques pétales. C'est la même chose pour les humains. Nous avons en nous une force (empowerment) qui nous pousse au dépassement. Chaque personne est merveilleuse et unique. Les Edgeryders reconnaissent le potentiel de chacun, tentent d'identifier les problématiques, et recherchent des solutions collectives qui élimineront les entraves au développement.

Orpheline de gouvernement ouvert, en attendant que ce nouveau type de gouvernance soit adopté par le Québec, j'ai tellement de passion pour ce sujet et je crois tellement en son potentiel pour la société que je ne veux pas attendre une seconde de plus pour participer.

Être un «citoyen du monde» prend une connotation particulière pour moi: je sais que nous sommes tous reliés les uns aux autres, pas seulement par le biais des médias sociaux. Cette connexion existe également dans l'immatériel. Nous sommes des espaces localisés d'un champ de conscience unifiée. Par conséquent, que l'on soit situé ici ou ailleurs, cela n'a pas réellement d'importance. Les solutions qui seront imaginées et créées par les Edgeryders auront un impact positif sur l'amélioration des systèmes, politiques et structures, et ultimement, sur la qualité de vie d'innombrables communautés de citoyens.

J'aime la façon dont les Edgeryders démontrent de l'optimisme, portent attention aux solutions, et recherchent la collaboration permettant de déterminer les «bonnes» priorités et axes de développement. Je nous souhaite bon succès!

The Open Government and Francophonie Project at risk because of fear and lack of commitment

A few weeks ago, the president of the United States extended an invitation to over 50 countries of the United Nations, asking them to engage in the Open Government Partnership. (See: Obama Seeks National Commitments transparency efforts, July 6, 2011)

Since his first day in office as president, and the signature of the Memorandum on Transparency and Open Government, Barack Obama has positioned his country as an open government leader. This resulted in launching a movement that has spread to many countries around the world. (See: Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, Transparency and Open Government, January 21, 2009.)

In September 2010, Obama gave an impetus to the global open government movement when he invited each nation to "make government more open and accountable." The president urged other countries to return within the United Nations, and to "achieve specific commitments to promote transparency in the fight against corruption to boost civic engagement, and exploit new technologies so that we strengthen the foundations of freedom in our own country, while living up to the ideals that can illuminate the world." (See Remarks by the President to the General Assembly, New York, NY, September 23, 2010.)

The open government philosophy has not yet been adopted by countries sharing the French language. Although the French Republic has endowed Étalab with an open data mission, which leads to an open data portal, there is no real of open government in France yet, with the exception of a locality that distinguished itself and innovates due to exceptional factors that play in its favor: the deputy mayor of Nantes proceeds by a proximity approach and the work of Claire Gallon, head of LiberTIC, has been numerously praised.

Canada announced an open government on March 18, 2011. However, even if the announcement was made, this does not mean that the open government principles are being applied. As Democracy Watch noted in its report, Canada has received a failing grade of 61 because "Almost all laws necessary for the integrity of a system of effective government have been provided by the legal framework. However, gaps and loopholes in the laws, and enforcement weakness, undermine the system." (See my post)

In December 2010, being aware that there was no development of open government in the Francophone world, I created with John F. Moore of Government in the Lab, the Open Government and Francophonie Project. This project proposes an agreement between countries that share the French language, which resembles the Open Government Partnership proposed by Barack Obama to UN members, except that instead of being designed for UN, the project is aimed at members of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie.

The project, a social business (non profit organization) providing strategic open government consulting services, proceeds by a gradual implementation of open government, to assess the strengths and weaknesses and allow adjustment and program improvement. It starts by implementing a pilot program in the territory of a nation-leading, on the African continent (as approximately 50% of Francophones in the world are in Africa. The pilot program then extends to three other African countries. The four countries account for four of the seven OIF administrative regions. The nation's flagship of open government hands in a motion at the Summit of countries sharing French as a language, invites half the OIF members to participate in an open government initiative, similar to the Open Government Partnership for the UN members. The open government pilot program is then deployed in a five-year plan to 39 countries of the Francophonie and 977 of their cities.

10 member States of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie have already started open data and open government initiatives, the list including Quebec:
- AUSTRIA (http://futurezone.at/thema/499-open-data-blog.php)
- BELGIUM (http://openbelgium.be/what-is-open-data)
- ESTONIA (http://www.opendata.ee/en/)
- FRANCE (http://blog.etalab.gouv.fr/ et data.gouv.fr)
- CANADA (http://www.data.gc.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=F9B7A1E3-1)
- MOROCCO (http://data.gov.ma/Pages/Home.aspx)
- SZITZERLAND (http://www.news.admin.ch/message/index.html?lang=fr&msg-id=39827)
- THAILAND (http://data.pm.go.th),
- TUNISIA
- And now QUEBEC thinks about it http://www.consultationgautrinweb2.gouv.qc.ca/a/dtd/28199-14460.

The Open Government and Francophonie Project was introduced in February 2011 to the Deputy House Leader of the Government of Quebec, Henri-François Gautrin.
M. Gautrin has not yet committed to support it. He made a few things in its favor, but backed. One step forward, three steps back. This hesitation dance has negative consequences and affects the development of the project. The project is even threatened by fear and the lack of support.

However, Mr. Gautrin launched seven days ago the public phase of its analysis mandate about the potential of Web 2.0. In February 2011 (when I started communicating with him), there was no question of including open data nor open government in the mandate. I am delighted that Mr. Gautrin's thinking has progressed, enough so that he dared to add an open government element. See "Towards an open government policy in Quebec."

On June 7, 2011, I handed in a presentation sheet to IDÉ of the City of Trois-Rivières. IDÉtr's mission is to create and maintain jobs in Trois-Rivières. Social business (non profit) projects are allowed in this program, which provides technical support to lanch a business (including writing a business plan) and financial support to independant workers via a partnership with Emploi Québec.

I met in person the Deputy House Leader of the government of Québec on May 17, 2011. At that meeting, he asked himself this question aloud several times: "How can we collaborate with you?".

This is not due to a shortage of ideas for collaboration proposals that collaboration did not materialize, as Mr. Gautrin has received several proposals from me, between February and May 2011, in addition to the Open Government and Francophonie Project. There was a range of suggestions for collaboration on Gautrin's table.

I asked him his autorization to include his name in the collaborative team as a "mentor" in the presentation sheet of the Open Government and Francophonie project presented to IDÉtr. He did not commit. He responded: "I'm too busy."

There was question that I accompany him in Kinshasa, Congo, to attend the 37th Session of the Assembly of Parliamentarians of the Francophonie (Assemblée des parlementaires de la Francophonie, APF), as Mr. Gautrin is also the deputy chairman of the Quebec Chapter of the APF, a vector of Organisation internationale de la Francophonie.

His team told me that in Kinshasa, "he will not have the opportunity to speak to me, because he will be too busy."

Gautrin is definitely a man busy.

The direct consequence of this lack of commitment is that IDÉtr refused the Open Government and Francophonie Project for the following reasons: I was told that I am "too good " and that the team "does not have the skills to mentor me".

If Mr. Gautrin (or other teammates of his entourage) had agreed to collaborate to the Open Government and Francophonie Project, it is likely that the City of Trois-Rivières would have been less scared. By having one (or more) mentor (s) in the project, it would have created a balance between the technical services offered by IDÉtr and advice provided by (the) mentor(s). Maybe IDÉtr would have reacted differently, instead of by fear and rejection.

Since I handed in the project presentation sheet to IDÉtr, three important events occured:
- The province of British Columbia launched the first open data provincial Canadian portal. This is no longer a dream, open data and open government is being materialized at the provincial level in Canada. Other provinces, including Quebec, will follow the example of this provincial leader. (See: new BC govt website ( www.gov.bc.ca) and open data and DataBC www.data.gov.bc.ca)
- Barack Obama invited Canada, among the 50 countries invited to collaborate on Open Government Partnership. The project similar to the Open Government Partnership that I created with John F Moore, for the Francophonie, is not far-fetched since a partnership of a similar nature will be launched at the UN. (See 'Info czar urge Canadian role in open plan', 18 July 2011)
- Henri-François Gautrin has finally decided to openly talk about open government. He included an open government section in his public consultation.

Tuesday (July 28, 2011), a gentleman of the team IDÉtr called me because I requested a meeting with the CEO. I consider that my Open Government and Francophonie Project was misjudged, and I do not think that being "too good" and "their team not being qualified enough" to be acceptable rejection criteria.

I want to meet the director general of IDÉtr in person to have the opportunity to explain my project and to reverse the adverse decision.

So Tuesday, IDÉtr announced me that the Open Government and Francophonie Project is now eligible for IDÉtr's technical services. It is curious, how their team has suddenly become competent in management of international projects. But I am still being refused access to their financial services (support).

I was told that my project was not a business project, and that the industry it aims for does not fit the job description of the Minister of Labour, and that I have to go the together to make her change these criteria. Here, the gentleman in question is squarely swimming in total terrifying fear!

I looked closely at Emploi-Québec' criteria for the self-employed program, and I think I respond to their demands.

The section "social economy" of IDÉtr's website states: "The social economy businesses sell products or services to a targeted population, in accordance with a social mission, without sacrificing on profitability."

In the Open Government and Francophonie Project, the social business sells open government strategic consulting services, respects a social mission, without sacrificing on profitability. In addition to the expected sum to be raised through funding programs of institutions and partnerships with several organizations and donors reached in person at a concertation meeting, a fundraising (corporate and individual) is planned in this project. I foresee a fundraising campaign similar to the one lead by 'Live Below the Line'.

Parallel Fund: A fund-raising campaign aiming at corporations and individuals will be planned and implemented, in order to provide visibility and business opportunities in Africa and the rest of the Francophonie.

Honorary Committee: A committee of honor will be established. The chair of this committee will be offered to sponsor the fundraising campaign. Many vice-chairs will complete this honorary committee. The committee's mission will be to help develop partnerships with funding agencies corporations, and governments.

On the web site of Emploi Québec, the definition of a customer is as follows:
Those covered by the independant workers measure are those who have a business plan or those for whom self-employment is the solution. They must enroll in this category: workers at (financial) risk.

To qualify, candidates must have the skills and qualities that match a profile of an entrepreneur, including:
- The temperament of a leader;
- A great capacity for work;
- An ability to anticipate and solve problems;
- Self-confidence;
- A certain ability to communicate;
- An ability to adapt;
- Demonstrate the motivation to expand or start a business;
- Have experience or skills related to the project;
- Submit a written draft of a business plan;
- Submit a curriculum vitae (resume).

To be eligible, projects must have the following characteristics:
- Create a new business and have control of it;
- Consolidation of self-employment in the case of workers at (financial) risk;
- Seek self-employment or sole proprietorship, whatever the legal status of the business.

Businesses not eligible are those:
- Whose activities are controversial, with which it is unreasonable to link the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity (MESS) and Emploi-Québec (eg, dating agency, pawn shop, etc.).

Maybe the gentleman from IDÉtr think that open government strategic consulting services is a controversial activity, with which it is unreasonable to link the Ministry of Employment??

In this case, rest assured, M. gentleman from IDÉtr, the government of Quebec is analyzing open government possibilities. Proof: "Towards an open government in Quebec", published by the Deputy House Leader Henri-François Gautrin 7 days ago.

The Director General of IDÉtr will be back next Monday (August 1), from his vacation. I expect a re-evaluation by the IDÉtr team of my Open Government and Francophonie Project, and I hope they will give me this time a positive response. If they continue to reject my job creation efforts, I could be tempted to consider their approach as discrimination. And take appropriate action in cases of discrimination.

As for Mr. Gautrin and his team, I ask them to make an effort and support the Open Government and Francophonie Project. Open government requires compliance with these three core values: transparency, participation and collaboration.

Gautrin's team failed to put collaboration into practice. The ideas of the citizens will not always fail as wanted, in the order and in the way the government wishes to receive them. Ideas will come from everywhere, in any possible manner, in a variety of styles and forms: in 140-character tweets, in emails, on platforms, on Facebook pages, etc.. The government must be flexible and adapt to the languages and styles of citizens. The government must act, when it sees from citizens a strong interest and a demonstration of willingness to participate. The government must make efforts to sustain this interest and desire, and find avenues for co-creation and co-production.

I sent repeated requests (I insist heavily on the word "repeated") of collaboration to Gautrin and his team in the past six months.

Stop saying "NO" and try to think differently, try to get to say "YES" from time to time. The open government section of your public analysis mandate is great, but now that, these principles must be transposed into gestures and actions. Ideas must be turned into reality:
- By the announcement of the implementation of an open government in Quebec
- But also by supporting the development of the Open Government and Francophonie Projetc.

Say,
YES to transparency.
YES to citizen participation.
YES to collaboration with engaged citizens.

Australia sets open government as default gov’t position

(Katy Gallagher)Awesome news!

Meanwhile, we are in default 'pockets of darkness' in Canada. It is good to have models to turn to. “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” (Oscar Wilde) “Never, ever give up.“ (Winston Churchill)

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AUSTRALIA SETS OPEN GOVERNMENT AS DEFAULT GOV'T POSITION
By Adrienne Valdez, futuregov.asia | 29 June 2011

Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Chief Minister Katy Gallagher aims for the ACT Cabinet to be the most open in the nation, making public access to information the default position of her Government.

The new open government initiatives include release of a weekly summary of Cabinet issues and decisions and creation of an Open Government Website, which will be used to release government background reports and reviews; provide public access to material released through Freedom of Information; and access to submissions made during public consultation.

“The ACT already has a strong foundation on which to further develop open government, for example we have the most open legislative framework for access to Cabinet documents in the country. We have always taken a proactive approach to communicating with the public, but we are ready to take the next steps,” Gallagher said in an official statement. The minister refers to open government as a way of working, resting on three principles; transparency in process and information; participation by citizens in the governing process and public collaboration in finding solutions to problems.

According to Gallagher, “”Creation of an Open Government Website will provide a single gateway for access to Government information and engage Canberrans in the governance of the ACT and will be operational within three months. This will enable access to government material released through Freedom of Information through upload to the web once FOI requests have been released to the applicant.”

The Cabinet will also next month hold a Virtual Community Cabinet, where all Ministers will answer questions and respond to issues on Twitter. Harnessing new technology and reaching a more diverse range of Canberrans, who have previously not engaged directly with Government is symbolic of our new approach to open government.

Ontario must get with the times on transparency

André MarinWhen ombudsmans call on premiers to embrace open government, it's another sign that the country is perhaps caught in pockets of dark ages... “literally last century,” says André Marin. (I like this expression, I must try to remember it.)

Thanks to @JohnFMoore for posting this article on Twitter, and Joseph @Thornley for including it in his Gov2.0 Daily (http://paper.li/thornley/gov2).

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ONTARIO MUST GET WITH THE TIMES ON TRANSPARENCY, WATCHDOG SAYS
Tuesday, Jun. 21, 2011 11:10AM EDT - By Karen Howlett, Globe and Mail Update

Ontario’s Ombudsman is calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to embrace the worldwide trend toward open government by giving the public real-time access to information about programs and services.

The practice of having to file a complicated access-to-information request is “literally last century,” André Marin said in his annual report, released on Tuesday.

Ontario’s Ombudsman is calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to embrace the worldwide trend toward open government by giving the public real-time access to information about programs and services.

The practice of having to file a complicated access-to-information request is “literally last century,” André Marin said in his annual report, released on Tuesday.

“People want information on what their government is doing, they want it to be easy to find and understand, and they want it now,” he said.

Mr. Marin has been urging the McGuinty government for several years to open up the so-called MUSH sector – municipalities, universities, school boards and hospitals – to scrutiny. The government has in part responded to that pressure by making the province’s 156 hospitals part of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

In his sixth annual report, Mr. Marin is going one step further by asking the government to make information available without the public having to ask for it.

“The new expectation of openness isn’t what you get from filing a complicated access-to-information request,” he said.

Mr. Marin cited the controversy surrounding last summer’s G20 summit as an example of just how “destructive” secrecy can be.

“Exactly a year ago this week, at the G20 summit in Toronto,” he said, “we saw a massive violation of civil rights on our streets.”

In response to a separate report Mr. Marin issued last December that was highly critical of the government’s handling of the G20, Mr. McGuinty acknowledged that his officials acted too quickly and kept the public in the dark when they handed police special powers that violated citizens’ civil liberties.

Mr. Marin’s earlier report noted that the government quietly passed a G20 regulation last summer that left Torontonians under the impression they could be arrested merely for passing by the summit security fence without identification.

Had the government been open about these new powers, at the very least people would have had fair warning that their rights were no longer what they believed them to be, Mr. Marin said. Rather, he said, it is more likely that the regulation would have been challenged, found contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and scrapped altogether.

Ultimately, that is precisely what happened, said Mr. Marin, who has often been a thorn in the side of the McGuinty government for a number of highly public investigations. He himself endured the unwelcome glare of publicity last year as he battled to keep his job and finally secured a second, five-year term.

Mr. Marin said the government did end up scrapping the G20 regulation and vowed that in future the public will be warned if there are any changes to police powers.

Qu'est-ce qu'un gouvernement ouvert?, m'a-t-on demandé sur le site de la CAQ

Suite à ma suggestion il y a quelques jours d'un gouvernement ouvert transmise à Charles Sirois, co-fondateur de la Coalition pour l'avenir du Québec (dans le fil de discussion "Une nouvelle organisation de nos grands réseaux de services"), Sylvain Martel m'a demandé qu'est-ce qu'un gouvernement ouvert.

"Vous parlez ici de GOUVERNEMENT OUVERT ou d'une gouvernance plus ouverte. Cela est un sujet qui m'intéresse. Pouvez-vous nous informer par rapport aux principales caractéristique s d'une gouvernance "OUVERTE"?"

Voici ma réponse (en 1000 caractères):

Le gouvernement ouvert est axé sur le CITOYEN et la STRATÉGIE: les meilleurs résultats sont généralement dictés par des partenariats entre les citoyens et le gouvernement, et ce à tous les niveaux. Entièrement axé sur la réalisation des objectifs grâce à une efficacité accrue, meilleure gestion, transparence de l'info et engagement des citoyens. CARACTÉRISTIQUE S: Données accessibles. Format ouvert, manipulable par un programme. Données centralisées, facilement accessible à partir d'un même catalogue. Données permanentes. Licence ouverte. Droit à la réutilisation, transformation et re-distribution. | Les problématiques sont transformées en défis. La relation de co-production co-création citoyen/gouv est positive. La 'sagesse des foules' contribue à régler les problèmes par des solutions inattendues. Car un gouvernement n'a pas toutes les réponses...

Le 17 mars dernier, lorsque Stockwell Day, du gouvernement fédéral du Canada, a annoncé une initiative de données ouvertes, aucun média traditionnel francophone n'a couvert la nouvelle. Peu de Québécoises et de Québécois doivent être au courant de cette initiative.

Il y a un grand travail de sensibilisation à effectuer au Québec. Tout le monde gagnerait à être mieux informé de la marche du gouvernement ouvert à travers le monde, de cette importante tendance en gestion publique. La Tunisie a annoncé la semaine dernière qu'elle transformerait 3 ministères en gouvernement ouvert avant la Constituante (en octobre 2011), soit en un délai de trois mois. Pendant ce temps, au Québec, un mandat d'analyse du potentiel du Web 2.0 prend 15 mois à être effectué, et ce mandat n'inclut pas les possibilités de données ouvertes et de gouvernement ouvert.

Ce qui arrive (déjà), c'est que le reste du monde progresse plus rapidement que le Québec, pendant que le gouvernement reste figé dans le temps.

Michael Geist to Tony Clement, about Canada's open government initiative

Tony Clement
Michael Geist holds the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law.

Here are his suggestions to Tony Clement, Treasury Board President, Government of Canada (published on Sunday, May 29 2011, at The Star).

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With the new Parliamentary session set to kick off later this week, new cabinet members are busy brushing up on the myriad of issues they will face in the coming months. The appointment to cabinet comes with a private mandate letter from the Prime Minister that sets out his expectations and policy goals. If Canadians focused on digital policies were given the chance to draft their own mandate letters, they might say the following:

Tony Clement, Treasury Board President: While you are leaving behind much of your digital economy work, your new responsibilities include the open government initiative. Over the next four years, we should work to make as much government data openly and freely available as possible. We should re-examine the licenses associated with the data to ensure that Canadians are free to use the information in whatever manner they see fit. Moreover, we should at long last remove crown copyright restrictions over government documents and maximize the benefits of our public research funding by requiring researchers to make their work available under open access.

(read more, suggestions to Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry; James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage; Robert Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety; Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade)

Tunisia: 3 open government departments before the Constituent

By the Constituent Assembly, 3 departments will adopt an open government. The interim president has ratified a decree to convert all the ministries in this transparent mode of governance within 2 years. But the open government depends on the emergence of e-Citizen. Exclusive Tekiano interview of Gaaloul Adel, Secretary of State for Technology.

Translation from French to English by Lyne Robichaud.

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TUNISIA: 3 OPEN GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS BEFORE THE CONSTITUENT
Wednesday, June 8, 2011 7:00, Interview by Mohamed Jebri, Tekiano
Tunisie: 3 ministères gouvernement ouvert avant la Constituante

The Secretary of State for Technology, Adel Gaaloul, delivered the opening address at the event TunAndroid held on Saturday, June 4, in Sousse. In his speech, he spoke of five main axis to give a boost to the ICT sector in Tunisia's. Among the guidelines, the Secretary of State spoke about the role of government, which must ensure that the aspect of "transparency" is in its relationship with the Tunisian. After the close of the event, Tekiano took snippets of conversation with Mr. Gaaloul, which I would stress, welcomed (the journalist from Tekiano) with an open heart and did not complain about the questions he asked. Immediately, we discovered a humble man, smiling, warm, and loquacious. Interview guarantee 100% without twaddle.

Tekiano: During your speech, you talked about the forthcoming introduction of open government in Tunisia. What date do you plan to launch?

Adel Gaaloul: First, it seems important to define the notion of open government. This mode is relative to transparency of our administrative institutions in their relationship with citizens. It therefore enhances trust between the governor and the governed. I must also remind you that this is a notion that has been implemented very recently in some developed countries. But since Tunisia now welcomes a new climate of freedom, the interim president has ratified a decree for which we have provided a 2 years period for all our departments to make public their financial reports.

What are the constraints now?

There are certainly some constraints inherent in the infrastructure that explain why the open government is not immediately established. But just as, I think, it should be noted that the long process of learning which must undertake the Tunisian citizens to become familiar with this concept. In my opinion, it takes 5 years for an open government to succeed and lead to a more strengthened between civil society and its administration. Upsetting the balance of power after 50 years of dictatorship is not as easy as people think. And teaching Tunisian citizens to take care of their own interest by themselves and assume their full responsibilities of his country, it takes time...

What about technical constraints?

The biggest problem we have now is related to citizen identification. The implementation of an open government must go through the assignment of a login to each Tunisian to give them access to the reports of our government and interact in their name about the content. We have not banned tyranny to lead a society composed of anonymous individuals. - You can imagine the volume of work and investment that it implies. But the good news is that the government is now cornered, the decision was taken and we cannot go back. The ministerial structure that will be formed through the Constituent Assembly has only two years to adhere to this mode of governance.

And the last word...

What I can promise you right now is that I'll get the project started before leaving the department. By the election of the Constituent Assembly, three departments will adopt the open government. I also want to clarify that the interim government relies heavily on the dynamism and vitality of the youth, who ejected the dictator, and who has made Tunisia what it is today...

Loss of critical thinking / capacity analysis, trivialization of issues related to transparency & ethics at government of Quebec

Pierre Curzi
When an MP declares he reached his personal limit, he can no longer look at himself in a mirror with a clear conscience, impairment of the relationship between the government and citizens has reached a threshold.

Resigned MP Pierre Curzi denounced the growing distance between political parties and citizens of Quebec.

Here's a sample of texts read yesterday by MPs Lisette Lapointe, Louise Beaudoin and Pierre Curzi in announcing their resignation from the Parti Quebecois, published in Le Devoir on June 7, 2011: "Shockwave at Parti Quebecois - My personal ethics threshold of tolerance has been reached". («Onde de choc au Parti québécois - «Mon seuil de tolérance éthique personnel a été atteint»)

[Pierre Curzi] I choose to leave the Party because of my inability to concur with a proposal which deprives citizens of a full right to exercise their civic and legal responsibilities.

Partisanship and opportunism: I perceive democratic life as being elevated, to something most significant, that is to say, the full and free participation of citizens in shaping their society. This latest episode of our parliamentary life collided head first with these values, and is a powerful indicator of the growing distance between political parties and citizens of Quebec. I think this is largely due to the fact that political parties, in particularly in the context of a sclerosing bipartisanship, too often put their partisan interests and opportunism before the interests of citizens and citizens.

Joyless, I leave the [Parti Québécois]. Citizens must take control of their democratic institutions. I will now spend my political commitment to contribute freely and without any bitterness to recovery charge. There you go.

How is Pierre Curzi intending to "contribute to the recovery charge"? I repeat endlessly the same song as a gramophone, an open government would restore harmony in the relationship between the Quebec government and citizens.

How come this solution of an open government does not emerge when the National Assembly is sinking in a democratic crisis?

Premier Jean Charest has pushed back to the fall the adoption of Bill 204 (which causes all these gyrations). MPs were to vote on the bill before June 10. "Liberals are split on Bill 204, without tearing each other apart as the PQ does", reports Marco Fortier in Rue Frontenac.

Transparency, participation and collaboration would establish a relationship of co-creation co-production between the government and citizens. Problems would be turned into challenges, citizens would be invited to collaborate and this would offer an opportunity for unexpected solutions to emerge.

Yesterday, the president of the Quebec Federation of Municipalities (FQM), Bernard Généreux, expressed concerns about the National Assembly "trivializing the issues related to transparency and ethics".

"What game are we playing?" he wondered. "There is this feeling that the National Assembly is losing its critical thinking and capacity analysis, necessary for the adoption of a law. Even if the management agreement between the City of Quebec and Quebecor is not clear in terms of transparency, it gives rise to a "grand concert of forced unanimity", lamented Bernard Généreux. "People see that and it's a very bad message. What we are doing is undermining credibility of the municipal world," he predicted.

Issues such as loss of critical thinking and capacity analysis, trivialization of issues related to transparency and ethics, could be avoided with an open government. An open government would ensure transparency in legislation as well as in developing new policies and programs, would provide an opportunity for citizens to intervene when critical thinking, capacity analysis and ethical issues would be undermined.

The National Assembly is taking a break for the Summer, June 10 is the closing end of parliamentary activities. What does Henri-François Gautrin’s team, responsible for an analysis mandate of the potential of Web 2.0, planning for the summer? Their new website for public consultation, expected to be launched in May 2011, is running late. The team is behind on timeline.

This week’s incidents show there is a need to implement an open government initiative in Quebec. Everyone would benefit from it.

An open government in Quebec could transform the current democracy crisis

Louise BeaudoinThree members of Parti Quebecois (government of Quebec) resigned this Monday: Louise Beaudoin, Pierre Curzi and Lisette Lapointe. They keep their parliamentary seat as independents.

I have been doing a lot of flapping arms sideways for some time to try to bring the Government Deputy House Leader, Henri-François Gautrin, appointed to analyze the potential of Web 2.0 by Quebec Premier Jean Charest, to understand that before turning on to technological details (various social media platforms, etc..), there is a serious introspection work to be undertaken by the government. A major change in attitude would be required among elected officials and government managers. I recently blogged about "total disconnection" and denial (here and here), government infallibility, and transparency issues. I explained how important the wisdom of crowds really is (I call it collective consciousness).

Two weeks ago, I wrote to Mr. Gautrin's political adviser to remind them that their analysis task is "holy cow" (vachement) important, given that the rate of dissatisfaction of the population has reached 70% in recent surveys.

This statement (below) from parliament member Louise Beaudoin confirms how critical the situation has become. An open government initiative would probably contribute to ease this crisis and restore a semblance of harmony between the government of Quebec and citizens. Given the magnitude of the situation, it would be wise to compensate by a strong action (maximum output), like a transformation into an open government.

"I've been doing politics for 40 years and I've never seen people so negative towards the political class. What is said on blogs, social media, surveys ... reflect a language of wood, making policy as if we were at war. This kind of behavior is no longer tolerated. We must condemn this old way of doing things. There is a democracy crisis. Citizens feel alienated from their MP. And you know what? Yes, we feel it too at Parti Québécois, but this negative image of politics is primarily Jean Charest' fault, and the Liberals. They are responsible for the impairment of people's vision towards the political class.", said Louise Beaudoin.

If there is "impairment of people's vision towards the political class", how is the government of Quebec intending to transmute this impairment into an improved and harmonious relationship between the government and citizens? Again, I repeat it, an open government initiative would directly address this issue. Again, I repeat it, the government of Quebec must address these critical issues now, because there is an analysis mandate on the tale. (I'm not really a baseball fan, but I really like this quote.) The government should follow Yogi Berra's advice: "When you see a fork on the road, pick it up."

So far, Gautrin's team does not pick up open data or open government forks. They see the forks, they see them very clearly, they are tempted to pick them up. But they are not picking them up yet. What a pity if their analysis efforts - months of work - did not produce optimal results.

The government of Quebec has as much potential as any other country that has taken an open government turn. Yes, we can! Leadership and a strong willingness to improve the situation are however missing. It is not too late to give a new direction - new soul of leadership - to the investigative work regarding the potential of Web 2.0. Pick up the forks! Hey, this reminds me that I have not tried yet voodoo dolls with needles, you know, representing the spirit of a person, used to cast spells. Maybe it would work on them to make them change direction? What do you think? Forks ... needles ... whoa ... Pick up the forks!

Government of Quebec: The door opens to "conventional wisdom"?

In recent months, Government in the Lab’s team has been in communication with the office of Henri-François Gautrin, Deputy House Leader of the Government of Quebec, and his closest advisers. They have been working since October 2010 on an analysis mandate of the potential of the Web 2.0.

On May 2, they allowed their mandate to be announced via GovintheLab’s Newsletter (Open Government and Francophonie No. 3).

On May 31, they answered a few interview questions and provided details about their currents thoughts, and what they are preparing in upcoming months.

Please note that this is an upstream in process publication of information about the progress of the mandate. The French Republic announced the creation of Etalab, before budgets were defined and elements were all in place. The Government of Canada launched an open data / open government pilot project on March 17 and 18, 2011 (and included few new data sets). The new President of the Treasury Board, Tony Clement, said recently that he supports Stockwell Day’s initiative, and that he wants to try to pursue some of his initiatives in this area. Hopefully, the experience of providing upstream information will be positive for the Government of Quebec, and it will become a habit for departments and agencies to enable citizens to have time to interact in a creative process leading to new programs and policy improvements.

Responses provided yesterday by Gautrin’s team are brief, but they offer some hints, and announce steps to be undertaken before the delivery of the final report, expected in late 2011. There are still a few months from there to allow for communications and interactions with the Government of Quebec, to propose ideas and suggestions.

I see a progression in their thinking. I sometimes observe complicated skating figures in discussions, which will hopefully lead to recommendations on open data and open government. M. Gautrin’s team has been open until now.

The words "transparency, collaboration and participation" - mantra of the open government movement - were not really part of the vocabulary of Gautrin’s team, a few months ago. For example, I searched in vain for the word "transparency"(the pillar of open data and open government), in their documents, last February. How the Government of Quebec intends to become more transparent is not yet articulated. It would be helpful if this important element were to be shortly defined. If there is a concern at the Government of Quebec for greater transparency, this could be demonstrated by launching an open data and open government initiative.

The concept of communication was well established (last February). The interaction dimension with citizens requires, in my opinion, more analytical work. Gautrin’s team speaks of "conventional wisdom" (sagesse populaire), or wisdom of crowds, which is very good sign.

"Interactions with citizens: This is primarily to get feedback from citizens on policies and programs put forward by the government. It also allows managers to benefit from the conventional wisdom to put forward new programs or new ideas."

The door opens gradually, leaving more space for a co-production co-analysis, co-creation type of relationship between the government and citizens. Since the concept of interaction is present in the analysis, it provides a glimpse that work could be undertaken to define how this interaction can take place. For now, the analysis documents refer to social media such as Facebook. Hopefully, Gautrin’s team will recommend to use open data and open government platforms to develop a positive and creative co-production relationship with citizens.

It is not clear how the Government of Quebec will make the transition from the current relationship to a relationship based on participation and interaction with citizens. For the magic of conventional wisdom (or wisdom of crowds) to taking place, there must be a harmonious ambiance in collaborative teams, so that all parties feel comfortable and creative work takes place in respect of the Other. Flexibility is also necessary, to allow ideas and unexpected contributions to be listened to, and integrated into the process. To make this possible, government managers must be able to contemplate reality without branching off into denial. Interaction with citizens leads to more liability and responsibility. Interaction is a bidirectional relationship (preferably as equals, if creativity is to flourish). Therefore, elected officials and government managers also need to demonstrate liability and responsibility. See my series of posts on leadership: Observe and listen (Lesson No.1); Establish emotional links (Lesson No.2), Being conscious (Lesson No.3); Enlightened action (Lesson No.4).

Analytical work in progress could go further by evaluating mechanisms that create - through the wisdom of crowds - the idea of a government (that is to say at all levels of government, in all spheres, projects, programs and policies). What is the wisdom of crowds? (I call it collective consciousness or collective intelligence.) How does this works? How can it be handled in a conscious and effective manner? Henri-François Gautrin has been a physicist before his mandates as an elected official: he should be able to understand these issues.

The old scientific paradigm that defined matter as the essential reality has been replaced by a new model of quantum physics. Government leaders who want to effectively manage "conventional wisdom" or collective consciousness should be able to juxtapose the foundations of quantum physics to their vision: it would help them understand why interaction with citizens is so important, and how to develop it. "We are not in the physical world. The physical world is within us. We create the physical world and experience it in our imagination. Thus, we design, build, and finally, our ideas become reality”, explains Deepak Chopra in ”What Is The Connection Between Quantum Mechanics and Healing”. Thus citizens, using appropriate platforms and Web 2.0 tools, can be guided to solve problems. This is what OpenIdeo succeeds in doing.

Government of Quebec’s analysis should include, in priority, recommendations that focus on transformational leadership. The potential of Web 2.0 is not just a matter of technology. Non-technical issues are (in my opinion) much more considerable. There should also be analysis about appropriate behavior, which encourages interaction and allows for development of relationships. For interactions to take place, politicians, government managers and employees attitude need to be transformed. Training plans to use Web 2.0 should be provided. But there should also be training plans based on empowerment, to explain to elected officials and government employees what is conventional wisdom - what is its nature - , and how the government can foster individual, community and organizational empowerment, gain from its advantages and develop the relationship with citizens. See my series of posts: Components promoting individual, community and organizational empowerment, and what promotes valuing the Other.

For conventional wisdom to be actually put to good, it takes more than Facebook and Twitter accounts. Hopefully Gautrin’s team will succeed in explaining this and convince the rest of the government to follow them in a transformation project. A transformation in open government would offer the highest possible form of relationship between the Government of Quebec and citizens.

Months fly by rapidly. Will Gautrin’s team display enough agility and flexibility to take into account in its analysis the entire field of possibilities regarding the "potential of the Web 2.0"?

Interview: Government of Quebec, about the potential of Web 2.0

Last month Government in the Lab announced (in Newsletter no.3) that the Government of Quebec is undertaking an analysis mandate of the potential of Web 2.0. The Deputy House leader, Henri-François Gautrin, kindly answered our questions.

1 - WHAT IS THE ANALYSIS MANDATE ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF WEB 2.0?

Web 2.0 is based on three principles:

Decentralization: There is no formal structure in terms of both content and technology.

Participation: Web 2.0 exists because of the Internet.

Simplicity of use and technological breakthrough.

The Premier (Jean Charest) gave me the mandate to analyze the implications for Quebec society, especially for the Government, of using the increasingly popular Web 2.0 and social networks, and to propose strategic actions so that Quebec can draw on every possible advantage.

2 - WHAT WORK HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TO DATE BY YOUR TEAM, AND WHAT IS PLANNED FOR UPCOMING MONTHS?

I proceed in four steps for the project:

* Consultation with people associated with government action.

* Discussions with Quebec citizens via the Internet (public community).

* A closed consultation on the Internet (private community).

* A conference.

We are currently setting up a website, which should be operational in early June 2011.

The conference is scheduled for early September.

The final report is to be submitted to the Prime Minister and the Government by the end of 2011.

3 - WHAT IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, A GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND CITIZENS?

A good relationship between government and citizens based on the use of Web 2.0 should improve:

* communications with citizens

* interactions with citizens

* services to citizens

Communications with citizens: increase citizen accessibility to government information. The use of blogs or microblogging, like Twitter, even Mashups, fall into this category. The goal is to bring government information closer to communication tools used by citizens, rather than requiring them to visit many Web pages.

Interactions with citizens: This is primarily to get feedback from citizens on policies and programs put forward by the government. It also allows managers to benefit from the wisdom of crowds to put forward new programs or new ideas.

It also allows officials to make their suggestions to improve the efficiency of their departments or agencies in how they fulfill their mission. I am thinking here, in particular, of using social media like Facebook.

4 - TRANSPARENCY, PARTICIPATION AND COLLABORATION WITH CITIZENS, THROUGH OPEN DATA AND OPEN GOVERNMENT, ARE THEY BEING CONSIDERED IN THIS CURRENT MANDATE?

Besides transparency, participation and collaboration with citizens, the use of Web 2.0 tools should:

* improve citizen participation, particularly in regards of policy making

* improve relevance and quality of services to citizens.

* enable access and more efficient use of government information

* improve internal operations and collaboration between different departments and agencies.