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| Why Open Government? |
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“Open government is the hallmark of a free and democratic society…Government information belongs to the people, not to the government.”
– Gordon Campbell, 1998
Governments are vast storehouses of information that our tax dollars pay to have collected, created, stored and shared. This information is a vital part of:
- our public property;
- our history; and
- our intellectual heritage.
This wealth of information must be freely shared so that citizens are informed on public matters, engaged in public debate, and able to assess the performance of their government.
Conversely, a populace that is ill-informed or misinformed about its government will stop trusting elected officials and be unable to participate effectively as citizens.
The BC Information Summit is presented by |
BC Freedom of Information & Privacy Association |
Canadian Taxpayers Federation |
| UBC School of Journalism |
And co-sponsored by |
BC Civil Liberties Association
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Canadian Newspaper Association |
BC Coalition of People
with Disabilities |
Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union |
| BC Library Association |
Trial Lawyers Association of BC |
| Western Canada Wilderness Committee |
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The BC Information Summit – Friday September 29, 2006
The first BC Information Summit brings together academics,
legal experts, journalists, present and past elected officials and experienced Freedom of Information requesters from every sector of society. Together, they shall explore the challenges and solutions of creating an open government and a free flow of information to the public.
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