Open data, open government, transparency, evidence-informed decision making & the 2015 Election

Open Data and the Programmable City

"What's 'Open' Anyway?"Thursday, October 22, 1:30-3:30MacOdrum Library, room 482

International Open Access Week 2015

Wood Quay Venue, Dublin, 24 April 2015Dr Tracey P. LauriaultCommunication StudiesSchool of Journalism and [email protected]@TraceyLauriault

Open data, open government, transparency, evidence-informed decision making & the 2015 Election

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication Studies


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2015 Elections Results

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Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesNew Democratic Party (NDP) plan: Building the Country of our Dreams Liberal Party of Canada plan: Real Change: A New Plan for A Strong Middle ClassGreen Party of Canada platform: Building a Canada that Works. Together 2015 Conservatives Party of Canada: Our Conservative Plan to Protect the EconomyBloc Qubcois program: Programme du Bloc QubcoisAccess to Data

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Access to dataData have become a political platform

Long-Form Census Open Data Open Government

Transparency Evidence Based Policy Science

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesAccess to data and information have become important and prominent 2015 election platforms. But not for the first time .Open data and Open Government also made their entrance during the 2011 elections. Transparency, evidence-based policy making, and the Long-Form Census are however new additions. In this post we compare how political parties via their platforms fare on these issues. The argument in support of these issues is generally framed around the ideal that a well-functioning democracy is one where citizens have equal and open access to the necessary data and information resources they need combined with the necessary engagement processes to use these as evidence to inform policy in order to freely deliberate on par with government and co-steer its progress. Evidence-informed decision making, science and transparency also help citizens trust their governments to have what they need to make sound policy.

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Why?Cancelled the long-form census Closed Federal Government librariesClosed and defunded federal research and science facilitiesOmnibus billsConstricted collaboration between government scientists and external experts

Muzzled government scientists Cut funding to Library and Archives CanadaShut down a number social and economic surveys counting vulnerable CanadiansDe-funded civil society organizationsWatered down Canadas Environmental Impact Assessment Act

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesThe problem:While Canada is lauded for its proactive approach on open data Open Government on the data side of the house, the current government has not fared well in terms of openness, transparency, public engagement, freedom of speech for government scientists and civil society, knowledge institutions and evidence-based policy especially with data collection, environmental monitoring and free speech for government scientists. For example the Conservatives:

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Background


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Open Government


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesOpen government formally appeared in Canada at the Federal level at the signing of the Open Government Resolution by Canadas Information Commissioners, in 2010.

It was a call for greater openness and transparency in order to respond to the increasing pressure on governments to transform their traditional, reactive information dissemination methods into a mode that facilitates proactive disclosure. This was Canadas response to an international movement in democratic countries to increase collaboration with citizens, businesses and non-government organizations in order to enrich their information resources, improve communication channels, promote citizen engagement, instil trust in government, foster economic opportunities and ultimately results in more open and responsive democratic government.

The overall goals were for government to be open by design, accountable, transparent, more receptive to public engagement, have proactive disclosure and to foster evidence-informed decision-making. In other words to support an evidence-based and a more deliberative democracy.

The Government of Canada reaffirmed the Information Commissioners commitments when it joined the Open Government Partnership in 2011 and launched an open data portal data.gc.ca, signed the Northern Ireland G8 Open Data Charter in 2013 and released its Directive on Open Data in 2014.

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Federal Open DataGeogratis & Geobase & Discovery Portal & Atlas of Canada - GeoConnections Natural Resources CanadaOffice of the Information Commissioners - Open Government ResolutionsTreasury Board of Canada OpenData.gc.caResearch Data Canada National Research CouncilALMOST OPEN Data Liberation InitiativeData dot GC.ca, Citizens initiative to Inspire the Canadian GovernmentAid Transparency

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesAccess to government data and information has been important to Canadians for quite some time, the 1985 Access to Information Act, the launch of the Data Liberation Initiative in 1996, followed in 1997 by Geogratis the first open data portal and the 2005 GeoConnections Unrestricted User Licence are some examples. Granting councils, research libraries, archives and the National Research Council have also been very actively engaged in open access to academic journals, government records and making the results of federally funded research available.

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Open Data ProvincesNFLd, Newfoundland and Labrador Government portal, Open Government,AB, Alberta Open Data Government portalBC, Open Data BC, Citizen Led Portal, Also a meetup group***NewON, Ontario Open Data Government portal, Ontario.ca/Open GovernmentQC, Donnes ouvertes Portail du Gouvernement du Qubec, Qubec Ouvert Citizen LedBC, Data BC Province and B.C.s Climate Change Data Catalogue SK, Open Data Saskatchewan, Citizen Led


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Open Data CitiesBanff Open Data Portal, (AB) PilotCity of Brandon (MB)City of Burlington (ON), PilotCity of Calgary (AB)Calgary Region (AB) ***NewThe Municipality of Chatham-Kent (ON)City of Edmonton (AB) See new Citizen Dashboard, Open Edmonton Citizen Led & Meetups ***NewCity of Fredericton (NB)Portail de donnes ouvertes de la ville de Gatineau, Gatineau Ouverte Citizen LedCounty of Grande Prairie (AB)Open Data Guelph (ON)Halifax Regional Municipality (NS)City of Hamilton Open and Accessible Data (ON), City of Hamilton (Transit Feed) (ON), Open Data Hamilton Citizen LedOpenHalton (ON) Citizen LedCity of Kelowna Open Data Catalog (BC)City of Kamloops (BC)City of Kitchener (ON)City of Kingston (ON)City of London (ON), OpenData London Citizen LedTownship of Langley (BC)Open Data Medicine Hat (AB)Town of Milton (ON)City of Mississauga Mississauga Data (ON)Ville de Montral Portails donnes ouvertes (QC), Montral Ouvert Citizen LedCity of Nanaimo (BC)City of Niagara Falls (ON)Region of Niagara (ON)Regional District of North Okanagan (BC)District of North Vancouver (BC) GeoWebCity of Oakville (ON)Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (BC)City of Ottawa (ON), Citizens APP Group OpenData Ottawa; AppsRegion of Peel (ON)City of Prince George (BC)Ville de Qubec Catalogue de donnes, Capitale Ouverte (QC)- Citizen Led in Ville de QubecCity of Red Deer, (AB)City of Regina (SK) Open Gov & Open Data siteDistrict of Saanich (BC)Open Data Saskatoon, interim portalVille de Sherbrooke (QC)Strathcona County Open Data Portal (AB)City of Sudburry (ON)City of Surrey (BC) GIS CatalogCity of Thunder Bay (ON)City of Toronto (ON); DataTO Citizen GroupCity of Vancouver (BC); Open Data WikiCity of Vernon (BC)City of Victoria (BC)City of Waterloo (ON).Region of Waterloo (ON), Region of Waterloo Citizen Led,City of Welland (ON)City of Whitehorse (YK)City of Windsor (ON) Open Data CatalogCity of Winnipeg (MB)York Region (ON)


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Research Data CanadaArchiving, Management and Preservation of Geospatial DataNational Consultation on Access to Scientific Data Final Report (NCASRD)

20101990199520002005National Data Archive Consultation (SSHRC)

Stewardship of Research Data in Canada: A Gap AnalysisThe dissemination of government geographic data in Canada: guide to best practicesResearch Data Strategy Working GroupStanding Committee on Industry, Science and Technology Toward a National Digital Information Strategy: Mapping the Current Situation in Canada (LAC)Canadian Digital Information Strategy (CDIS) (LAC)IPY19852014Open Data ConsultationsMapping the Data Landscape: Report of the 2011 Canadian Research Data Summit Digital Economy Consultation, Industry CanadaCommunity Data RoundtablePrivacy (Geo)Sensitive Data (Geo)Resolution of Canadas Access to Information and Privacy CommissionersGeomatics Accord SignedCanadian Geospatial Data PolicyLiberating the Data ProposalVGI PrimerCloud (Geo)OD Advisory PanelOGPG8

Subjectivities &Forms of Knowledge Policies Reports Proposals Recommendations Consultation2008MiningWatch Canada & Great Lakes United by Ecojustice (formerly Sierra Legal Defence Fund).Demand release of mine tailing data Digital Infrastructure Leadership Council


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesAccess to government data and information has been important to Canadians for quite some time, the 1985 Access to Information Act, the launch of the Data Liberation Initiative in 1996, followed in 1997 by Geogratis the first open data portal and the 2005 GeoConnections Unrestricted User Licence are some examples. Granting councils, research libraries, archives and the National Research Council have also been very actively engaged in open access to academic journals, government records and making the results of federally funded research available.

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20101990199520002005

19852014Data LiberationInitiative (DLI)Geogratis Data PortalGeoBaseCanadian Internet Public Policy ClinicMaps Data and Government Information Services (MADGIC) Carleton UGeoConnectionsGeoGratisCensus Data ConsortiumCanadian Association of Research Libraries(CARL)Atlas of Canada Online (1st)CeoNet Discovery PortalResearch Data NetworkHow'd they VoteCivicAccess.caCampaign for Open Government(FIPA)Canadian Association of Public Data UsersDatalibre.caVisibleGovernment.caI Believe in Open CampaignChange Camps Start

Nanaimo BC TorontoOpen Data PortalsEdmontonMississauga launches open dataCitizen FactoryB.C.'s Climate Change Data CatalogueOpen ParliamentDatadotGC.caOttawaOttawa, Prince George, Medicine HatData.gc.caGlobal TVHansard in XMLLangleyLet the Data Flow GovCampFed. ExpensesMontreal OuvertFed.Gov. Travel and Hospitality ExpensesLondonHamiltonWindsorOpen Data HackfestAid AgencyProactive.caDataBCHacking Health14 CitiesQuebecOntarioOGP3 CitiesAlbertaG8Community Data ProgramFCM Quality of Life Reporting SystemGeographic and Numeric Information System (GANIS) Materialities / Infrastructures Consortia Portals/Catalogs Maps Open data/Open Gov Events

2009Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication Studies

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesThe 2015 Platforms


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Mention of Access to Data

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesNot all political parties included all these issues in their platforms, note some of the absences by the Conservatives, and the Bloc while the NDP, Liberals and the Greens made these key platform commitments.

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Long-Form Census

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesThe cancellation of the Long-Form Census is attributed to the day when statisticians make news headlines, Chief Statisticians become heroes, and data, census methodology and the national counting infrastructure come out of the deep lurkium shadows of the bureaucracy. There are reinstatement court cases and a failed bill, the particularities of the official powers of the Chief Statistician become known, there is a focus on the Statistics Act and we lose our innocence over Government objectivity. In essence data became politics. The L-F Census was cancelled in 2010 by the Conservatives in spite of public outcry from all sectors, and the results from the voluntary National Household Survey have been less than satisfactory with politicians, public officials, industry and civil society now steering the direction of the economy, population and territory of their cities, provinces, and the nation without an information compass let alone a rudder. It is this issue that puts objective evidence-based decision making in the minds of Canadians and makes it a platform issue.For the 2015 elections the Liberals, the NDP and Greens commit to re-instate the long-form census. The Liberals go the extra mile by committing to make Statistics Canada independent, to re-instate some of the other discontinued surveys and to collect relevant data, while the NDP also commit to additional funding. The Liberal commitment implies changing the Statistics act.Unfortunately, the re-convening of National Statistics Council was not mentioned, and should it be rec-convened it should also be public facing.

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Open Data

Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesOpen Data is an easy program to support, it is relatively uncontentious politically, although the lack of a functioning advisory board is often a point of contention among those who watch this file as is the quality of the data.g.ca portal. Some suggest that the successful deployment of Open Data under the Conservatives is used to hide its poor performance on Open Government and Transparency and its evidence-free policy-making approach (1). Open Data in Canada is normally the responsibility of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) or Chief Information Officer (CIO) within IT departments and is normally coupled with innovation and technology strategies. It is a form of data policy but not data politics per say. Ironically, support for evidence-based decision making is not often discussed by this community, although in some civil society circles this is beginning to be addressed as social innovation, entrepreneurship and data transparency. Additionally, open data has not been a topic taken up by scientists, although access to the results of research is taken up by scientists and is part of the Greens Platform.Only the NDP and the Liberals make open data part of their platform. In both cases they commit to expanding existing initiatives such as open by default which is already part of the Open Government Partnership and the G8 Open Data Charter that Canada has signed onto. The NDP extends the engagement piece a little further, although it resembles the current approach of collaboratively creating APPs (hackathons). The NDP commits to something that already exists, such as issuing an open data directive, and the Liberals commit to open data by default, which also exists as per Implementation is however is quite another story. The Liberals also commit to making information available digitally, but do not explain what that means, hopefully it is the support of digitization initiatives and resources for Library Archives Canada. The Greens did not use the term open data, but commit to making the results of publicly funded research accessible and strengthening this by making it law, which aligns with their science centric platform. None of the parties discussed capacity building, increasing numeracy in public schools, building levels of deeper engagement whereby data are used as evidence to inform policies, nor funding to support civil society organization initiatives and innovations in this area. Furthermore, none discussed data procurement practices and the reliance on geodemographic, segmentation and market research data from third party providers, the lack of access to these data and the inability to un-black box or to reveal the algorithms used to create these. There is also no discussion on the disclosure of these data not the data associated with reports submitted by consulting firms. Furthermore, there has not been the release of a data audit nor the decision making tree or criteria used to assess which datasets can be public and which cannot and how decisions regarding these have been made.

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Open Government


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesWhen it comes to Open Government, things get more interesting. Open Government includes among other things, proactive disclosure, independent governance and reporting, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), freedom of speech, engagement in policy and planning, open data, transparency as well as access. Privacy and copyright are overarching issues associated with Open Government and Open Data, as these govern decisions on the sharing of data and information, the former on the protection of privacy rights and surveillance oversight and the latter overshadows discussions on data licences and ownership. Open Media has done an excellent analysis of these issues as part of their 2015 Election Internet Freedom Party Report Card Therefore these issues will not be discussed further here.On Open Government the Liberals, Greens and the NDP have similar platforms. The NDP, Liberals and the Greens commit to update the FOIA, by either reducing fees, and/or increasing the power of the Information Commissioner (IC) while the Greens want to overhaul accountability, conflict of interest, and privacy aspects of the FOIA. Furthermore the NDP and the Liberals commit to extending the ICs powers to cover the PMO, Parliament, the PM and MPs while the Greens want to include Freedom of speech for government scientists. Overall these commitments, if put into play, ,would radically change the business of Parliament and make it more difficult for Orders in Council to be hidden including the well-established secrecy surrounding Memos to Cabinet. This would fundamentally alter the decision making process and mark a cultural shift in policy making between the administration and Cabinet. The Liberals and the NDP commit to opening the budgetary process, make the Board of Internal Economy transparent and implement the proactive disclosure of spending. The Greens and the Liberals agree on the disclosure of spending, with the Greens focussing on open contracting, tendering ,expenses of MPs and science funding. Furthermore, the Greens and the Liberals wish to engage more with the public The lack of meaningful engagement beyond online consultations and Twitter Town Halls has been one of the main critiques of Canadas Open Data and Open Government programs. The Greens focus on dialogue with communities and consultations on tuition fees, electoral reform and science while the Liberals commit to consultations on CBC budget, 1st Nation and Inuit environmental impact assessment, and changes to C-51 with a wish to engage with communities, provinces and territories with technologies and in public consultations on a variety of shared issues. The Liberals also want to open and financially support governmental committees, and support independent reporting to Parliament in lieu of to the Governors in Council. The NDP is the only party committing to greater digital rights for citizens and increased privacy protection and wish to institute a Parliamentary Budget Officer.Ironically, the Conservatives who signed the international agreements on Open Government and deployed a rather good instrumental programs and initiatives, albeit on the open data side of the house, are mute on this topic. This may be attributed to them having been scrutinized over their lack of openness and transparency on a number of issues associated with scientists, research, science politics, the census and a number of other issues discussed earlier.A topic undiscussed by all is oversight with respect to data brokerage firms, the disclosure of information and data provided by consulting firms, the use and results of risk forecasting, and the acquisition of data analytical packages, cloud computing storage and the multiple watch lists the government has to survey and monitor citizens, and increased oversight of credit scoring companies which advise government on any number of issues and finally, the latest conflict of interst laws implemented by Natural Resources Canada which make it risky for government officials to collaborate with external experts.Once again the engagement piece focusses on consultations, but not the opening of engagement channels to allow for informed and deliberative democratic discussion.

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Transparency


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesTransparency and accountability are key topics internationally embraced by freedom of speech and information advocates: Right to Know campaigners, journalists, human rights activists and lawyers, those who advocate for open spending, tendering and contracting, and by the electorate. People who want to know what their politicians do with their time and public monies, who want the decision making processes of their government administrations to be open and accountable, and who want to know about the nature, the compromises beneficiaries of international trade agreements. It is a call for engagement and for a more open and deliberative democratic process. Transparency and accountability are tied with discussions about evidence-based policy making, part of the key arguments for the preservation and re-instatement of the Long-Form Census, and are often coupled with Open Government and Open Data..The Liberal, NDP and the Greens commit to fiscal transparency, especially budget functions and spending. All wish to see more accountability for Defence purchasing, the Department of Finance and more transparent parliamentary spending decisions. The NDP connect oversight by creating an Office of the Inspector General and a Charter of Budget Honesty which would include Fiscal Policy Statements with every budget, debt-to-GDP ratios, spending targets and growth targets and the full disclosure of all measures of debt, including accumulated deficits, gross liabilities and contingent liabilities. The NDP also want a more accountable and transparent oversight of military activities overseas. The Liberals focus on a more transparent New Building Canada Fund, the Nutrition North program and military and agriculture research and spending in addition to increasing the independence, openness and powers of officers such as the Electoral Officer, and a more open appointment processes such as the Supreme Court. The NDP and the Greens commit to making international trade agreements and negotiation processes more transparent and ensure public consultation. The Greens take this further by committing to create a Council of Canadian Governments, oversight with regard to election spending and want greater transparency in the making of laws and regulation on issues pertaining to the environment and the economy and work toward abolishing the first-past the post system. The Conservatives do not have a platform here, although they have implemented the proactive disclosure of spending mostly as part of their Open Government and Open Data..As in the case for Open Data and Open Government, it would be useful to develop indicators to measure progress on all of these fronts.17

Evidence Based Policy


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesArguably, Evidence-Based Policy that drives Open Data and Open Government programs, is associated with Transparency and part of the Scientific Process. There is also a general assumption that it is normal for data and research to inform policy. Evidence-Based Policy is often touted as being the antidote to anectodism, cronyism, localism, corruption, clientism, religion and ideology. The reality, is of course far more complicated, as Simon aptly pointed out in The Wire about Juking the Stats. Nonetheless accurate, authentic and reliable data and information are most certainly better than none when it comes to making policy, as the outcry and the outcome of the cancelation of the Long-Form Census has taught us. In the case of the 2015 Elections, Evidence-Based Policy is no longer an assumed approach to governing and administering the countrys affairs, it has become a data, information and procedurally driven political orientation, and of course a platform.The NDP, Liberals, Greens and even the Bloc Qubcois discuss evidence based decision making with regards to the environment, impact assessment and climate change. The Conservatives,as discussed earlier, are not renowned for ideology free and neutral policy making and ,not surprisingly, do not include this categegory in their platform.Both the Greens and the Liberals focus on evidence informed law making, specifically labour laws for the latter..The Liberal platform focuses on facts, the best data available, science, common sense and demonstrated tract records to inform policy, good value on spending and to serve the public interest. The Liberals commits to evidence based policy making with regards to natural resources, public safety and security, rights management, health, especially reproductive and child and maternal health at home and abroad. The NDP, the Greens and the Liberals linked Evidence-Based Policy very closely with Transparency as demonstrated earlier, and for the NDP, this is explicitly associated with budgeting, valuing evidence over no evidence, with reference to constituent specific issues such as the Canadian Police Information Centre database (, train derailment, and reducing prescription drug prices (read pharmacare). There is unfortunately no mention of how transparent and evidence based decision making processes on emerging and current issues should be communicated to the public, issues such as refugees, dual citizens, and so on nor how to support greater investigative reporting and the financial support of institutions such as the CBC and Radio Canada.18

Science


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesIronically, Open Data and Open Government as programs rarely include Science or research data, even though globally, scientists, natural and social, have been producing and sharing their data for centuries while the open access movement, primarily situated within the librarian, publishing and copyright communities, was driven by the free exchange of scientific journals in the global South. Furthermore, Science is all about the production of new knowledge based on evidence. The political economy of the products and practices derived from the scientific process, however ,have also made transparency a key topic. The transparency focus has been on access to and the preservation of data to inform new discoveries, making clinical trial data accessible and available for peer scrutiny and to assess bias in terms in certain sectors such as health, pharmaceutical, genomic, agribusiness, geophysics, energy, environment, as well as oversight on primary sector based industries and etc. There have also been debates about the black boxing of scientific analysis with respect to crime, predictive governance. In terms of political platforms the focus has traditionally centred on R&D and innovation spending, spending exclusively on industry driven science, and debates between spending in the social vs the natural sciences. For this election, Science in and of itself is political, along with its companion evidence-based decision making.What is unique however is the focus on independent science governance and free speech. Arguably KATHryn there such institutions XXXXXXXXXX and structures such as XXXXXXXXX existed, but with the current anti science approach of the current government this has become a kay platform issue. The NDP, Liberals and the Greens commit to creating a Parliamentary Science Officer and an Office and the NDP commits to allocating a budget line to it as well as the creation of Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. They also all commit to allowing government scientists to speak freely. The Greens also support greater open access publishing and access to science legislation, the promotion of discovery science and call for a national climate change strategy. The Liberals interestingly commit to a new funding stream such as a Canada Infrastructure Bank to issue Green Bonds to fund projects like electric vehicle charging stations and networks, transmission lines for renewable energy, building retrofits, and to creating a national research chair in sustainable technology.The Greens, NDP, Liberals, Conservatives and the Bloc have science platforms in the 2015 Election. The Conservatives and the Bloc remain within normal platform issues, such as investment in manufacturing technology, universities, colleges, polytechniques, granting councils, and R&D, with the Bloc also requesting a re-investment in Qubec focused science. The Conservatives also discuss investing in constituent specific science such as Lobster Science, Targeted Geoscience Initiative which is normally associated with mineral and mining as well as fracking, and Atlantic salmon stocks, and add a platform topic related to evidence-based policy nascience and recommendations of expert bodies, which may or may not be private sector based research. The Greens, NDP and the Liberals also focus on traditional science mely making final decisions on individual projects based on the platform issues, but the focus is also on supporting science based federal departments, communities, small business, or green technology and sustainable primary resource sector innovation and jobs . The Greens, NDP, Liberals and the Conservatives commit to supporting health science, the conservatives will support CIHI, the Greens Health Canada, the NDP local community health initiatives, the liberals focus on Children, PHAC, vaccines and concussions. There is of course investment in environmental science especially for the Greens and also the Liberals with green technologies, R & D and climate change research and renewable energy water, oceans, and clean jobs. The NDP distinguish themselves, and tie womens equality and science, especial independent research and advocacy, potentially this is also a positive nod on reproductive health. 19

How do they compare?


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2015 Elections Results


Dr Tracey P. Lauriault, Communication StudiesNew Democratic Party (NDP) plan: Building the Country of our Dreams Liberal Party of Canada plan: Real Change: A New Plan for A Strong Middle ClassGreen Party of Canada platform: Building a Canada that Works. Together 2015 Conservatives Party of Canada: Our Conservative Plan to Protect the EconomyBloc Qubcois program: Programme du Bloc QubcoisAccess to Data

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Open data, open government, transparency, evidence-informed decision making & the 2015 Election

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