Minister Clement Highlights Government's Innovation Efforts in Open Data

WINNIPEG, MANITOBA--(Marketwire - July 12, 2012) - Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for FedNor, issued a call-out to Winnipeg's business and tech community to help turn vast stores of government data into valuable, user-friendly applications that will spur innovation, boost growth and improve the lives of everyday Canadians.

Minister Clement was in Winnipeg to raise awareness and engage entrepreneurs and innovators about the opportunities presented by the Government's Open Data initiative. The move to release hundreds of thousands of data sets for the public to freely access is part of a growing global trend by governments around the world that is being heralded by many as the next technological revolution.

"Data is Canada's new natural resource," Minister Clement told a gathering at Winnipeg's Red River College. "The sky is the limit in terms of what we can do with this raw material. The world is quickly moving in this direction and we want to make sure Canada is a leading participant in this game-changing movement."

In March 2011, the Government launched its Open Data Portal, www.data.gc.ca. This one-stop shop for federal government data now contains more than 273,000 data sets from 21 agencies and departments. The data ranges from statistics on building permits and wait times for non-emergency surgeries by province to pollution emissions and border wait times.

Key to the portal's success is providing both relevant and user-friendly information that Canadian entrepreneurs, academics, think tanks and applications developers can transform into innovative applications that benefit Canadians. "This is a powerful launching pad for creating businesses and jobs, and supporting economic growth," said Minister Clement. "But we want to hear from you. We want to build this new natural resource together."

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