Dear Editor,
One thing that is clear from the recent state of political scandals is they stem from a lack of transparency and accountability in government: people don’t know what their government is doing and the government is not held responsible for its actions.
During the municipal election, many said there is a need for more transparency and accountability on town council, yet it is not really clear what anybody is actually willing to do about it.
In Canada, we, as a democratic society, have a right to know what government is doing, and to have a government that is willing to share general information with NGOs and society at large, as well as to engage with its citizens.
Currently that is not happening. In our society, we are still using an old fashioned (paper-based) system.
A solution to this problem is e-government. The United Nations recommends e-governance because it uses digital technology and the Internet to connect government departments and services—at all levels—with each other and with its citizens.
This means using innovative methods of information and communication technologies (ICT) to create a system where citizens participate in decisions. But it also means that citizens can use the technologies to keep an eye on their government.
There are many reasons Canada is lagging. First we need political motivation and government willingness to share the general information that is collected, as well a general openness with the public. The public also needs to understand how to use these new powerful tools.
Grandpa Dong Han
Jasper, Alta.
