The plan by the Canadian International Development Agency to collect and publish all its aid-related documents in a searchable tool is a step in the right direction for a donor long urged to become more transparent in its foreign aid-related transactions, according to an editorial by the Vancouver Sun.
“It will make it much easier for citizens of any country to access that information,” the newspaper says. “Government information already belongs to us, the citizens. Open-data portals are mere recognitions of that fact.”
The editorial also urges the government to “resist the temptation” to impose restrictions on how the information provided in the portal can be used.
Further, the Vancouver Sun says the Canadian government should heed calls from aid groups like Engineers Without Borders for the country to sign the International Aid Transparency Initiative.
There have been various calls for a more transparent Canadian aid program, particularly following a recent controversy over an altered CIDA doument.