"I believe Open Government, and in particular, Open Dialogue, is one of the most important initiatives for governments to undertake," says the Hon. Wayne Wouters, who spent many years in the public service in various roles, including Secretary of the Treasury Board and most recently, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet from 2009 to 2014. He's also a co-chair of the newly-created Canadian Open Dialogue Forum, co-founded by Canada2020 and Publivate.

"Governments need to reach out to Canadians and experts around the world to tap into their knowledge and expertise on these matters that are so important to our future," says Wouters, who will deliver opening remarks and participate in a leaders' roundtable on the open dialogue principles alongside fellow co-chair the Hon. Deb Matthews.

Wouters is passionate about matters of good governance and expressed enthusiasm for bringing together a diverse group of leaders and practitioners to exchange ideas and identify approaches that lead to successful open dialogue as well as barriers and challenges that need to be addressed.

"I am most interested in hearing how we can use the collaborative tools now available or under development to reach out to others," Wouters says of his participation in the Forum. "What works? And where are the roadblocks? We need to have these conversations."

He also sees the upcoming forum event as a key opportunity to foster that dialogue. 

"It is through fora such as the Canadian Open Dialogue Forum that we can learn from each other in order to make Open Dialogue a reality for all," Wouters says.

The Hon. Wayne Wouters will deliver opening remarks on both days as well as participate in a leaders' roundtable on the open dialogue principles alongside fellow co-chair the Hon. Deb Matthews.

To attend the Forum and engage in the dialogue, register here.