Letter to Deputy Heads on the Results of the Roundtables

Dear Deputy;

It is our pleasure to provide you with the highlights of the recent DM Roundtables on Information Management and Recordkeeping held on September 19 and October 6, 2006.

These joint sessions hosted by Library and Archives Canada and Treasury Board Secretariat were held to promote the development of a culture of information management (IM) and recordkeeping to strengthen government accountability; build a consensus and engage departments and agencies in a formal GC-wide IM and recordkeeping transformation effort; as well as engage ADM-level executives from departments and agencies to develop an IM and recordkeeping action plan.

We are pleased to report that all three objectives were met. We would like to thank those who took the time to attend the sessions and also those who sent in comments of these key Government agenda items. Your input was essential in developing our way forward.

There is recognition that we have new and important challenges in IM and recordkeeping. We need to develop approaches to ensure we successfully overcome the barriers that inhibit sound management of information. It is now time to work together at implementing ways of dealing effectively with the management of information in the current era of Federal Accountability Act, duty to document and ongoing pressure in Access to Information.

As a result, we will be focussing our attention on the following activities:

• Set up an ADM-level Taskforce on Recordkeeping to develop a way forward and to recommend an action plan by the end of this Fiscal Year on the creation and implementation of a sustainable culture and regulatory regime for recordkeeping in government.
  
  
• Strengthen the current IM committee structure to bring a renewed ADM-level business focus on IM as a key enabler to programs and service delivery. The Committee on Information Management in Business will set IM direction for GC based on the business priorities of government.

More than ever, we need to share best practices and innovative approaches to recordkeeping and IM. Interoperability needs to grow into intercommunication within and across departments. Awareness and community engagement are key to ensure long-term sustainability and success for these initiatives.

We look forward to ongoing discussions as we encourage a greater focus on IM and recordkeeping in Government.

Yours sincerely,