The Circle is a resource for those seeking a better understanding
of accountability and of how to hold fairly to account in the
public and private sectors and internationally. It is also a forum
-- a clearinghouse for strategies for holding to account. The
objectives of the Circle, incorporated under Part II of the Canada
Corporations Act include
- increasing public awareness and understanding of accountability
obligations in society
- promotion of exchange of information about accountability
and research in the subject
- identification of contemporary issues in accountability and
publishing work in accountability
As citizens, we can increase our power to improve fairness in
society if we require those in authority to answer for their responsibilities
-- to report fully and fairly on the discharge of those responsibilities.
Those in authority in the public and private sectors, and therefore
accountable to the public, include elected and appointed officials,
governing bodies, executives of government departments and agencies
and of the large corporations, members of courts and tribunals,
and the professions. Because their decisions affect us in important
ways, it is fair that they tell us what they intend to bring about,
and give us their reasoning. But the answering obligation has
to be legislated to make it mean something.
Validated reporting by authorities of the results of their performance
is important, because it gives us information we would not otherwise
have, and it suggests what trust to place in their ability and
motivation in the future. If great harm has been done, after-the-fact
reporting is too late. The most important part of public answering
from authorities is reporting before the fact: their intentions
(what they intend to bring about), their reasoning for their intentions,
and their own performance standards that they intend to meet.
Depending on their track record for honest and useful answering,
we will need to validate the fairness and completeness of what
they say. Then, better informed, we can act sensibly to commend,
alter or halt authorities' intentions. Citizens in all jurisdictions
need adequate public answering. It was put neatly by George Washington
in 1796, who said, "I am sure the mass of Citizens in these United
States mean well, and I firmly believe they will always act well,
whenever they can obtain a right understanding of matters...."
The idea of adequate public answering is not new but citizens
seem not to have realized, perhaps from undue deference to authorities,
that in a democacy the obligation of authorities to answer for
their responsibilities fully and fairly is not just axiomatic,
it is an imperative if citizens are to have a "right understanding
of matters." The problem has been two-fold. First, there have
been no useful frameworks offered to structure the form and content
of the public answering we need for authorities' intentions. Secondly,
citizens concerned about intentions but lacking power over authorities
have become used to simply fighting authorities or giving up,
rather than exacting the validated public answering from them
that would create a self-regulating effect on their conduct. Leaving
the issue of authorities' answering to election time won't produce
the conduct we need from them.
The objective of the Circle is to help significantly to improve
fairness in the decision-making of those in authority who affect
citizens in important ways.
