01596nas a2200121   4500008004100000022001400041245003600055210003200091260004200123520125500165100001801420856003601438       2009                        eng d  a1913-610200aThe Feds are Ready for a Change0 aFeds are Ready for a Change  aOttawabTalent First Networkc05/20093 aCanada is at the tipping point for acceptance of open source. Open source software and culture has reached a critical mass in the business world and it is also being actively deployed within the Canadian government. While open source has contributed outstanding code, its impacts are even more profound, raising core values of participation, co-operation and standardization. However, like many large institutions, there has been reluctance to modernize its official position regarding this approach to software development. There is still considerable investment in existing procurement practice and thousands of jobs and billions of dollars are being invested in old information technology (IT) solutions.

This article discusses the global momentum in federal government departments to support open source as well as some of the problems with the federal government's procurement process. However, despite the problems and relatively slow adoption of open source technology, there is movement for adoption. Federal government policies may be lagging behind other G7 governments, but it is being implemented across the civil service. There are also many people within government, at all levels, who understand the advantages of using open source.1 aGifford, Mike  uhttp://timreview.ca/article/251