Post Tagged with: "access to information"

Study Ranks Canada Last on Access to Information

A new study comparing five parliamentary democracies ranks Canada last on the effectiveness of its access to information legislation.

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January 10, 2011 6 comments News

UK Government to Make Access to Info Data Machine Readable

The UK government has promised to make its access to information responses machine readable. All data released under that country’s Freedom of Information Act will be reusable and in machine readable format.

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October 5, 2010 Comments are Disabled News

Open Government Moving in Parallel But Opposite Directions

Suzanne Legault, Canada’s Interim Information Commissioner, and Michael Mulley, a Montreal-based software programmer, may occupy different worlds, but my weekly technology law column (Toronto Star version, homepage version) notes that last week both placed an important spotlight on open and transparent government.

Legault is responsible for administering the Access to Information Act and last week her office warned that inadequate resources and lengthy delays were causing enormous damage to access to information rights in Canada. Legault released a 154-page report that gave below average or failing grades to the majority of the 24 government departments she reviewed. 

The implication of a broken access to information system extends to virtually every policy area.  For example, Canadian Heritage and Industry Canada typically lead on policies involving broadcasting and new media.  While Industry Canada received a solid "B" grade, handling a 93% increase in requests relatively smoothly, the first review for Canadian Heritage Minister James Moore’s department yielded an "F" grade. 

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April 19, 2010 4 comments Columns

Open Government Moving in Parallel But Opposite Directions

Appeared in the Toronto Star on April 19, 2010 as Open Government Moving in Parallel But Opposite Directions Suzanne Legault, Canada’s Interim Information Commissioner, and Michael Mulley, a Montreal-based software programmer, may occupy different worlds, but last week both placed an important spotlight on open and transparent government. Legault is […]

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April 19, 2010 Comments are Disabled Columns Archive

Copyright Secrets? Canadian Heritage Receives “F” On Access To Information Compliance

The Interim Access to Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault released a new report yesterday on government compliance with the Access to Information Act.  The report concludes that the right to obtain federal documents is at risk of being "totally obliterated."  For readers of this blog, three departments figure most prominently in […]

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April 14, 2010 5 comments News