In 2017, I filed an access to information request with Global Affairs Canada seeking records related to the creation of the WIPO Internet Treaties more than 20 years earlier. The timing of the request was not accidental. The exception for cabinet confidences in the Access to Information Act no longer applies after 20 years and my hope was to gain insights into the government’s thinking during the negotiation process that might have previously been publicly unavailable. The request took a long time to process and the department still withheld many records on a range of grounds. I rarely appeal to the Information Commissioner, but in this case I did. Last week, the Information Commissioner determined that my complaint was well-founded, but Global Affairs and its Minister, Melanie Joly, have thus far refused to abide by the ruling.
Post Tagged with: "information commissioner"
The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 143: Canada’s Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard on Why Government Needs a Culture of Providing Information Instead of Hiding It
Canadians using the Access to Information Act system frequently find that it is simply does not work as the legislation prescribes, with most facing long delays and widespread redactions. Canada’s Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard is trying to do something to fix that. She has been calling for legislative reforms, more resources, and leadership within government departments to prioritize providing information instead of hiding it. Commissioner Maynard joins the Law Bytes podcast to discuss the current system, how exceptions are often used too aggressively to limit public access, and what can be done to fix these problems.
Information Commissioner Launches Consultation on Access to Information
The Information Commissioner of Canada has launched a public consultation on access-to-information legislation. The consultation, which is open until December 21, 2012, invites comments on a wide range of issues including right of access, coverage of the Act, limitations, and cabinet confidences.
Information Commissioner Calls for Reinstatement of CAIRS
The Information Commissioner of Canada has called for the reinstatement of the CAIRS database, which provided access to past information requests. She notes rightly notes that the government could – and should – go much further than sites such as CAIRS.Info, which I launched a couple of years ago.
LaForest Appointed To Review Info and Privacy Offices
Former Supreme Court justice Gerard Vincent LaForest was appointed today to study the prospect of combining the Information Commissioner and the Privacy Commissioner into a single office. Although that approach is used in many provinces, given the frustration experienced by the Information Commissioner in obtaining compliance (and an extension in […]
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