>Canada’s freedom of information watchdog has accused Ottawa of maintaining a culture of secrecy, saying some federal departments are abusing exemptions to Canada’s access to information law as an excuse to withhold documents.
>In an interview, Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard criticized government departments for wrongly withholding records, including statistics, on the grounds that they are exempt from disclosure because they count as advice to ministers.
>She said exemptions to the federal access to information law, which enshrines the principle that citizens have a right to know, are being widely used to deny freedom of information requests.
>Ms. Maynard said the exemption that allows a government institution to refuse to disclose advice to a minister should be narrowly applied, but is instead being used to withhold records.
>She said the provision “is one of the most abused” in the 40-year-old act, and she thinks it should be rewritten.
>Ms. Maynard added that in briefing notes for ministers, “we tell them, there’s one paragraph that’s advice, the rest is all the basis on which your advice has been given. So, that should not be covered by the exemption.”
>Ms. Maynard said there should be a presumption in favour of releasing information, rather than withholding it.
>She criticized some government officials whose first reaction to a records request is: “What is it that we should redact? What is it that we should exclude from this disclosure?”
>”The government needs to change their culture,” she said.
>”I still think that Canada can do better. I still think that leadership can promote transparency, can promote disclosure by default.”
>During this year’s general election, Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled that if he was elected, he would commit to a review of Canada’s access to information regime.
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Newsstream: https://www.proquest.com/canadiannews/docview/3255123658/CF3C74AD89234ADDPQ/.
>Canada’s freedom of information watchdog has accused Ottawa of maintaining a culture of secrecy, saying some federal departments are abusing exemptions to Canada’s access to information law as an excuse to withhold documents.
>In an interview, Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard criticized government departments for wrongly withholding records, including statistics, on the grounds that they are exempt from disclosure because they count as advice to ministers.
>She said exemptions to the federal access to information law, which enshrines the principle that citizens have a right to know, are being widely used to deny freedom of information requests.
>Ms. Maynard said the exemption that allows a government institution to refuse to disclose advice to a minister should be narrowly applied, but is instead being used to withhold records.
>She said the provision “is one of the most abused” in the 40-year-old act, and she thinks it should be rewritten.
>Ms. Maynard added that in briefing notes for ministers, “we tell them, there’s one paragraph that’s advice, the rest is all the basis on which your advice has been given. So, that should not be covered by the exemption.”
>Ms. Maynard said there should be a presumption in favour of releasing information, rather than withholding it.
>She criticized some government officials whose first reaction to a records request is: “What is it that we should redact? What is it that we should exclude from this disclosure?”
>”The government needs to change their culture,” she said.
>”I still think that Canada can do better. I still think that leadership can promote transparency, can promote disclosure by default.”
>During this year’s general election, Prime Minister Mark Carney signalled that if he was elected, he would commit to a review of Canada’s access to information regime.
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