Information & Ethics committee  You could have a graduated increase in the user fee, but to some degree that undermines the principle of transparency that underlies the statute.

Information & Ethics committee  Recommendation number 4, in my view, giving me the discretion over investigations, would go a long way to cure that. I think I can deal with the few people who make frequent complaints, because we need to make a distinction between frequent requests versus frequent complaints. I

Information & Ethics committee  A general repository where that is posted would go a long way toward diminishing repeated requests for the same information.

Information & Ethics committee  No, I have not done any study. There's a jurisdiction in Quebec that has just begun that. They did a study. It was a lengthy process to determine what should be posted, when, and those kinds of things. It's a complex issue, I'll grant you that. But I would say that kind of proact

Information & Ethics committee  They're not supposed to.

Information & Ethics committee  You're talking about frequent requests and requesting the same information.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't know that. I don't think it's classified that way by Treasury Board; it's classified by user group.

Information & Ethics committee  Mr. Chairman, the honorable member has just summarized all the recommendations for reform made over the past 20 years. What he said is absolutely exact and correct. In my second Annual Report, I stated that the government should follow-up on those recommendations and get to work

Information & Ethics committee  It becomes quite difficult to make a distinction between commercial and private users, because under our statute, and I would argue that it should be maintained that way, the requester remains private. The access request is processed without regard to the identity of the individu

Information & Ethics committee  They should not. As they process the request, only the ATIP office knows, and they are bound to process that without regard to the identity of who's asking. If we were looking at charging fees for commercial endeavours, I think you'd have to restructure part of the statute for th

Information & Ethics committee  I think, with respect, Mr. Chairman, the member is confusing two things. There are those who make requests on those kinds of issues and who they might be, and then there are those who complain to my office.

Information & Ethics committee  The largest users of the access to information system broadly, as reported by Treasury Board, are business—pharmaceuticals, whatever. In terms of complaints in my office, right now business represents about 18% and media 12%.

Information & Ethics committee  The vast majority, yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I think you have to have a larger policy discussion about it. It would add a revenue recuperating cost aspect, as you suggest, but corporations pay taxes too. Lawyers' offices pay taxes too. A corporation is a legal person. I think it would be quite a trick to draw a distinction

Information & Ethics committee  They're doing it now through the brokers.