Mr. Chairman, the heart of any kind of system of accountability is openness and transparency, and that is gained through the Access to Information Act. Where the materials are not available, it means there is confusion, there is no transparency, and there is little openness.
So I am concerned about the way in which this legislation is presented. It means that those people coming into the act, the crown corporations and some other changes, what they do is prevent information from coming out. If we are not to get more information from these organizations than we can now get by looking at their websites and their financial statements and what not, why then bring them into the act? It makes no sense to force them into the Access to Information Act if in fact the result will be that no flow of information comes out that's not already available.
I also am concerned about the sections dealing with parliamentary officers, particularly my office. When I became Information Commissioner, I discovered to my surprise that we were not subject to our own act. Furthermore, I've discovered to my surprise that we are not subject to the Privacy Act either. What was done in the office before my coming was that previous commissioners had automatically set up a system where we obeyed the strictures of the Access to Information Act as well as the Privacy Act.
I feel that parliamentary officers, your agents, should be the most open and transparent organizations in the Government of Canada. I think we should lead the way in providing that kind of openness and transparency, not only to members of Parliament, but also to the general public.
These provisions, as they are drafted, do not allow that to happen.