Information & Ethics Committee on Nov. 6th, 2006

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Can you tell me about travel? How much money did you spend on travel last year?

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

Yes, I think I can. As you know, we put travel and hospitality up on our website. I'm not sure if we do totals or if we do it by, maybe, grand total of travel. The grand total of travel was $14,324.

[Ruth McEwan, Director General, Corporate Services, Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada]

That's for this year.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

Oh, that's for this year.

I don't have last year's figure with me, but it's roughly the same.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

And how much for hospitality?

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

Again, looking at 2006-07, this year, the commissioner's was $932.48 and mine was $77.19.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Before the meeting gets out of hand, I think the chair has finished his questions for now.

We'll move to Mr. Dhaliwal.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

To carry on where you left off on the backlog issue, I would like to hear again how many backlog cases we have as of today.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

I don't know as of today, but Mr. Dupuis thinks it's approximately 1,100. If that's wrong, I'll be happy to inform the committee, but we think there are about 1,100 in backlog.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Did you say that 16 more employees are needed to clean that up?

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

We wouldn't put them all on backlog because we want to keep files from going into backlog. I think we have assigned approximately eight investigators to backlog.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to know when this backlog will be cleared and what resources you need to clear that up.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

As I said in my opening remarks, our plan is to have the backlog cleared by 2008-09, and by 2009-10 be into full standard on the new cases coming in the door. That is a one-year delay over what we asked the panel for because of the accommodation issue.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

So there's no way accommodation can be arranged to clean it up?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I'm just the chairman, I don't know. Don't ask me questions, ask him questions.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

I'm asking him questions through the chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Sure, absolutely. Thank you, sir.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

So you're asking me if there is anything this panel can do to facilitate the accommodation issue?

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Right, so that the backlog issue is taken care of and there's just the regular caseload to be dealt with.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

I certainly would appreciate someplace to come if Mr. Marshall isn't successful in getting accommodation for me, as he's indicated he will.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

We always welcome the Information Commissioner at this committee.

[J. Alan Leadbeater]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate that.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Martin.

[Pat Martin, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

I won't take very much time.

Perhaps just as a final comment, Mr. Leadbeater, on the very last line of the very last page of your report, in commenting on the Senate amendments, you draw the woeful conclusion that neither the House version nor the Senate committee version will materially improve the accountability of government through transparency.

Could you clarify that you're only talking there about the access to information provisions of Bill C-2?