Hello, Mr. Toews. I am very pleased to have this opportunity to meet with you today. I would like to talk to you about the approach of your department and your government with respect to the bill dealing with what is called transparency, presented by the Information Commissioner.
You are no doubt aware that last November, this committee, including your Conservative friends, unanimously requested new legislative provisions, in this case a bill. We asked the government to introduce a bill on access to information, so that we could debate it. I myself raised the question recently, that is to say after May 15.
What you said is correct. We have here a nice report from the Library of Parliament that specifies each of the steps. At the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, all holders of the position of commissioner have requested a modernization and a strengthening of the act. A number of studies have been done in that regard. Last November, this committee said that it was ready to take action. Unfortunately, that decision, which had been unanimous, was overturned on May 15.
In the meantime, the legislative committee responsible for Bill C-2 began looking at certain provisions with regard to access to information. I know that the clause-by-clause study of the bill is being done quickly. I do not know what stage the committee is at or what is happening with the access to information provisions.
Whatever the case may be, we feel that there are two approaches being taken. On the one hand, Bill C-2 is being studied at an accelerated pace without a thorough analysis or real debate, and on the other, there is an access to information bill which has given rise to a great deal of analysis. The Information Commissioner has even developed a bill, which you do not seem to like very much.
Given such a situation, it would appear that the transparency to which your government aspires is superficial. You want a government that is responsible, as is stated in your Bill C-2, but not necessarily more transparent.
I would like you to comment a bit on that approach, which seems bizarre to me to say the least.