It is true that pretty well the same departments turn up on our non-performance list every year. The report cards we put out in the past were just for those who failed to meet the initial 30-day deadline.
I think the situation is much more complex than that. That is why the new report cards we want to give the government will include the context involved. We are at war. Everyone is familiar with the Afghanistan story. The Department of National Defence and the Department of Foreign Affairs are experiencing huge increases in the number of access to information requests. There may be an explanation for the delay, or perhaps there could be improvements in this area. If we have an answer from the department and an action plan, the committee will have all the information about the department's performance. So far, you have had just part of the information.
I want to use these report cards to create a public contract with the deputy minister under the new provision which states that deputy ministers must show leadership and have a reasonable duty to assist people requesting information. With an overall action plan for the department, I will be creating a public contract with these report cards. It will be up to you, as members of Parliament, to hold them accountable for this contract. I do not have the authority to enforce the act more rigorously. All I have is the power to investigate and make recommendations. In an extreme case, I could go to the Federal Court, but it takes 7, 8, 9 or 10 years to get a ruling. We are counting on these new report cards to have an impact on the performance of various departments.