Our access-to-information legislation has privacy protections when it comes to particular personal information, so there has already been an attempt to strike that balance. In many instances the media relies on sources, where people provide information at great personal risk, so I think it's logical that you'd provide a measure of protection for that. In the context of government, if you're a firm believer in an open, transparent, and accountable government, it must absolutely follow that openness is one of the priorities. The ability, not just of the media but of all Canadians, to access that is truly essential, whether it's through the access to information office or something like CAIRS, the database that I think has proven to be so useful to so many Canadians.
On May 15th, 2008. See this statement in context.