Good morning, Mr. Marleau. I would like to begin by thanking you for being here this morning. I also want to commend you on the work you did as Information Commissioner. I welcome the citizen you are today, a citizen with greater freedom of speech.
I would like to start with Mr. Nicholson's response to the many recommendations made by this Committee. These were recommendations that had been studied at length in the past. I would simply like to hear your comments. The beginning of the response states that the government is very determined to make the Access to Information Act more open and transparent, yet the following paragraphs state that the government does not agree that the scope of the Act should be broadened — the government therefore disagrees with the seventh recommendation —, does not agree that broader powers should be created and does not agree that the workload should be increased.
The government is saying one thing and then the opposite; it's blowing hot and cold.
This government was elected in 2005 because of the election promise to clean house and be more transparent and open. Unfortunately, week after week, in all of its operations, it manages its affairs amid as much secrecy as possible. Secrecy has become policy.
I want to hear what you have to say not only about the fact that this government, despite its own Access to Information Act, prevents Canadians from obtaining information about what is going on in individual departments and the government as a whole, but also these three restrictions: not broadening the scope of the Act, not giving the Commissioner increased powers and not increasing his workload, by allowing the Act to reviewed every five years. These are the three elements that need to be mentioned. I would like to hear what you have to say in that regard.