In 1983, when the statute was adopted, that was the presumption--that the statute would be a last resource, that informal access to information would be easy and continue the way it was before the act was adopted.
Unfortunately, I think over time the default position was to file an access request. There's no question that a certain lack of leadership over the years has contributed to that culture of non-disclosure or default position of non-disclosure.
So when the leader of an administration makes such a strong statement, it becomes a strong signal to those who work in his administration to serve the public according to the terms of the statute, and it has considerable impact.
I believe that Canadian public servants do want to do the best they can in serving the Canadian public. But they do need direction from the top. I said last week in a press conference that a similar statement by our own political leaders, the Prime Minister, or a minister within his own department, would go a long way to start changing that culture.