I call the meeting to order.
This is meeting number 22 of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics. Our orders of the day--and there are three--are pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(h)(vi), a study on Access to Information Act reform.
Appearing before us this morning is the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice. He is accompanied by Mr. Denis Kratchanov, director and general counsel, information law and privacy section.
Welcome, gentlemen. I appreciate your taking the time to be with the committee.
Minister, as you know, the committee has been working for some time on the issues of access to information and privacy. In one of the responses the minister gave us, he referred us to a document that was tabled in April 2006 in the House by the then justice minister, who is now the Minister of Public Safety.
That document never did make it to the committee. I wasn't the chair at the time--I don't think many people here were on the committee at the time--it was Tom Wappel. But that document was not referred by the House to the committee, and the committee really didn't become aware of it, but we have subsequently, Mr. Minister. I just want to assure you.
Our researchers have examined the elements of the document. They have concluded that substantively all of the items, at some point or another, have been considered by the committee, first of all in its initial report, and secondly, on the report that was coined the “12 quick fixes”, on which we received the original response from you, sir.
Subsequently we requested additional input on the specific recommendations that were made for the guidance of the committee. That is the reason we're here on both reports. The first item is on access, which is of the most significant interest to the committee.
We're in your hands, sir. I'm sure you have a few opening remarks. I'll leave it to you as to how you address them.