I absolutely do. The Information Commissioner testified that she does not fancy exclusions. She prefers exemptions because an exclusion takes the subject-matter out of the operation of the act and, therefore, takes away any ability for her to objectively review the decisions of the information officers.
I can't take credit for the discretionary exemption. The credit for that belongs to the Information Commissioner who is going to testify in front of this committee next week.
I'm trying to find her exact words, but it's almost verbatim what the new section 28.1 would say. This committee recommended that section 68.1 of the Access to Information Act be repealed in accordance with the expert testimony heard during the study. In so doing, the government should consider international models as presented by the Information Commissioner.
It was the Information Commissioner who came up with the injury-based test and changed the exclusion to a discretionary exemption. I don't take credit for that. There has been some slight wordsmithing with respect to her testimony in front of this committee. But yes, I do believe this amendment is in accordance with the committee's study, which was an important study in light of the litigation between the Information Commissioner and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.