It would hurt not only my office's credibility, but the government's credibility as well.
Access to information has become a quasi-constitutional right, because we want Canadians to have access to information so they can question certain institutional decisions and ultimately have confidence in the government when it makes decisions that affect them.
The longer people wait, the less able we will be to respond to their complaints. I can't give complainants an immediate answer as to whether the institution has correctly applied the provisions of the act and fulfilled its obligations or if, on the contrary, we believe they're entitled to more information. By the time their complaint gets processed, the information has lost its relevance. People need information when they request it. The longer they wait, the more it hurts the government's credibility and undermines public trust in the government.