Not different, but fundamentally, I think when people ask for information they want it. Any process that becomes very legalistic and drawn out reduces and diminishes the public confidence in that law. We certainly saw that in Newfoundland and Labrador. It was clear from the people who appeared in front of us that they had zero confidence in the ability of public officials to provide information on a timely basis. That, along with the commissioner's comments, I think persuaded us that what people want is a quick decision on whether they can have the information they request; and if they can't, that there's a fair procedure in place to be able to appeal it. For me, it came down not to the legalistic aspect of it, but to the fact that if the public are to have confidence in their laws, the laws have to actually work and not entangle people in protracted legal discussions and debates. I knew this as a journalist. There would be information that would be released in our newsroom that came out three years after it was requested. As a senior editorial leader, I would say, “Which request was that?” The distance, the time lag between the request and when the information actually appeared, prompted us all to wonder what it was all about and whether anybody was interested in it any more.
I think, fundamentally, people want a quick decision when they ask for information. It doesn't necessarily mean they should get the information, but if they can't, they need to know why and need to know how to be able to address it if they want to appeal it.