Chair, this is NDP-4.
The objective of this is to take out the requirements that this bill would impose upon requesters to identify the specific subject matter of their request, the type of record, and the period for which the record pertains. Obviously, as in the words of the commissioner, it is one of the most regressive amendments imaginable. Currently people have the ability to apply for information that they want, and in sufficient detail to let an experienced employee identify the record, with reasonable effort, who has a duty to assist individuals.
This amendment would take us back to where we've been for the last 30-plus years and away from a world where you have to know what you want before you look for it.
I point out once again, Chair, the testimony to this committee by our Information Commissioner, that the sponsorship scandal would never have been identified if this section were in place.