The act provides for a new stage of legislative review next year. My team is currently examining every provision of the act. We would like to make sure that the recommendations we make will be based on the complaints we have received, our investigations and our observations on what works and what does not.
Consultations between institutions are a major problem, because there is no specified time limit. There is a 30-day period to respond to an access to information request. However, if you consult another institution because you believe that it is essential to do so, because it is a matter of national security or important information, that institution is not required to do so within a specified time period. There are instances in which the institution consulted took six months or a year to respond. However, it is the institution receiving the request that is required to comply with the act.
We are going to look into what is done elsewhere. The fact is that we are not the only ones to have federal access to information legislation. Nonetheless, I think that it will be important to set a time limit for the individuals or institutions required to respond to a consultation request. The absence of a limit is definitely a problem. It leads to a failure to meet deadlines.