I think it has a culture of secrecy, but that's a function of being a public servant, whether the person is in the RCMP, the Canadian Armed Forces or another organization. They are asked to keep information confidential and share it only with those who have authorization. That's what public servants do every day. They protect the interests of the Crown. That's their job.
The act sets out 13 exemptions, or situations in which government employees may refuse to disclose a record, in order to protect information that should remain confidential. Almost as a matter of practice, they determine that certain information is personal or confidential, and that's where the commissioner comes into the equation. When the requester believes that they should have access to the record, which is often clear just from reading the document, they can file a complaint. Then, they have to wait for a decision by the commissioner, who has access to the full record.