“Open by default” is a great slogan, isn't it? The fact of the matter is that “open by default” has often translated into “open except for any material that falls within certain exemptions and exclusions”. As you know, the exemptions and exclusions in the Access to Information Act are quite large. They have been large and they have been a problem ever since the Access to Information Act became law. A reporter commented immediately after that law was passed that the loopholes were so big you could fly the Goodyear Blimp between them.
We need to establish a law that requires the proactive disclosure of certain broad categories of public record. Enough with giving government an opportunity to exclude certain things. It's proven that it can't be trusted with that. We need a law that actually forces disclosure and forces proactive disclosure of broad categories of information.