The pandemic has certainly had an impact on all institutions in terms of meeting their obligations under the act. However, during the pandemic, the Department of National Defence's access to information unit was exemplary, in the sense that it processed a huge number of cases during 2020. It was interesting.
It was in 2021 and 2022 that we received an increasing number of complaints. The pandemic began to have an impact on the years that followed, and the delays continue to increase. Right now, though, we can no longer use COVID or the pandemic as an excuse for a delay.
As I was saying earlier, what seems to be the main reason for delays at National Defence is that the services that hold the information do not respond within 30 days, in other words, within the time requested by the access to information unit.