Information & Ethics committee  The minister deals with a huge range of topics and is responsible for various pieces of legislation. He has a lot of officials who are supposed to brief him and tell him about these. If you're on top of your files, there is no need to sidetrack yourself and ask what the latest—

Information & Ethics committee  Once it's released, of course— everybody should know. It's improper before a release of an access to information request; it's for interference or potential interference in the situation. There's another scenario too, and that is that when third parties seek or get your identity—maybe corporations are after it—that poses certain problems as well.

Information & Ethics committee  People sometimes put in applications strictly seeking to know who put in x requests, including my requests. That just shows you how silly the system can get.

Information & Ethics committee  Some of the applicants who are asked to apply are also asked for their social insurance number, for their fingerprints, given the nature of the files.

Information & Ethics committee  It's common practice if you're applying, for instance, for a criminal file or certain other files. You have to give some further identifiable information. Where do you draw the line in terms of how much information it is? I guess the point I keep trying to go back to is that when you create parallel systems and there are privacy concerns and tracking concerns, surveillance concerns, you're meshing those two together, and there's bound to be some bad judgment or unnecessary waste of people's time.

Information & Ethics committee  The issue isn't really how much of a public personality you are or how much they can find out about you. The issue is, are you going to let them get the information? Do you freely feel they should get it? And are you going to waste everybody's time by speculating, or are you going to get on with your job of governing the country?

Information & Ethics committee  I still have a problem with the parallel system you're describing. If the minister--and you were a minister too--is on top of his portfolio and knows about it, he should be able to defend himself in the House and the House cards can be prepared. To divert all this into the latest access request seems to me to be a colossal waste of taxpayers' money.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't think so. I still feel there are a lot of other queries the government gets, not through access to information. What is the government going to do? Are they going to prepare House cards every time a Canadian wants to know something? It's crazy.

Information & Ethics committee  No.

Information & Ethics committee  That was just for this problem. I think we need a totally new act. You can't just amend this act; it's broken.

Information & Ethics committee  What did I say?

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, and three strikes and you're out on this one.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, listen, if this act were really utilized, if a million Canadians used this, do you think that parallel system wouldn't break down? I'm saying it's already broken. I disagree with the deputy information commissioner. I don't think it's needed. I think it just creates problems.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.