Information & Ethics committee  Good morning and thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members. I am pleased to appear before you today for the first time since my appointment as Information Commissioner of Canada. Joining me are Layla Michaud, Deputy Commissioner of Investigations and Governance, and Gino Grond

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you very much.

Information & Ethics committee  Actually, I haven't really had a chance to discuss the transition with Ms. Legault. I didn't meet her until my third week on the job, when we shared a meal. Ms. Michaud and Mr. Grondin, along with the rest of the staff, have worked diligently to familiarize me with the process

Information & Ethics committee  Without a doubt, what I'd like to do in the short term is tackle the inventory of complaints, as well as consult our teams on existing processes and efficiency measures that could be deployed quickly. I want to start by meeting with team coordinators and institution heads to hav

Information & Ethics committee  It's interesting to note that, over the past six years, access requests have increased by 215%. Our office saw a 25% increase in the number of complaints last year alone. We started the year with 3,495 complaints in the inventory, and we would like to do exactly what you are sug

Information & Ethics committee  Given the funding we've been allocated, our goal right now is to close 2,100 files. As you can see, though, if we process 2,100 files, we won't have time to eliminate the backlog or even begin to tackle it.

Information & Ethics committee  Over the last six years, despite a rising number of complaints, our office's funding and staff size have not increased. Without a doubt, we need more money in the form of permanent funding, to hire additional staff, instead of consultants, who, year after year, come, open files,

Information & Ethics committee  No. The complaints that we've received will have to be dealt with under the current act. Any new complaints received after Bill C-58 is passed will then be affected by the amendments. That's why I was saying that if nothing changes in the amendments, we will end up with three dif

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Eighty years.

Information & Ethics committee  I can't really comment on this particular file. I'm not even sure we have a complaint about it yet. From my reading of the article, it was a request that would require the processing of 780,000 documents. I understand that sometimes there's a calculation, and depending on the nu

Information & Ethics committee  We have files that are really old and they still have national security issues, and for reasons of security they wouldn't let the information be released. It could be that they just want to make sure.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I can tell you that we're all fighting for the same consultants and experienced people, because the professionals in the world of access to information are limited. All the institutions are having the same problem as I am, so we are all looking for people who have the knowledge.

Information & Ethics committee  I can tell you that I have shared three concerns, currently, with Bill C-58. The key area is the mandatory requirements in section 6. I do believe those requirements will limit access and will probably even deter people from asking for information. I've also made clear to Mr. Bri