Information & Ethics committee  The reason I'm really not a proponent of having an ability to decline to process a request if the information is already available is based on experience at our office. There is a similar provision now. It's in section 68.1. Basically, if something is already published or is abou

Information & Ethics committee  That could probably work.

Information & Ethics committee  There is already a provision in the act for institutions to get an extension when there are a large number of records and providing the disclosure would unreasonably interfere with the operation of the institution. That already exists in the current legislation.

Information & Ethics committee  It's an extension rather than a refusal. You've heard testimony that some of these requests are bogging down the system, putting gum in the system—30 million pages. You have to look at the facts. We're doing evidence-based policy here. If you look at last year, the average nu

Information & Ethics committee  That would fix it, yes.

Information & Ethics committee  The reason I'm recommending that there be a formal provision for mediation is that sometimes some complainants do not wish to participate in the mediation process. I think the mediation process is extremely helpful in resolving complaints in a more timely way. I think that would

Information & Ethics committee  There are already a few examples provided in the special report. One only has to glean through the published access to information requests that exist, which are publicly available. Any request that does not provide subject matter, type of record, and timeline would be denied un

Information & Ethics committee  In any event, regardless of whether it is provided in good faith by some government institutions, in some instances what one really has to worry about is when it is not provided because the new provisions are being applied. As a regulator, I cannot recommend or order an instituti

Information & Ethics committee  I cannot make up the law.

Information & Ethics committee  I've read Peter's submission.

Information & Ethics committee  I absolutely agree with the submission of Mr. Di Gangi and all of the supporters of that submission.

Information & Ethics committee  As I said in my special report, I strongly recommend that these provisions be removed from section 6 of the act as provided in Bill C-58.

Information & Ethics committee  If the law as provided in Bill C-58 allows government institutions to refuse to process a request because it doesn't contain all of those requirements—not just one of them, all of them: subject matter, type of record, and timeline—then they have the legal ability to deny the requ

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  No.