Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I would add that with any crown corporation, the key thing is that the ATIP offices be adequately funded. Without adequate funding they'll struggle, and that will be reflected on people trying to use their rights.

Information & Ethics committee  In information professions, there's a term called “description”. It's also called “metadata”. These are technical terms for information that describes information in complex information systems. A major function of “description” or “metadata” is to make it easier for people to find that information, and be very specific.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll just add that, at a request level, we need to make the chain of custody and review involved in the administration of the Access to Information Act transparent to both the applicant and the Information Commissioner. This is so that we know who's reviewing it. We know that full chain of custody, of review, of authority to withhold or disclose, and we make that internal process transparent.

Information & Ethics committee  I mean names of staff and titles, so that when you get the document that says, “Here are your documents”, you know who has touched all those documents from the point of information retrieval all the way up to authorizing or withholding disclosure.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll just say that the ATIP coordinators are absolutely fantastic, in my experience. Anything that gives them strength and power I would support, recognizing that we have to be careful of it, but the more support, the better.

Information & Ethics committee  I'll say the Access to Information Act creates an institutionally mediated information retrieval system. The key words are “institutionally mediated” and “information retrieval system”. It's an information retrieval system that government employees are involved in implementing, and I think the key to creating a culture of openness is to make that information retrieval system itself more transparent.

Information & Ethics committee  Currently, it's five hours that the government has.

Information & Ethics committee  Federally, yes, it's five hours. I haven't experienced it to be a particular problem. Now, as an experienced user of the Access to Information Act, I know how to narrow down what I am looking for, so it generally doesn't take five hours. I work with the ATIP officers to ensure that it is narrow.

Information & Ethics committee  Do you mean an overarching level five-year review?

Information & Ethics committee  Obviously, having some review is important. Five years seems quite reasonable. I think those reviews have to be informed by actual information data. What I think is crucially important is for the information system to collect more data about itself, about what it is doing, so we can really speak and review from a position that is informed by the data.

Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely, there should be measures, and we should be collecting data on the information system itself in a more detailed manner.

Information & Ethics committee  That was in the context of having separate legislation for the proactive disclosure of information. I take a very firm position that proactive disclosure of information relating to government interests should be separate from the Access to Information Act. I see the Access of Information Act as protecting—

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, and for the exact same reason the Information Commissioner of Canada has an oversight role in protecting the individual's rights to access unpublished information the government holds in custody, there should be something equivalent for this kind of a mandatory publication of information act.

Information & Ethics committee  It could be. I would leave that to the decision of the cabinet of Parliament to debate. In issues where a group, or a government, decides what should be proactively published, that should be separated out from the Access to Information Act. That act itself should have oversight to ensure the government is publishing information when it has a duty to do so.