Information & Ethics committee  I can tell you that we have done so well in being more effective because we have no more resources. We became more efficient in doing our investigations. We closed 8,000 this year. I think we can keep a pace of about 7,000 complaints a year. That means we can keep up with what we

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, the amount of time the files are waiting in the inventory to be assigned is ridiculous. It's something that we're working on. Without more resources, our investigators have big portfolios, and they just can't take more.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you for inviting me to appear before you to discuss the reports published by the Office of the Information Commissioner so far this year. I was probably among the first to read the final report of this committee's study into access to information as soon as it was made ava

Information & Ethics committee  With respect to protecting privacy and personal information, I urge you to speak with Philippe Dufresne, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. I know he's in regular contact with provincial commissioners regarding access to personal information and privacy protection.

Information & Ethics committee  The Access to Information Act was passed in 1983. We therefore celebrated the act's 40th anniversary this summer, in July. As noted in my office's annual report as well as several subsequent statements, unfortunately there wasn't much to celebrate after 40 years. I must admit tha

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, a great many issues can arise. For example, imagine that a journalist, teacher or anyone else wants information about how the government makes decisions. If they receive the information one or two years later, it will no longer be relevant. That's why the act sets deadlines.

Information & Ethics committee  Disinformation is when the wrong information is provided voluntarily or intentionally. Therefore, the goal is to make sure people don't get the right information. Misinformation is when people don't get all the facts. Often, what people are trying to do through access to inform

Information & Ethics committee  Nothing has changed since the last time we saw each other. I still don't have access to documents that fall under cabinet privilege. I requested an amendment to the Access to Information Act so that the cabinet would be subject to our investigation. I was pleased to see that, as

Information & Ethics committee  The Rouleau Commission is a very good example. A huge number of documents protected under cabinet privilege were handed to the commission, because they alone could explain what happened and the decisions that had to be made quickly. In the end, the sky didn't fall and people got

Information & Ethics committee  Declassification is another matter. It's about documents classified as secret or top secret. We're seeing documents from 60, even 80 years ago that are still classified when they should no longer be. We're suggesting that a process be put in place to ensure mandatory release of t

Information & Ethics committee  Through policy, the government could implement a mandatory declassification process. That way, the legislation wouldn't have to be amended.

Information & Ethics committee  That's a good question. There are existing mechanisms out there. The U.K. has one. The United States has one. Australia has one, too. They're all different, and I'm not saying any of them are better, but we definitely don't have one here in Canada. Whether you pick 60 years, 50

Information & Ethics committee  We don't have a special classification for the positions themselves; it's a special delegation from the minister. I have about 23 employees who have that delegation, and their clearance takes a normal clearance time, like for the RCMP clearance for secret. We have only a few top

Information & Ethics committee  It's definitely difficult to have somebody who has the expertise. Imagine, from my office, hiring these people. I understand that within the government it's difficult as well, because the same documents are being reviewed not only by my office but by the analysts in each of these

Information & Ethics committee  Like I said in my opening remarks, all the commissioners last week felt that it is a really good time now to talk about access. The Globe and Mail did a really good job in putting that on the front pages. We are in a place where information is key. Canadians don't trust governm