Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  My reaction to cabinet confidences would be that we had actually achieved the right balance in the name of the open government act, which all political parties supported. There is a recognition that it's a fine balance, but that fine balance had been achieved in the way the open government act was drafted.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Precisely. We would support that. We are not here to say that all the business of government ought to be done in full view of the public. We recognize there are some decisions that need to be made behind closed doors. We just think there ought to be somebody who can say whether there is a public interest override or not.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes, we are. I guess our theme was “first, do no harm”. Really what we're saying is let's make it a little less bad. Sadly, I think that is a good way to summarize it.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes, it was. I'll answer in English, if that's okay. My English is a little bit better than my French. I think it can really be blocked into sort of three major themes, and I think the overriding theme of every amendment we are suggesting has at the heart of it that public information belongs to the public and that the burden of proof must be carried by those who would deem to keep information secret.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Sure. We actually, respectfully, disagree, and I think that the former government did actually ask Justice La Forest to look into this issue. I think that precisely because the issues of privacy and access to information need to be so delicately balanced that having them under the same office can create more problems.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for having given us this opportunity to share our ideas with the committee. I am here today with David Gollob, our Vice-President, Public Affairs. I will limit my remarks to those sections of the Accountability Act that concern the public's right to know.