Several backbench Conservative MPs on the House of Commons standing committee on ethics, privacy and access to information have dissented with the Prime Minister and Cabinet on needed reforms to the Access to Information Act (ATI Act). Led by Tory MP Mike Wallace, they have rejected the government’s request that the committee begin its work […]

October 12, 2006 – In the first decision of its kind from an international tribunal, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled yesterday that there is a fundamental human right to access government information. In the case of Claude Reyes and others vs. Chile, the Court found in favor of three environmental activists who in […]

Canada’s Department of Defence has invoked a new wave of secrecy in the last 18 months to censor details of their own financial bungling and what some critics are calling questionable uses of military resources. They have been able to do so because of new national security provisions that have been added to federal Access […]

Since September 2001, the RCMP have been buying and storing personal information on Canadians from private data brokers, which have been used by U.S. authorities to combat terrorism even though the information they sell has been criticized for its inaccuracy. Data brokers collect personal information from all kinds of sources, ranging from warranty forms, gold […]

A broad-based coalition which includes FIPA, the Canadian Taxpayer’s Federation, BC Civil Liberties Association and many other groups, launched a campaign today to ensure BC’s government fulfills its long-overdue promise to be a Canadian leader in openness and accountability. The Campaign for Open Government is focusing on the Province’s poor record of response to Freedom […]

BC FIPA has released a study on the BC Government’s response to freedom of information (FOI) requests over the past five years. The study titled “Access Denied” reveals many shortcomings in the administration of the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FIPPA). Results indicate that response times for information requests are often in excess […]

The federal Conservatives made an iron-clad election promise to bring more openness to government. However, in a move that flouts this promise, the federal government is moving to curtail the independence of the Information Commissioner’s office. Outgoing Information Commissioner John Reid complained yesterday that the government is seeking to rein in the office by skewing […]

Friday September 29 The Theatre at UBC Robson Square Campus Vancouver, BC BC’s Freedom of Information Act, passed in 1992, was designed to make BC’s government more open and accountable. That was the theory then; what is the reality today? Has FOI really made the government more transparent and accountable? Has it empowered citizens? Is […]

Privacy advocates are questioning the use of CIA-funded software to manage Canadian medical records. Software that will help sort millions of Canadian health records was developed by a company funded through the CIA’s venture capital partner, sparking concerns about the confidentiality of patient data. Privacy advocates are raising questions about Canadian use of the Initiate […]

The 36,000-strong association representing Canada’s lawyers is calling on the federal government to take action against a “trend” of cyber spying by Internet service providers. The Canadian Bar Association crafted a letter to three federal cabinet ministers after Bell Sympatico, Canada’s largest ISP, amended its service agreement with customers three weeks ago to reserve the […]

FIPA representatives testified on May 30 before the Parliamentary Committee to Consider Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act. FIPA president Richard Rosenberg and research director Stanley Tromp asked the committee to fulfill all the seven promises to reform the Access to Information Act made in the Conservative election platform of 2005. They urged the committee […]

Alberta’s freedom of information law, once described by a journalism group as the most secretive in Canada, is about to get even more restrictive. The Conservative government pushed through changes to Alberta’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to put a five-year blackout on briefing documents and other records that show how Premier […]