Federal and provincial Information commissioners urge federal government to revitalize access to information in Canada

Canada’s federal and provincial Information Commissioners are
urging the federal government to make reform of the Access to
Information Act and improved compliance part of the Open
Government action plan.

The recommendations are included in a joint “Letter on Open
Government” sent to President of the Treasury Board Tony Clement
on January 20, 2012.

The letter expresses support for the federal government’s
move to join the international Open Government Partnership (OGP)
and urges that nine recommendations be adopted as part of the
government’s OGP action plan:

Recommendation #1: That the Government of Canada adopt
“increasing public integrity” as one of its “grand challenges”

Recommendation #2: That the Government of Canada commit to
increasing public integrity by modernizing the federal Access to
Information Act

Recommendation #3: That the Government of Canada commit to
increasing public integrity by reversing the declining trends on
compliance with federal access to information legislation

Recommendation #3.1: That the Government of Canada support
access to information and privacy professionals by providing
sufficient resources and training

Recommendation #3.2: That the Government of Canada commit
to the rapid implementation of its records management policies

Recommendation #3.3: That the Government of Canada implement
a declassification process for government records

Recommendation #3.4: That the Government of Canada implement
a technology infrastructure based on national and international
best practices

Recommendation #4: That the Government of Canada commit to a
multi-stakeholder consultation process that includes the public, civil
society and Information and Privacy Commissioners

Recommendation #5: That the Government of Canada’s action plan
include concrete commitments, specific timeframes, clear accounta-
bility and performance measures to facilitate self-assessment and
independent oversight

* * *

The OGP participation document emphasizes that a common
expectation of the Partnership is that countries make concrete commitments as part of their action plans which “stretch” them beyond current practices.

Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird reiterated the commitment to open government in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Clinton on Sept. 19, 2011 conveying Canada’s intent to join the OGP initiative.

Other articles on this issue:

FIPA Congratulates Feds for Ignoring Access to Information Act While it “Consults” Canadians About Open Government

Canadian Government Misrepresents Performance on Open Government to U.S. State Department