FIPA congratulates Feds for ignoring Access to Information Act while it “consults” Canadians about Open Government

“Congratulations. We did not think it was possible to create a consultation document on Open Government without making a single mention of Access to Information, but you did it. Bravo.”

So begins a FIPA submission sent today to the Canadian government, which is making a show of consulting Canadians about its purported efforts to improve access and transparency.

The Conservatives have invited public submissions because they have applied for membership in a new international group called the Open Government Partnership and public consultation is one of the requirements of admission. The FIPA submission points out the government’s total failure to meet those requirements.

FIPA’s submission is also a reminder of the Conservatives’ failure to meet eight key promises to improve access to information they made in their original party platform.

To read FIPA’s submission, click here.

See also this CBC news item: The Push for Open Government – Up to a Point (also here).