THE GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES AN ACCESS TO INFORMATION REVIEW TASK FORCE

OTTAWA, August 21, 2000 - The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the Treasury Board of Canada, Minister responsible for Infrastructure and Member of Parliament for Westmount - Ville-Marie, and the Honourable Anne McLellan, Minister of Justice, Attorney General and Member of Parliament for Edmonton West, today announced the establishment of the government's Access to Information Review Task Force.

"We are committed to the principles of openness and transparency inherent in the Access to Information Act and believe that a review of the Act and the policies and practices associated with it will support our ongoing efforts to improve access to government information for all Canadians," said Madame Robillard.

The interdepartmental Task Force will be chaired by Madame Andrée Delagrave. The Task Force will have a mandate to review all components of the Access to Information framework, including the Act, Regulations, policies and procedures. A final report will be released in the fall of 2001, which will analyze the administrative and legislative aspects of Access to Information and provide recommendations for improvement.

The Task Force will report progress on a regular basis to the Secretary of the Treasury Board and the Deputy Minister of Justice so that when pressing needs or concerns of an administrative nature are identified during the course of its deliberations, appropriate changes can be made immediately. Any interim measures identified will be reported publicly.

An Advisory Committee will be established to offer practical advice and support to the Task Force. The Advisory Committee will be made up of individuals from outside government, including academics, journalists, historians and other users of the Act.

The Task Force work will enhance the information management exercise already undertaken by the Treasury Board Secretariat and the National Archives and will take into account concerns that have been raised about the need to ensure the protection of personal information.

"The Government recognizes the contributions of the Information Commissioner, Members of Parliament and members of the public in suggesting how the Access to Information Act could be improved. The Task Force will consider all of these proposals in the course of its work," said Madame Robillard.

"Access to information is essential if we are to continue to have an open and transparent government. The work of the Task Force will provide valuable advice to Parliamentarians to ensure that any legislative changes to the Access to Information Act better reflect the expectations of the public while protecting the privacy of individuals," said Minister McLellan.

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For more information, contact:

Russell Milon
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the Treasury Board
of Canada and Minister responsible for
Infrastructure
(613) 957-2666

Edison Stewart
Chief, Media Relations
Communications and Executive Services
Treasury Board Secretariat
(613) 941-0255

Farah Mohamed
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Justice and
Attorney General
(613) 992-4621

Joan Remsu
Senior Counsel
Public Law Policy Section
Justice Canada
(613) 946-3118

TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired)
(613) 957-9090