OPENING STATEMENT FOR THE LEGAL AND CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEEOTTAWA, ONTARIO [2006-9-20] Mr. Chairman, committee members, I appreciate the opportunity to assist you
in your deliberations on Bill C-2. My evidence relates to the provisions of the
Federal Accountability Act which amend the Access to Information Act.
As some of you may know, on April 28, 2006, I tabled in Parliament a Special
Report containing my concerns about the government’s access to information
reform action plan – one aspect of which are provisions of Bill C-2. The Special
Report, which has been distributed to you, sets out my positions and, hence,
these opening remarks will be brief.
My concern is that Bill C-2 proposes to add 10 new exemptions and two new
exclusions to the Access to Information Act, almost doubling the number of
secrecy provisions which are now in the Access to Information Act.
I am concerned that the reason for including two new exclusions is to prevent
independent review of secrecy decisions made by the CBC and AECL. Whatever be
the legitimate needs for secrecy these institutions have – and I certainly agree
that there are legitimate secrecy needs – there is no justification for impeding
independent oversight of them by the Information Commissioner and the Federal
Court.
I am concerned that none of the 10 new exemptions from the right of access
require a showing, on a case-by-case basis, that disclosure could reasonably be
expected to give rise to some injury, harm or prejudice. The very purpose of the
Access to Information Act is to impose a burden of justification on those who
wish to assert secrecy. Only three of the 10 new exemptions are time limited.
For draft internal audit reports and audit working papers, secrecy may be
asserted for 15 years. Draft audit reports become accessible after final audit
reports are published. Working papers however, remain secret for 15 years. With
respect to the Information Commissioner, Privacy Commissioner and Commissioner
of lobbying, secrecy must be asserted until their investigations are complete.
And only two of the new exemptions are discretionary in nature. All the others
make secrecy mandatory, regardless of circumstances, regardless of how old the
information is and regardless of whether there may be a compelling public
interest in disclosure.
This approach to amending the Access to Information Act, and to adding new
institutions to its coverage, is contrary to the stated purposes of the Act and
will not serve the overall goal of improved accountability through transparency.
In this latter regard, the blanket of secrecy forever which Bill C-2 throws over
audit working papers, records about wrongdoing in government, and the audit and
investigative files of the Auditor General and the Commissioner of Official
Languages, is particularly regressive.
In a nutshell, my suggested amendments to fix the problems I have identified
with Bill C-2, are as follows:
Remove the broad exemptions contained in sections 89, 145, 147, 148, 150, 172,
179, 183 and portions of 221 and 224. The other exemptions in the Access to
Information Act fully protect the sensitive information to which these
provisions are directed.
Remove section 159 (exclusion for CBC and AECL). The exemptions contained in the
Access to Information Act provide the necessary protection for the sensitive
information held by AECL and the programming and journalistic records of the CBC
can be protected by the carefully worded exemption which I have proposed (see
attachment “A”) and which was endorsed by Justice Gomery.
I note too, that there are a great many needed reforms to the Access to
Information Act which have not found their way into Bill C-2. We need to require
the creation of records, make cabinet confidences an exemption rather than an
exclusion, clarify that records held in ministers’ offices are subject to the
right of access, establish criteria for adding new institutions to the Act’s
coverage and provide a public interest override. The government has chosen to
have these, and the other reforms proposed in the draft Open Government Act,
dealt with by the Standing Committee of the House of Commons on Access to
Information, Privacy and Ethics. I look forward to working with it on the
broader canvas of access reform.
I, and my colleagues are available to answer your questions.
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