Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

Comité permanent de l'accès à l'information, de la protection des renseignements personnels et de l'éthique

For immediate release

Ottawa, June 20, 2023 -

Today, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, presented to the House of Commons a report entitled The State of Canada’s Access to Information System. The study confirmed that despite the changes brought by Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, which passed in 2019, Canada’s access to information system still has many shortcomings. During its study, the Committee examined the important role of the access to information system in a democratic society and what an ideal system could look like. It heard criticism about the current system, including issues of systemic delays, and challenges regarding access to historical records, particularly those related to Canada’s national security history, and those needed by indigenous people to file historical claims. The Committee also examined closely the Access to Information Act, particularly its scope and the exemptions and exclusions that it contains, which many witnesses argued should be amended. Considering the importance of access to information in a democratic society, the Committee concluded that it is imperative that actions to improve access be taken immediately. These actions should include reforming the Access to Information Act, including expanding its scope so that it applies to Cabinet confidences, the Prime Minister’s Office, and Minister’s offices, with oversight from the Information Commissioner. The Committee also recommended many non-legislative measures. These include investing more funds in human resources and technology to help government institutions improve their information and records management, as well as the implementation of a declassification strategy in Canada. In total, the report contains 38 recommendations. “On behalf of the Committee, I want to thank all the witnesses who appeared before the Committee and shared their knowledge, time and expertise,” stated John Brassard, Chair of the Committee. He added: “My hope is that the Government will be guided by the specific recommendations in this report to fix the Access to Information System, which by all accounts is clearly broken.” The Committee held 11 public meetings as part of this study. It heard from 42 witnesses, some appearing twice. Witnesses included the Information Commissioner of Canada and the President of the Treasury Board, representatives of various departments, and other experts and stakeholders. The Committee also received 12 briefs. Witness testimony heard by the Committee and briefs it has received are available on the Parliament of Canada’s website: https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/ETHI/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=11820571