Access-to-Information

By Ken Rubin October 9, 2017 - Successive bureaucrats have wanted to put dampers on the public use of access to information legislation. Now they have found hope in Bill C-58 and a willing dupe in Treasury Board President Scott Brison. While Prime Minister Trudeau can be counted on to have flights of open government flowery rhetoric, faceless bureaucrats have held to their beliefs that access users are to be tamed.

  The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada  Office of the Prime Minister  80 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2   Dear Prime Minister,  We are deeply disappointed with your government’s access to information legislation, Bill C-58, that is before the House of Commons this fall. At a time when many countries have far superior legislation, and on a day that celebrates internationally the public's right to know, Bill C-58 offers very little to fix our broken transparency law. 

In the final days of 2016, the small island nation of Cuba mourned the passing of a political giant. Meanwhile, next door, superpower America nervously welcomed as the latest occupant of its highest office a gigantic bigot. To be sure, Fidel Castro’s passing was not mourned but celebrated in Little Havana in Miami, while Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton was lamented by most of the Americans who voted in their federal election.

Postponed transparency bill does little to promote access while government increases secrecy by Ken Rubin, Hill Times, June 27, 2017 p.15

The Centre for Free Expression, Newspapers Canada, Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression and la Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec have jointly written Treasury Board President, Scott Brison, expressing concern about the government’s decision to indefinitely postpone making reforms to strengthen Canada’s Access-to-Information legislation.