Canada’s sordid approach to transparency needs to change
Data on everyday contracting is too often hidden, and only minimally posted on the open government portal or sufficiently posted in official public accounts.
‘Flexing some legal muscle’: info watchdog takes Blair to court as DND eschews access law
The Department of National Defence is only the second governmental entity that Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard is taking to court to compel it to follow the law.
Liberals shut down House Ethics Committee debate over whether to study Winnipeg lab leak documents: ‘this is not our committee’s mandate’
The Conservatives will need the NDP’s support to pass a motion to undertake a study of the Winnipeg lab leak documents, but NDP MP Matthew Green says the study should happen at the Canada-China Committee instead.
Poilievre’s transparency promises fall short
Pierre Poilievre says he wants the federal information commissioner to take on Ottawa’s ‘gatekeepers.’ But he’s not offering to cut back on ATIP exemptions or exclusions. Nor is he promising changes to the many sentries whose special secrecy privileges prevent greater transparency and stymie good government.
Murky access-to-information responses aren’t fit for a king
Probing for records on the processes used for some high-ranking official endeavours can yield bits of data that, in turn, raise more questions.
Barriers to overhauling Ottawa’s service delivery and secrecy culture
Ottawa’s rigid management style is stymying service delivery and disclosures, and is increasingly out of touch and out of control.
The public pays for self-serving and promotional government activity behind closed doors
Once ferreted out, and very late, government access-to-information releases are rarely not self-serving. Many a bureaucrat can tell you dozens of stories about such plans, efforts, and deceits.
The government is scuttling your right to know
From the top down, neither the prime minister nor his government have the will to change secrecy practices and open up Ottawa.
House committee report mixes politics and partial fixes to Canada’s out-of-touch Access to Information Act
At least the recommendations go further in capturing some of what is needed to reform an access act that suffers tremendously from delays, exemptions, and administrative-avoidance practices.
David Johnston, super vetting government information consultant, bows out
Nobody ever said freeing-up Ottawa with so many government insiders afraid of public disclosures or having independent inquiries would be easy.
