Minister focused on better access to information service amid calls for legislative overhaul

The federal minister responsible for the much-criticized access-to-information system says her focus is on improving service amid growing calls to go further and rewrite the transparency law.

Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in an interview Friday her priority is better administration of the Access to Information Act, not a legislative overhaul.

A House of Commons committee released a report this weekin which opposition MPs recommended changes to the law to curb loopholes that prevent the release of information. They also said there should be penalties imposed when responses to requests are late.

The federal access law allows people who pay $5 to request an array of government documents, but many say it is slow and ineffective.

Government agencies are supposed to respond to requests within 30 days or provide valid reasons why more time is necessary.

No overhaul in 40 years

The law has not been fully revamped since its introduction 40 years ago, and users complain of lengthy delays, heavily blacked-out documents or full denials in response to their applications.

Fortier said the government is emphasizing improvements to the online portal for making requests, enhanced recruitment and training of employees who handle applications, and better guidance to federal agencies about the law.

"My current priority is really to improve the administration of the existing law and make it easier for Canadians, especially for employees to do the work, and for Canadians to access the information that they're seeking," she said.

"If we don't put the focus on the administrative process, we won't be able to make the next changes, I believe."

In her recent annual report, Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard said that since taking office five years ago she had "observed the steady decline of the access-to-information system to the point where it no longer serves its intended purpose."

Calls for change yield no firm commitments

The commissioner, an ombudsperson for users of the law, said money to bolster the system has evaporated, commitments to transparency have vanished from ministerial mandate letters, and it is clear that improving transparency is not a priority for the government.

Maynard noted that despite calls for meaningful change, a federal review concluded with a report last December that outlined no firm commitments and proposed no legislative reforms.

It was just one in a long line of studies and reviews.

In the Commons committee report this week, opposition MPs said the access law should be amended to limit time extensions for answering requests to a maximum of 60 days beyond the initial 30-day window, unless the information commissioner permits more time.

They also called for application of the access law to the office of the prime minister and his cabinet members, and to scale back exemptions in the law that currently limit the release of information concerning advice from officials and personal data.