Striking the Right Balance for Transparency
Recommendations to modernize the Access to Information Act
March 2015
Table of Contents
- Message from the Commissioner
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: Extending coverage
- Chapter 2: The right of access
- Chapter 3: Timeliness
- How to address the culture of delay
- Limit extensions to the extent strictly necessary, with legislated timelines
- Permission to extend
- Allow extensions for multiple and simultaneous requests
- Consultations with other institutions and affected parties
- Failing to respond to a consultation request
- Consultations with third parties
- Allow extensions when information is to be published.
- Extension notices
- How to address the culture of delay
- Chapter 4: Maximizing disclosure
- Exemptions
- Information related to other governments (sections 13, 14 and 15)
- Harm to inter-governmental affairs (sections 14 and 15)
- National security (sections 15 and 69.1)
- Law enforcement and investigations (section 16)
- Personal information (section 19)
- Third party information (section 20)
- Advice and recommendations (section 21)
- Solicitor-client privilege (section 23)
- Cabinet confidences (section 69)
- Creating a law of general application
- Chapter 5: Strengthening oversight
- Chapter 6: Open information
- Chapter 7: Criminal liability and civil responsibility
- Chapter 8: Mandatory periodic review of the Act
- List of recommendations
- Annex: Sources