Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award – Call for nominations

Gatineau, Quebec, July 20, 2017 – The Information Commissioner of Canada has launched a call for nominations for the 2017 Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award. The award is presented annually to an individual, group or organization that demonstrates an exceptional contribution to the promotion and support of the principles of transparency, accountability, and the public’s right to know.

“The Grace-Pépin Award provides us with an opportunity to recognize the important work of access to information advocates,” said Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault. “I am eager to receive nominations for the 2017 award as I firmly believe that it is essential to acknowledge the work of these exceptional individuals who aim to advance and promote access to information rights.”

The Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award is a non-monetary award presented annually by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, in collaboration with its provincial and territorial counterparts. The award was created in memory of John Grace (1927-2009) former Information Commissioner of Canada, and Marcel Pépin (1941-1999) founding president of the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec. Both made significant contributions to the development and promotion of access to information principles in Canada.

Past recipients include Elizabeth Denham, Information and Privacy Commissioner of the United Kingdom, Ken Rubin, access to information advocate, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Professor Alasdair Roberts, the Canadian Access and Privacy Association, Darrell Evans and the Information Access and Protection of Privacy Certificate Program at the  University of Alberta. Nominations will be accepted until September 5, 2017.

To learn more about the nomination process, please visit the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s website.