Information Commissioner’s Statement for Right to Know Week 2024

Each year on September 28th, countries around the globe recognize the International Day for Universal Access to Information as an occasion to reflect on the important role the right of access plays in development, democracy and equality. 

In Canada, Federal, Provincial and Territorial regulators, transparency advocates, and members of the freedom of information community and Canadians come together to mark Right to Know Week (September 23 to September 29, 2024) by reminding us of the critical role access to information plays in the effective functioning of Canadian society and its democracy.

Government information belongs to Canadians and access to information is the means by which they hold their governments accountable for decisions and actions. Actions and decisions must be properly documented and communicated in a spirit of transparency to ensure proper stewardship of public funds, drive effective and responsible governance and counter misinformation and disinformation.

In recent years, serious deficiencies in transparency and access to information have come to light—and to the forefront of public discourse - within Canadian society. This has grave implications for the public’s perception of those government institutions that have found themselves under scrutiny, including a loss of the public’s trust. Beyond a renewed commitment to applying the Access to Information Act in a manner which maximizes transparency, efforts to address these deficiencies and rebuild citizens’ trust in their government must encompass other measures. These include ensuring that government decisions and policies are captured and recorded, that sensitive and non-sensitive data is clearly separated to facilitate the timely processing of access requests, and that as a rule, such information is proactively disclosed or made available on demand.

As I have said before, the best access to information request is the one that did not need to be made in the first place because the information was already accessible through other means. Accordingly, institutions must take proactive measures to ensure transparency from the inception of any government initiative, in addition to adopting mechanisms to facilitate access to government records. Canadians expect nothing less and have the right to know.

Caroline Maynard
Information Commissioner of Canada