Transparency and Access to Information for the 21st Century: My Commitment

Gatineau, Quebec, March 3, 2025

Today marks the beginning of my second mandate as Canada’s Information Commissioner. I am energized by the opportunities ahead and eager to build upon the foundation I was able to put in place during the last seven years.

Throughout my time as Commissioner, my focus has always been obtaining results for Canadians by fulfilling my mandate of upholding the right of access to information through my investigations, the issuance of orders and the judicial processes to enforce these orders.

I am proud of my record in this regard, but I also recognize that there is still much to do. In my second term, I will maintain a single-minded focus on results even as I continue to push for the renewal required to build an access to information system that best serves Canadians.

I will press for changes to the law:

Over the years, I have come to understand how deeply Canadians value their right of access to information—a quasi-constitutional right, as determined by the Supreme Court of Canada many years ago.

Every year, Canadians exercise this right by submitting thousands of requests for records under the control of government institutions. These requests often relate to topics at the heart of our society:  How tax dollars are being spent, how programs and services are being administered, how government contracts are awarded and to whom, and what measures are being taken to strengthen our economy, to name just a few.  

The law that underpins this right, the Access to Information Act, was considered ground-breaking when it was enacted in 1983, but much has changed in the decades since. Various studies have provided recommendations for much-needed changes to this outdated legislation. Making the necessary amendments to this legislation that reflect today’s reality would once again return it to its rightful place among the best freedom-of-information laws worldwide.

I look forward to a full and comprehensive overhaul of the Act and intend to play an active role in it. Canadians should benefit from an access law worthy of this great country.

I will advocate for an efficient and responsive access to information system:  

Born in an era of filing cabinets and typewriters, the system that supports the administration of the Act has not benefited from measures that would have brought it into the 21st century.

Sadly, in many government institutions, responding to access to information requests still requires searching through physical records that have not been properly archived or thousands of pages of electronic documents that have not been correctly managed. In addition, the manual application of redactions or removal of duplicate records and other labour-intensive processes relying on outdated technologies impede the efficiency of the system. 

Whether through lengthy consultations, a lack of resources, inadequate technology or poor information management, my investigations and the statistics from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) show that far too many requests are not responded to within legislated deadlines. If Canadians do not receive information from their government on a timely basis, they may turn to less reliable sources.

To make matters worse, potential cuts across the public service could affect the teams responsible for processing access to information requests, leading to further delays and deterioration in performance.

It is 2025, and the information landscape has evolved dramatically since the 1980s. Transforming the information management system and the way we carry out information gathering and sharing to provide timely access for Canadians is within our grasp.

I will promote the benefits of a change in culture within institutions:

The Act was enacted for the purpose of giving Canadians access to information held by government institutions, with specific and limited exemptions and exceptions. It should inspire our government institutions to be “open by default” and to see that access to information fosters accountability and builds trust.  By focusing too often on what the law allows to be redacted, institutions have overlooked the “raison d’être” of the law - what can and should be made available. It is clear to me that more information could see the light of day if leaders chose to exercise discretion every time the opportunity presented itself, with a view to favor disclosure as much as possible.

In a world where the words disinformation and misinformation have become a part of our daily vocabulary, we need to be united in safeguarding our democratic society by enhancing accountability and transparency. 

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From time to time, circumstances present us with opportunities to effect true change, if we choose to seize them. I believe that there now exists an opportunity to renew our collective commitment as Canadians to the right of access to information, a right that is of such vital importance to our democracy.

Caroline Maynard
Information Commissioner of Canada