CJFE Concerned by Reports of Political Interference in Access to Information
Case
Canadian Press has submitted a complaint about this issue to the Information Commissioner of
"This is inexcusable political interference in the right of Canadians to know what their own government is doing," says CJFE Board member and journalist Kelly Toughill. "The case exposes how poorly our freedom of information laws are functioning."
Particularly concerning is that Access to Information officials had determined that there was no legal basis to withhold the report. However bureaucrats within the Public Works department intervened to make sure that the full report was not delivered to the Canadian Press. This redacted version was sent 82 days late.
In addition to censoring of material, the problem of excessive delays in responding to and concluding requests is one shared by many other government departments. In fact, Information Commissioner of
In this report, the Public Works and Government Services
One reason for Public Works' abysmal ranking was their average of 126 days taken to complete new requests. The Access to Information Act outlines a statutory 30-day limit - a limit which in practice is more the exception than the rule.
In 2005, the Canadian Newspaper Association requested an investigation into how federal public service processes media requests for information. The investigation concluded that there was "merit to the second part of the CNA's complaint about unfair and unjustifiable delays." However, the report went on to say that the media was not being singled out, but was part of a wider problem affecting other groups as well.
CJFE calls upon the government of
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is an association of more than 300 journalists, editors, publishers, producers, students and others who work to promote and defend free expression and press freedom in
For further information: CJFE Manager, Julie Payne at (416) 515-9622 x. 226
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