Wednesday, February 25th, 2009

New anti-secrecy plan surfaces on eve of damning report

OTTAWA - MPs were given a new blueprint to renovate the country's antiquated access-to-information law on the eve of a scathing report from the federal information watchdog describing a system in sorry disrepair.

A New Democrat MP introduced a private member's bill Wednesday that would adopt measures Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised more than three years ago to adopt, but has yet to act on.

The bill is based on a comprehensive package drafted in 2005 by then-information commissioner John Reid

Former Information Commissioner John Reid - image by CBC

- reforms that would make more files accessible to the public, expand the commissioner's oversight powers and introduce measures to help ensure federal agencies comply with the act.

NDP MP Pat Martin said Wednesday there is more of a need than ever to scrutinize government activities given the billions of dollars in federal stimulus spending on the books.

"This whole thing is based on the premise that people have a right to know what their government is doing."

The Conservatives took office in early 2006 partly on the strength of promises of new accountability, including reforms to Canada's outdated Access to Information regime advocated by Reid.

However, the Harper government implemented only a handful, including the law's expansion to some additional agencies such as Canada Post, the CBC and Via Rail. The issue of access reform was shunted to a Commons committee for additional study.

"Nobody's going to fall for any of these stunts anymore," Martin said. "Those of us that have been around the block a few times on this issue will not accept anything other than a comprehensive reform bill."

FULL ARTICLE