The Information War: Rebuilding Canada’s Access to Information Act After Afghanistan

Abstract

This paper offers a preliminary analysis of the Canadian Access to Information Act (ATIA) in a post-September 11 security environment. The author argues that the ATIA has eroded due to specific legislative reform and due to a culture of increased sensitivity to the release of information within the public service. This lack of information has caused frustration within Parliament and among the Canadian public. Moreover, information has allegedly been concealed in order to protect public officials. Partisan officials also engage in deliberate tactics to avoid the Act. This study concludes with a series of recommendations: senior ranking officials must take a leading role in reviving the Act; the Office of the Information Commissioner must be more assertive; and the Auditor General should conduct a system-wide review of the ATIA. This preliminary study offers direction for further analysis of information regimes in an evolving security environment.