Liberals propose seven-year extension for information commissioner Caroline Maynard

For a $5 fee, people can use the access act to request government records ranging from emails and memos to reports and expense claims.

Federal agencies are supposed to respond within 30 days or provide valid reasons why more time is needed to process a request.

Many users complain of lengthy delays as well as exemptions in the law that result in heavily blacked-out documents or blanket denials in response to their applications.

Maynard, who has been commissioner since March 2018, told the House of Commons committee on access to information, privacy and ethics on Tuesday she has seen how hard the employees who process requests are trying to make the system work.

“These people have my support, and they need and deserve the support of their leaders in bringing about the necessary transformation.”

The access law has not been fully updated since its introduction in 1983.

Civil society groups, journalists and members of the public who took part in the last federal review of the regime called for expansion of the law, removal of loopholes, stricter timelines for responses and more resources to make the system work.

In her most recent annual report, Maynard said that after investigating more than 30,000 complaints, she was reminded every day of the ways in which the act and the system it supports continue to fail Canadians.

She lamented that the 40th anniversary of the act came and went with little indication that amendments to the antiquated law were on the horizon.

Maynard told the committee Tuesday she would continue to press for long overdue improvements.

“They would contribute to making Canada the global leader in transparency that it should always have been.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.