Ottawa, July 23rd, 2009 – The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) of Canada published today its first three-year plan for report cards on how well federal institutions fulfill their obligations with respect to access to information. The plan takes an integrated approach to the assessment of delays in responses to access requests while encouraging greater proactive compliance from institutions.
Included in this plan will be report cards for fiscal years 2008-2009 to 2010-2011 as well as a planned systemic investigation into time extensions. "Responding to requests in a timely fashion is one of the cornerstones of the Access to Information Act," said Suzanne Legault, Interim Information Commissioner of Canada. "Our three-year plan supports our goal to be as open and transparent as possible. By providing advance notice of our intentions to investigate, the plan will encourage institutions to better prepare for our reviews and foster greater self-discipline throughout the system."
In 2009-2010, the OIC will follow up on the recommendations of its 2007-2008 report cards as well as the implementation of the action plans proposed by the 10 institutions surveyed. It will also produce report cards for all institutions (24) that have been the subject of more than five delay complaints in 2008-2009. In addition, the Office will initiate a systemic investigation into the use and duration of time extensions. This investigation will address key concerns such as institutions' ability to respond to multiple requests and mandatory consultations in a timely manner. At the same time, the OIC will look at the time it takes institutions to produce documents to the OIC.
In 2010-2011, the OIC will follow up on the 2008-2009 report cards. Selected institutions that became subject to the Access to Information Act due to the adoption of the Federal Accountability Act will be reviewed as part of the 2009-2010 report cards process. In addition to examining timeliness issues, the Office will collect data on the application of exemptions/exclusions and the challenges (resources, workload, etc.) faced by these institutions.
In 2011-2012, the OIC will follow up on the 2009-2010 report cards as well as the findings of its systemic investigation on time extensions. It will also review the data collected as a result of the Treasury Board Secretariat's implementation of an enhanced statistical reporting system.
The three-year plan will be periodically reviewed and adjusted to take into account emerging issues and priorities.
For more information on the OIC's three-year plan for report cards, please see www.oic-ci.gc.ca/report_cards_2008-2009/three-year-plan-plan-trois-ans-e.asp
For media enquiries, please contact:
Thérèse Boisclair
Director, Strategic Communications and External Relations
Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Tel: 613-943-4368
