Letter to Canada’s Multi-stakeholder Forum on Open Government – Invitation to participate in the access to information review (November 10, 2020)

To Canada’s Multi-stakeholder Forum on Open Government,

I am pleased to be writing to you today to invite you to participate in the Government of Canada’s review of the Access to Information Act.

The review, which was launched on June 18, 2020, will build on changes made in 2019. These included providing the Information Commissioner with an order-making power and establishing a new regime of proactive publication by government institutions, Ministers’ offices, Senators, Members of Parliament, and institutions that support Parliament and the courts, and were the most significant changes to the Access to Information Act since it was first introduced.

The review will seek the input of Canadians on further improvements to ensure the access to information regime is responsive to our ever-changing digital world. The review will examine three broad areas:

• Reviewing the legislative framework;
• Opportunities to improve proactive publication to make information openly available; and
• Assessing processes and systems to improve service and reduce delays.

The review also reflects our commitments under Canada’s 2018-2020 National Action Plan: it will invite Canadians to share their ideas through a variety of digital activities; and it will seek the views of Indigenous Peoples on aspects of access to information that are important to them.

The success of our review hinges, above all, on a meaningful exchange of views. We are committed to using digital platforms in an accessible, open and inclusive manner to encourage Canadians to participate, even within the current context of a global pandemic.

Given the special role you play as advisors on our Open Government activities, I welcome your participation in the review and invite you to participate in our upcoming engagement activities. More details will be provided on the review website in the near future, where you can sign up for updates. In the meantime, I have asked my officials to continue engaging the Multi-stakeholder Forum for your perspectives and expertise on access to information issues.

I would like to thank you in advance for your continued contributions to making government more open for Canadians.

Yours sincerely,

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.