This year's recipient of the Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award is the Canadian Access and Privacy Association (CAPA). The award is presented to an organization recognized for its dedication towards advancing the principles of access to information across Canada. It was presented by Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legault to CAPA's president, M. Laurence Kearley at … Read more
Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legault will be joining Canadians across the country and her provincial and territorial counterparts to celebrate Right to Know Week. Right to Know events are designed to raise awareness of a citizen's right to access information and celebrate this fundamental democratic right. "Information is the DNA of ideas, policies and … Read more
The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada has launched a call for nominations in lieu of the third annual Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award. Introduced on Sept. 29, 2010 by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada in collaboration with its provincial and territorial counterparts, the Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award is presented … Read more
The Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legault emphasized the need for ministers and senior officials at federal institutions to take a leadership role in ensuring Canadians receive timely responses to access to information requests. "In four reports my office has issued since 2010, we have found again and again that the key to Canadians' receiving prompt responses … Read more
Canada's Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault launched a dialogue with stakeholders and Canadians on updating Canada's 30-year-old Access to Information Act. Over the past several years the information commissioner's annual reports, as well as those of her predecessors, have documented a number of ongoing challenges with the act. These challenges include the continued relevance of certain … Read more
Information commissioner Suzanne Legault's 2011-2012 annual report highlights her office's success in closing nearly 1,500 files during the year—many of which were very complex and involved sensitive information. The report was tabled in Parliament. Legault said the past year saw a small improvement in the performance of federal institutions in their fulfillment of their obligations … Read more
The Access to Information Act received Royal Assent 30 years ago, on July 7, 1982. At that time, Canada was one of the few nations to open its doors to transparency in government. In the early years of the Access to Information Act, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that the fundamental purpose of the … Read more
Canadians are receiving faster responses to access to information requests from some federal institutions, Information Commissioner of Canada Suzanne Legault said. Despite these gains, the commissioner characterized the access to information system as fragile, adding that improvements could be threatened by recently announced budget cuts. The commissioner made her remarks upon the tabling in Parliament … Read more
Information Commissioners of 22 countries, including Canada, endorsed in principle a resolution that calls on governments to enshrine the right to information in national laws and to put in place effective appeal mechanisms. The resolution was endorsed at the International Conference of Information Commissioners, held in Ottawa. The resolution states that government transparency makes it … Read more
The University of Alberta's Information Access and Protection of Privacy Certificate Program is the recipient of the first Grace-Pépin Access to Information Award. The Award was introduced during Right to Know Week by federal, provincial and territorial access to information and privacy commissioners. The inaugural award was handed out at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, … Read more
