OTTAWA — A government bill that is supposed to increase transparency for Canadians would actually do the opposite, the federal information watchdog said Thursday. In a report presented to Parliament, information commissioner Suzanne Legault said the bill to amend the Access to Information Act would take people’s right to know backwards rather than forward. “If passed, it would result in a regression of existing rights.”The bill “severely limits the right of access” by creating new hurdles for requesters and giving agencies new authorities to refuse to answer requests, Legault said. Under the access act, departments and agencies must answer requests within 30 days or provide a good reason why more time is necessary. Determining fee amounts and collecting payments adds complexity to the system and slows things down for requesters, Legault’s report said.

Source: National Post September 28, 2017 16:52 UTC