RCMP nears ‘point of no return’ on access to info backlog
Commissioner submits scathing report
OTTAWA • A scathing report from Canada’s information commissioner has found the RCMP is critically deficient in responding to access to information requests, risking a complete failure of the system.
The Mounties also seem uninterested in doing anything to address the problem, said commissioner Caroline Maynard in a report submitted in Parliament Tuesday.
“I would like to stress that the situation at the RCMP is critical and may soon be past the point of no return, unless senior leaders within the organization take action immediately,” said Maynard.
Maynard decided to do a special review of the RCMP’S system for responding to access to information after receiving numerous complaints from individuals who attempted to pry information from the Mounties. She found the RCMP lacks the staff, training and resources to properly respond to requests from Canadians.
Under access to information law, Canadians including, researchers, journalists, business groups and opposition politicians can request government emails, documents and memos by filling out a form and paying $5.
Maynard found that when the force receives requests they often fail to task the right departments for records or keep track of what is being searched for. She said that can lead to the force saying it has no records, when it clearly does.
“A requester sought records related to a high-profile shooting in Nova Scotia for which the RCMP had been given jurisdiction to investigate. The RCMP responded that it had no relevant records even though it was obvious that such a response made no sense,” she said in her report.
Delays for the force to respond to access requests have ballooned in recent years, the commissioner found. The legislated deadline for a response is 30 days, but government departments can delay their response for a wide array of reasons.
Over the last three years, the number of requests that took the force more than six months to respond grew by more than 500 per cent and the number that took over a year grew by more than a 1,000 per cent.
Maynard also found that the RCMP seemed uninterested in dealing with the problems.
“I was disappointed by RCMP’S lack of responsiveness during this investigation. I received no communication that would convince me that the RCMP is truly ready to address these problems,” she said.
“Canadians rightfully expect that the police force for Canada, in charge of enforcing Canadian law, will itself comply with it. The gravity of the situation at the RCMP calls for bold and comprehensive action to turn the tide.”
She also found the RCMP commissioner and Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair were unwilling to make necessary improvements.
“Both appear to accept the status quo and are only prepared to commit to minimal improvements without a clear plan of action or timelines. In the current context, this is simply insufficient,” she wrote.
Blair insisted he would ensure the RCMP addresses the problems swiftly.
“I care about access to information. I think it’s an important obligation, a legal obligation, but I think it’s an obligation of government generally to provide information where we are able,” he said.
Blair announced a ministerial directive aimed at addressing the backlog.
He said he has asked RCMP commissioner Brenda Lucki to report back in three months on the progress in solving the issue.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Caroline Duval said the force is working on addressing all of the commissioner’s recommendations.
She said the force receives a high- volume of complex requests that are difficult to work through.
“The RCMP is still very paper- based, the search for information across an organization with more than 750 locations throughout Canada can be extensive, requiring significant time to complete,” she said.
Duval said the force had already hired more temporary staff to help with the backlog and had improved its computer systems to help improve its response and is committed to doing more.
The Liberals passed changes to the access to information legislation last year, which fell well short of their campaign commitments, but did remove all fees except for the initial $5 charge. Previously, departments could charge people filing requests additional fees for complex searches. Duval said not having additional charges has meant it is difficult to focus requests.
“The search fees acted as an incentive to narrow the scope of requests. The removal of these fees has seen a dramatic increase in the scope of requests that are vague, voluminous and complex in nature.”
Maynard’s report focused on the RCMP, but she said the problems go beyond that and said all of government needs to take the access issue more seriously.
“The Government of Canada must develop a new vision for the access system, which otherwise is in danger of collapse,” she said. “Leaders within government institutions must address the fact that they have not taken all appropriate measures to ensure that they properly uphold access rights, as required by the law as it currently stands. They are letting Canadians down.”
NationalPostrtumilty@postmedia.com