Liberals blame the Tories for poor audit results

Annual review says federal access to information system is worse than under Harper

OTTAWA— The Liberals are blaming the previous Harper government for the failing grade they received in an independent audit of the access to information system, saying the Conservatives left behind a badly damaged system.

The national freedom of information audit found the federal access system is bogged down to the point where, in many cases, it simply doesn’t work.

The annual audit focused on the federal access regime this year — given Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election campaign promises of increased transparency — and concluded it is faring worse than in the latter years of the Conservative government.

The audit was funded by national industry group News Media Canada, which represents more than 800 print and digital titles across the country. It was researched and prepared independently by a team led by Fred Vallance-Jones, who teaches journalism at University of King’s College in Halifax.

A total of 428 requests sent to different levels of government were included in the analysis.

The federal access act allows people who pay $5 to request records ranging from correspondence and studies to expense reports and meeting minutes. Agencies must answer requests within 30 days or provide a reason if more time is needed.

The researchers found the federal system continues to be far slower and less responsive than provincial and municipal freedom of information regimes.

“I think ultimately Canadians deserve better than what they’re getting from their federal government when it comes to Access to Information,” Vallance-Jones said.