(Ottawa) Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pledges to repair the federal access to information system to speed up response times and release more information.
He made the commitment at a news conference in Vancouver on Thursday, where the Opposition Leader announced a new revenue plan for First Nations alongside region leaders.
Successive reviews have concluded that the access system is flawed and plagued by delays, with Canada’s Information Commissioner expressing concerns that it is outdated and there is no emergency to repair it.
Canadians can use the Access to Information Act to request a range of government documents, for a five-dollar processing fee. The legislation itself has not been updated in decades.
It’s a striking turnaround for a leader who played a leading role in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, which failed to keep a promise to make more records accessible through law.
Now, Poilievre says a future Conservative government would fix the system and ensure information reaches citizens more quickly.
“We are going to speed up response times,” he said. We will release more information. »
“We will give the commissioner more power to bypass gatekeepers in government and prioritize transparency over secrecy. »
Pierre Poilievre also said he believed the House of Commons should automatically release more information, describing the federal access to information system as being plagued by bureaucracy.
“(What) we need to do is more proactive publication of spending and decisions from the parliamentary precinct, so that you have them by default. »
When he was first elected, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to inject more transparency into the regime, presenting openness as one of the hallmarks of his new government.
Years later, experts and users say the changes made so far fall far short of expectations and that existing long processing times and delays have only gotten worse during the pandemic of COVID-19.
Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard said in a speech last November that she believed the law needed to be updated and investment was needed to strengthen existing resources to administer the system in a timely manner .
A cultural change is also needed, she added.
Mr. Poilievre’s speech on Thursday marked the fourth consecutive day that the Conservative leader appeared before journalists, and the third political speech he made this week.
It comes as Conservatives turn their attention to the next general election, due to take place by the end of 2025, and Liberals and other critics accuse Mr. Poilievre of speaking in slogans and videos about social networks rather than proposing political solutions to Canadians.
With information from Jim Bronskill