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Ottawa, June 19, 2008 –The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada is inviting comments, as part of an open dialogue on access to information, from those with an interest in discussing potential options for modernizing the federal access to information regime.

This builds on the workshop the Commissioner asked the Public Policy Forum to host on June 10, 2008 entitled "Modernizing the Access to Information Regime" where leading access to information thinkers, users and decision-makers took part in a discussion about new ideas and possible options for modernizing the federal access to information regime. A summary report of the discussion will be released at the end of the summer 2008.

As part of his role as an officer of Parliament, the Commissioner provides his views and objective advice to Parliament about access to information and the reform of the legislation. In leading up to such a discussion, the Office would like to encourage an exchange of ideas on legislative reform as well as on administrative reform. This is a new approach for the Office and we are hoping that it will generate a valuable exchange of ideas.

The Office is also inviting anyone who is interested in these issues to contribute to this discussion through a Web-based consultation process. We are interested in hearing your comments on possible ways to modernize the federal access to information regime for Canadians and specifically, your suggestions to keep the regime relevant in the context of the particular trends and challenges of the 21^st century:

• Modernizing the culture of access to information — creating and maintaining a culture of access in federal institutions;
• Modernizing the administration of the access to information regime — processes and tools to facilitate the ongoing improvement of the regime; and
• Modernizing the Access to Information Act — promoting open, effective and accountable government, an informed citizenry, and the public interest (e.g. mandate of the Information Commissioner of Canada, time limits and statutory incentives, review of exemptions / exclusions, Order making powers, etc.

In order to assist you in making your comments, you may consult the following papers that have been prepared to inform the discussion.

• The Access to Information Act 25 years later: Towards a new generation of access rights in Canada by Murray Rankin Q.C., June 10, 2008;
• Summary of Administrative Reform Recommendations in the Access to Information Review Task Force by Laurence Kearley, Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, May 2008;
• A thematic comparison of access legislation across Canadian and international jurisdictions by Randall Hofley and Craig Collins-Williams, Stikeman Elliott, LLP, May 2008.

A special report to Parliament will be tabled in the fall containing the Information Commissioner's views on modernizing the access to information regime.

Please submit your comments electronically no later than August 15, 2008 at consultation@infocom.gc.ca. All submissions will be made available on the web, except when confidentiality is requested.

For general enquiries, please visit our website at www.infocom.gc.ca or contact:
Office of the Information Commissioner
613-995-2410
Toll free: 1-800-267-0441
TDD (hearing impaired): 613-947-0388
general@infocom.gc.ca

For media inquiries please contact:
Nadine Welter
Senior Communications Officer
Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Tel: 613 996-6955

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