Annual Report: 2002-2003

The Information Commissioner of Canada has long expressed concern regarding the state of information management in the Government of Canada. Good recordkeeping is a pre-requisite for the successful administration of the Access to Information Act as well as a central component of good governance. Effective information management is also essential to protect the security of Canadians in a post-September 11 world, while respecting their access and other democratic rights.

The commissioner's annual reports, those of the Auditor General and other evidence confirm that the government does not have adequate control over a fundamental resource of governance. Weak records and information management continues to jeopardize public programs and services and impede government openness and accountability. Too often, records of important business decisions, actions and transactions are not created or they are inaccessible or unreliable. The electronic information environment is overwhelming traditional skills and resources.

The commissioner's 2000-2001 Report to Parliament made a number of recommendations for improving federal government recordkeeping. There is considerable evidence that the government is responding to these and other calls for change:

• Information management is becoming more widely recognized as a core discipline of public sector management.
• There is a better understanding of what information management is.
• There is stronger leadership for information management.
• There is greater collaboration among central agencies and departments.
• There are new mechanisms for addressing IM issues and developing shared solutions.
• There are new policies and tools to support information management.
• Individual departments are improving their IM programs.
• There are promising efforts to raise IM skills and develop a new IM community within the public service.

There is now a will and some momentum within the bureaucracy to improve records and information management. Key roles are being played by the Chief Information Officer Branch, the Library and Archives of Canada and a number of progressive departments. Within departments, a key indicator of success is the level of support from deputy ministers.

It will take time, however, for awareness and effort to be translated into good recordkeeping practices. The government needs to accelerate its efforts in the above areas so that the current momentum is not lost. As well, the government needs to act on other recommendations previously made by the commissioner:

• Parliament must play a more active oversight role for IM.
• The government needs a recordkeeping law.
• Clearer strategies and roles for information management are needed.
• Strong support is needed to implement the Management of Government Information policy.
• Information management must be better funded.
• Progress in implementing information management policies and practices needs to be objectively evaluated.
• Better metrics for IM are required.
• An IM education and training strategy is needed.

A more fundamental issue is the need to change the bureaucratic and political culture of the federal government. Despite the efforts of many conscientious and dedicated civil servants, large bureaucracies sustain a culture that resists openness and transparency. An introverted and risk-reluctant command-and-control hierarchy still characterizes many parts of the federal government. A dogged unwillingness to admit error still persists. Where this is the case, the tendency is to hold onto information rather than to release it and to place loyalty to a minister above the public interest.

Change must come from the ranks of the most senior public servants and from the political level itself. The best guarantee of that change is greater access by the public, the media, non-government organizations and others to information that enables them to scrutinize the workings of government and hold public servants and politicians accountable. The Privy Council Office can play an important role in this process as it links the political and public service dimensions of government. It has the opportunity and the responsibility to advance information management and access as it develops a strong vision of evidence-based governance in the electronic age. Good records and effective information management provide the evidence needed to make decisions and take action that identify, protect and serve the public good.

* The Information Commissioner is grateful to Andrew Lipchak of Infotegrity Consulting for the wise counsel and careful research which were provided in the preparation of this chapter.