Latest news with #CarolineMaynard
Ottawa Citizen
a day ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
DND and IRCC slammed by information watchdog over slow progress on access to information
Canada's information commissioner has called out the Department of National Defence and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada over sluggish progress on processing access-to-information requests that seek government records. Article content In 2024, the office of Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard received 381 complaints concerning DND and 925 complaints about IRCC, according to a new report. Article content Article content Article content By the end of fiscal year 2025, DND had 144 active complaints remaining, while IRCC had 216. Article content Article content Those two areas include 'a disregard of some program areas for their responsibilities to provide records to the access to information unit in a timely manner,' and that the department's access to information unit's 'resulting inability to take necessary actions' on determining the length of time needed for extensions. Article content Another report published by DND last year found the department responded to 58 per cent of access requests within timelines required by access-to-information legislation. This was a 4.5 per cent decrease from the previous year. Article content 'The commissioner views this downward trend as unacceptable, raising serious questions about DND's commitment to transparency and accountability,' Maynard wrote. Article content Article content DND has continued to fail to meet legislated standards, the report said. Article content Article content The department has had a long history of incidents involving the destruction and withholding of records. Article content In 2018, a military officer at the civilian trial of Vice Adm. Mark Norman testified that Canadian Armed Forces leadership circumvented the Access to Information Act to hide records even though those had been legally requested. Article content Then in 2023, the Ottawa Citizen revealed that the office of Gen. Wayne Eyre, who was then the chief of defence staff, falsely claimed records requested under the access law didn't exist. The records in question had been leaked to the newspaper by sources concerned that copies were being destroyed or illegally withheld.
Cision Canada
4 days ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
Commissioner Maynard Tables 2024-2025 Annual Report, Reinforces Commitment to Strengthening Access to Information Français
GATINEAU, QC, /CNW/ - The Information Commissioner of Canada, Caroline Maynard, has tabled her 8 th Annual Report to Parliament, highlighting her ongoing efforts to uphold Canadians' right to access government records while emphasizing the need for a legislative reform. The 2024–2025 Annual Report provides an overview of how the Commissioner's first-mandate priorities were achieved, along with a more in-depth look at the work carried out over the past year. It outlines continued progress in improving complaint resolution and reducing the complaint inventory, while also presenting recent court rulings that clarify the interpretation of the law. In addition, the report examines areas of concern, including the ongoing challenges faced by the Department of National Defence and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The issues were first explored as part of systemic investigations conducted by the Commissioner. "As I begin my second mandate, I remain deeply committed to safeguarding Canadians' right of access to information. Building on the progress achieved since 2018, my renewed vision for the OIC is to establish the organization as a model of excellence," stated Commissioner Maynard. "I will maintain my focus on results, even as I continue to push for the changes to the Access to Information Act that are required to forge the access system that best serves Canada."
