Why The Globe and Mail set out to take on Canada’s culture of secrecy
When the federal government enacted freedom of information legislation 40 years ago, Canada was among the first 10 countries in the world to do so, making it a global leader. But today, after decades of neglect by successive provincial and federal governments,For the past 20 months, The Globe has been investigating how and why the system has come apart, as part of a project called Secret Canada.
The investigation involved hundreds of interviews, an analysis of thousands of government records and appeals decisions, as well as a national audit of FOI statistics and practices. Our reporting has shown that – at a time of plummeting trust in government and institutions – every day, public bodies and governments at every level are breaking the law.
Across the country, FOI units have been starved of resources and staff. Institutions can no longer meet their statutory deadlines. The laws themselves are impractical in a digital world. And it is normal for institutions to refuse to release records that judges and adjudicators have repeatedly said are public, such as government contracts.
The United Nations has declared freedom of information a fundamental human right – and that right is imperilled in Canada by political leaders who have effectively created a regime that incentivizes institutions to keep public records secret. “If you believe in democracy‚ you have to believe that the public has a right to be informed,” said Stephen Azzi, a political historian and former public servant. “The public can’t pass judgment on government if we don’t know what the government is doing. But how can we assess the work of government if we don’t have information?”of hundreds of thousands of FOI request summaries filed across the country, and read about how to file requests, navigate the system and appeal decisions.
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