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British study compared access laws in five parliamentary democracies – Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Ottawa (11 Jan. 2011) - A new study by British academics ranks Canada dead last in an international comparison of freedom of information (FOI) laws – a hard fall after many years of being judged a global model in openness.
The study by Robert Hazell and Ben Worthy of University College in London looked at the effectiveness of freedom of information laws in five parliamentary democracies - Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Canada. New Zealand placed first and Canada last, The Canadian Press reports.
“Above all an effective FOI regime requires strong government commitment and political will. Officials cannot do it on their own,” says the paper, published in the journal Government Information Quarterly.
“Canada comes last as it has continually suffered from a combination of low use, low political support and a weak information commissioner since its inception.”
The study assessed official statistics on appeals, court decisions, delays and other factors affecting the release of government information to those requesting it.
The authors criticized Canada for operating an antiquated system that generally prevents citizens from filing requests electronically and compels them to submit paper cheques to cover fees.
The findings echo another study, completed in 2008 by researcher Stanley Tromp for the Canadian Newspaper Association and others. Tromp found that the operation and enforcement of Canada's Access to Information Act rates poorly when compared with many other countries, including the United States.
“Canada used to be in the vanguard on this issue,” said Alasdair Roberts, a professor at Boston's Suffolk University Law School and an expert in freedom of information. “But now Canada at the very best is in the middle of the pack. It's got an outmoded law.”
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