But there are growing concerns about the accessibility of public information in Canada, especially among journalists. And many fear the regulatory regime is getting more restrictive every day. A good deal of public information in Canada is locked in government file cabinets, tightly guarded by eagle-eyed bureaucrats. Often, it takes months to access information which should be provided within 30 days. And even when the struggle to get information is successful, Canadian journalists are increasingly being billed thousands of dollars for access.
Federal institutions take longer to process requests and are less likely to release information.
And it seems to be getting worse. The Privy Council Office is now twice as likely to avoid disclosure and much less likely to provide full disclosure than it was five years ago, according to the study. In some departments, such as Indian and Northern Affairs, Canadian Heritage and Foreign Affairs, the proportion of requests that take more than 60 days has increased by more than 20 per cent. The probability that a request will result in a successful complaint to the Information Commissioner has also increased. While groups such as The Canadian Association of Journalists and Open Government Canada are pushing governments to meet their access to information obligations in Canada, it's a slow process.