The Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics has released a report which includes:
The parliamentary Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics:
- deplores the fact that, at the request of Treasury Board, as of April 1, 2008 officials are no longer updating the Coordination of Access to Information Requests System (CAIRS), a central database for all requests filed with the government under the Access to Information Act;
demands that the Conservative government reinstate this tool, which promotes transparency and accountability; and encourages the Conservative government to make this database available online and free of charge.
I agree, and was in fact surprised that a party who campaigned on accountability and transparency of government would abandon rather than expand this important system.