Five years later, information access is still stalled
Saturday, October 9th, 2010
Oct. 09, 2010
… the number of complaints received by the federal Information Commissioner is up 17 per cent since the Conservatives came to power. Major government departments have hired outside consultants to clear the backlog of delayed files, often by asking journalists and other requesters to simply abandon their requests. The Harper government has a reputation for controlling information, but some Conservatives question whether its worth it.
Tags: ideology, rights
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Delays leave access to information rights ‘totally obliterated’
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Apr. 13, 2010
Canada’s access to information laws are on the verge of becoming completely meaningless due to chronic delays and foot dragging, a new report warns. Released today by interim Access to Information Commissionier Suzanne Legault, the report says growing delays are eroding Canadians’ right to obtain documents from their government.
Tags: rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Winners and losers in Ottawa’s deficit battle
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
April 1, 2010.
The documents revealed that spending on prisons is on the way up, while climate-change programs at Environment Canada and food safety programs at Agriculture Canada are set to expire.
The rankings show that departments poised to lose temporary stimulus money, such as Infrastructure Canada, Industry Canada and the regional development organizations, will see the biggest drop off in spending.
Tags: corrections
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ontario seeks Ottawa’s help as welfare cases spike
Monday, March 15th, 2010
Mar. 15, 2010
A Human Resources and Skills Development Canada document entitled, Employment Insurance: Time to Rethink, warns that the program “disenfranchises” the self-employed, immigrants, part-time workers and recent graduates. The calls for further EI changes suggest the $7-billion in temporary measures Ottawa is spending to protect jobs during the recession has not silenced debate over the adequacy of Canada’s social safety net.
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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