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Canadian Access to Information Act reform concerns

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2026-08-13 15:58 UTC → 2026-09-07 13:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Legal experts and advocacy groups in Canada have raised concerns regarding proposed amendments to the Access to Information Act introduced by the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney. A central point of contention is the potential restriction on accessing ‘ephemeral’ documents, such as email exchanges. Andrew Koltun of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers’ Association argued that excluding these records is ‘antithetical to the purpose of the act,’ emphasizing that the decision-making process is as vital as the final results. The Centre québécois du droit de l'environnement (CQDE) similarly warned that the definition of ephemeral documents could allow the government broad latitude to restrict access. Furthermore, critics are challenging proposals to extend information request processing deadlines based on an institution’s staffing levels or budget. Advocates maintain that the effectiveness of this quasi-constitutional right should not be contingent upon an organization’s administrative or budgetary decisions. Groups such as Vigilance OGM have already reported significant delays, noting that some requests take years to process. Expanding the critique, lawyer and writer Matt Malone has released a book arguing that Canada’s access-to-information regime is failing and falling behind international transparency standards. Malone warns that the proposed reforms may ultimately make the regime even less effective.

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