Province's right to information act among Canada's weakest, Ombud says

Province's right to information act among Canada's weakest, Ombud says | CBC News

New Brunswick’s right-to-information legislation is currently ranked among the weakest in Canada, creating significant barriers to public transparency. The ombudsperson acknowledges that the act contains unique and overly restrictive provisions that prioritize information protection over disclosure. Consequently, the province experiences substantially longer response times and a higher rate of redacted requests compared to national averages, severely limiting citizens' ability to access government records efficiently. The root of this opacity lies in specific legal exemptions that are broader than those in other jurisdictions, particularly regarding legal affairs and cabinet documents. These rigid rules prevent even the government from waiving secrecy when it serves the public interest, and the ombudsperson lacks order-making power to compel release. This structural imbalance means that requests are routinely denied or delayed without recourse, undermining the fundamental principle that government operations should be open and accountable to the public. This situation is highly relevant to open data advocates because it highlights how legislative frameworks directly dictate data accessibility. Without mechanisms like public-interest overrides or modernized definitions of "records" that include digital databases, government data remains effectively hidden. The ombudsperson’s intent to recommend improvements signals a potential shift toward aligning provincial laws with international best practices, which is essential for ensuring that open data initiatives result in actual, usable transparency rather than procedural hurdles.

Source: cbc.ca
Published on 2024-02-09

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