Cultivating secrecy

CanWest reports on the first annual report from new Information Commissioner Robert Marleau. And while there's plenty of reason for concern in a number of areas, it's the Privy Council Office that's leading the way for unresponsiveness and arbitrariness:

Marleau's study includes a report card that grades the performance of 17 government institutions in respecting the freedom of information legislation. The Privy Council Office - essentially the hub of government operations and decision-making - was one of five departments to receive a failing grade. The assessment is based on the percentage of access requests that are answered late. The Privy Council Office, the Canadian Border Services Agency, Health Canada, the Justice Department, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all received an "F."

Of all government departments, it is the prime minister's that should be leading the way and setting an example for the rest, Marleau said.

"It is particularly important, as a matter of leadership example to all other government institutions, that the prime minister's department and the department of the minister who is responsible for the Access to Information Act (Justice Canada) succeed in getting an A,'" wrote Marleau.

"The chronic inability of PCO to answer a modest workload of access to information requests (less than 600 per year) has much to do with a burdensome and unusual approval process," he said.

The information commissioner said the Privy Council Office applies a top-heavy approach to handling access requests, which slows the process, and that senior officials have no special training or expertise with respect to their obligations under the act.

Marleau's review found numerous instances where files contained no documentation as to whether any "pro" and "con" factors for disclosure were considered in the decisions.

Given their lack of shame over the PCO's shoddy record, it's a wonder the Cons bothered to exclude the PMO and ministerial offices from access to information under the Accountability Act - rather than simply ignoring the new requirements as they've done to numerous reporting and response obligations.

Note also that the Privy Council Office's record of delays can't apparently be explained by any degree of thoroughness in processing and responding to requests. Instead, the current strategy appears to be to delay doing anything as long as possible, follow Harper's pattern of micromanagement once a request is eventually dealt with, and avoid documenting any explanation once something is finally decided.

With that kind of attitude prevailing in the government's central base of operations, it shouldn't be much surprise when other departments follow suit. And Canadians should rightly be concerned by both the complete distaste for accountability among the Cons' decision-makers, and the likelihood of that culture spreading even further.