Information & Ethics committee  No.

Information & Ethics committee  It's been like this since 1983.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't have that, but I can provide it to you. I think we're now at less than 20 cases from prior to when I was appointed. My goal is really to reduce the backlog to two to three years max, which is still long, but we do have cases that are extremely complex. We're working on trying to have, yes, an inventory that's flowing instead of growing.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Having more resources when complaints are increasing is definitely a solution. Having fewer complaints that are not necessary coming to my office would also be very helpful sometimes, when I do a systemic investigation. As you're going to see in May, I'm going to be submitting to you a report with respect to immigration files, with a possible solution there whereby the government can provide information otherwise than having people have to submit access requests.

Information & Ethics committee  Absolutely. I think the proactive disclosure currently in the act is very limiting. We encourage institutions to give out repeatedly requested information. They know which documents are requested and could provide them voluntarily without waiting for an official access request.

Information & Ethics committee  Every institution has difficulty meeting its obligations. When we publish information, it must be published in both official languages. One of the excuses I often hear is that it’s very expensive. At the same time, I think that if people did the work from the very beginning, knowing the information will be disclosed, we could cut costs and make sure the information is provided.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you.

Information & Ethics committee  That is my only authority in those situations, yes.

Information & Ethics committee  There are two things. Administratively, if somebody could have destroyed or erased emails, I don't have any penalty. If we arrive at the conclusion that the documents don't exist anymore, we can make a finding and produce a report. However, if I find that there's reasonable evidence that it was done intentionally to prevent somebody from having access to these documents, my only authority is to refer it to the Attorney General for future investigation.

Information & Ethics committee  I think separating the investigation of criminal and administrative matters is the appropriate thing for an agent of Parliament, but as I submitted earlier, it may be better to have in the act that I can refer these types of cases directly to the authorities in charge of investigating those types of criminal charges.

Information & Ethics committee  If you look at the federal act for judges in any court, if they find during a hearing or a process evidence of intent to commit a criminal offence, they can refer to any authority they want to.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't know.

Information & Ethics committee  In all four cases, we are still preparing documents to present at a hearing. Affidavits have therefore been prepared, but there hasn’t really been any debate yet.