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Alberta’s privacy commissioner has joined her federal and provincial counterparts in issuing what they term a “clarion call” to governments to improve public access to government information.
Diane McLeod signed a joint resolution issued Wednesday and published by the information commissioner of Canada that notes the “persistent challenges” in freedom of information regimes across the country.
McLeod has served as Alberta’s privacy commissioner since August 2022 and told Postmedia in an interview Thursday that the province’s freedom of information apparatus needs to improve.
“The laws have been in effect now for over 20 years and the system seems to be getting more bogged down,” she said.
“We thought it was important to reiterate our views, especially in the age of misinformation and disinformation that circulates in society, that having access to that information in a timely manner is more important now than ever.”
The resolution calls on governments to modernize legislation and improve transparency of what is often an opaque system.
“This resolution is a clarion call for federal, provincial and territorial governments to act swiftly and decisively in modernizing their respective laws, policies, and information management practices.”
