The feds spent nearly $40 million in the last two years hiring outside contractors to censor documents that have been requested under the Access to Information Act, says Blacklock's Reporter..Records show a handful of companies were awarded millions in contracts to process paperwork..“Each file is different based on the complexity and the volume of pages,” cabinet wrote in an Inquiry Of Ministry tabled in the Commons..“Some consultants have other functions including file review and providing technical advice.”.The $39 million represented payments for “contracts provided to consultants related to the processing of requests made under the Access To Information Act since Jan. 1, 2020.” The figures were requested by Conservative MP Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West)..One private censor was paid $15,961 for 10 weeks’ work. Another was paid $72,844 for four months’ work. A third contractor was paid $199,078 to process Department of Justice files totaling 96,971 pages, the equivalent of $2 a page..Consultants were hired “to reduce the current backlog of Access To Information requests which have accumulated over several years,” said the Inquiry..The number of backlogged requests for files were not disclosed..Contracts signed with individual firms included $15.8 million with Altis Human Resources Inc., $3 million with Maxsys Staffing & Consulting, $2.3 million to FCM Professionals Inc., $2.2 million to Excel Human Resources and $1 million to Michael Wager Consulting Inc..Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard in her most recent Annual Report to Parliament said complaints to her office year over year increased from 4,068 to 6,945, a 41% increase..“We’re not able to keep pace,” Maynard testified May 16 at the Commons ethics committee..“In concrete terms this means Canadians are not getting timely resolutions of their complaints for Access To Information requests.”.“Just to give you an idea this month we received 1,000 cases, new complaints. If this is continuing for the rest of the year, if that’s what it is going to be, I’m talking about 12,000 cases for 2022.”.The commissioner said public access to records is now so dysfunctional “we are at risk of not being able to provide even the most basic minimum service to Canadians.”
