The Department of Finance has been found to breach the Access to Information Act more than half the time, making it the worst offender among federal departments, according to an internal audit.
Blacklock's Reporter says this poor compliance rate casts a shadow over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s repeated promises of government transparency.
“The Department of Finance has a low on-time compliance rate with regard to responding to requests,” stated the Internal Audit of Access to Information. The report emphasized the importance of the Act, which ensures the public’s right to access records under government control.
The audit revealed that between 2021 and 2023, the department met deadlines for responding to requests on time in as few as 40% of cases. Under the Act, government agencies are required to acknowledge requests within 30 days, even if an extension is needed.
“In order to assess the performance of the Access to Information division, the internal audit team conducted a benchmarking exercise by comparing the performance of the department against four other government departments,” the report noted.
“The department had the lowest on-time compliance rate of the five departments.”
No specific reason for the violations was provided, but auditors pointed to high staff turnover as a contributing factor. The report warned that delays in meeting legislated timelines violate the Act and undermine public trust.
The findings contrast sharply with commitments outlined in the finance department’s 2015 Ministerial Mandate letter, which promised transparency and open government.
“We have promised Canadians a government that will bring real change in both what we do and how we do it,” the letter stated. “Government and its information should be open by default.”
rudeau himself has championed transparency in the past. As a Liberal MP in 2014, he introduced Bill C-613, which sought to ban the concealment of federal records without a court order. The bill lapsed when Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015.
“We recognize there is always more to do,” Trudeau told reporters in 2023. “Transparency is an important part of building confidence for Canadians in their governments.”
When pressed on his government’s failure to meet transparency commitments, Trudeau acknowledged the shortfall, saying, “That is something we committed to.”
