Canada’s Access-to-Information Failures Erode Public Trust

(Image courtesy CBC)

Months after requesting information about taxpayer-funded grants awarded to Big Bad Boo Studios Inc., Coastal Front remains without answers, exposing persistent flaws in Canada’s access-to-information system. Despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2015 pledge of an “open by default” government, delays, bureaucratic hurdles, and excessive redactions continue to undermine transparency and accountability.

In June, Coastal Front requested documents from Global Affairs Canada (GAC) about the multi-million-dollar grants issued to Big Bad Boo through International Development Assistance and Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building programs. Although the Access to Information Act requires government responses within 30 days, it took 50 days for the department to acknowledge the request, citing high volumes and limited staff. Months later, the file remains unresolved. Officials now claim the request’s “size and scope” justify the delay.

This explanation highlights systemic flaws in Canada’s access-to-information system. Critics argue that requiring citizens, journalists, and researchers to limit their requests contradicts the government’s duty to disclose how taxpayer dollars are managed. Information Commissioner Caroline Maynard has observed the steady decline of the access-to-information system, noting that it does not serve its intended purpose.

The Big Bad Boo case is far from isolated. Federal departments routinely miss deadlines, and the law imposes no penalties for delays. According to Maynard, nearly one-third of access requests exceed the legislated response time, while redactions and procedural hurdles render many records virtually useless. This pattern of delay has major consequences for public trust, leaving Canadians in the dark about critical issues like foreign aid spending, healthcare, and environmental policies.

Other nations offer clear models for reform. Countries like the United States, United Kingdom, and Sweden have established declassification programs with specific timelines for releasing public records. In Canada, no equivalent exists. Historical documents remain closed by default unless explicitly requested, often leading to protracted battles over access. Experts argue that proactive disclosure and searchable digital databases could resolve these bottlenecks.

As previously reported by Coastal Front, former federal officials Mel Cappe and James Mitchell have argued that Canada’s reliance on analog record-keeping is a primary barrier to modernizing the access-to-information system. They advocate for a digital overhaul with searchable databases and proactive disclosure, emphasizing that these changes could reduce compliance costs and improve transparency.

As for Big Bad Boo, Coastal Front remains committed to obtaining answers about the multi-million-dollar grants awarded to the company through GAC’s programs. The lengthy delays and bureaucratic deflections encountered in this case raise serious questions about how taxpayer funds are being managed.

The government’s suggestion to narrow the scope of the request—after months of waiting—reflects an ongoing pattern of obstructing public oversight through procedural roadblocks. Without a significant overhaul of the access-to-information system, cases like this will continue to hinder public scrutiny and erode trust.