Canada To Host Its Own Version Of 'Sunshine Week'

By: Mark Fitzgerald With reforms to Freedom of Information (FOI) laws stalled in the federal legislature, Canadian access ombudsmen and the Canadian Newspaper Association (CNA) intend to raise public awareness of government Sunshine issues with the nation's first-ever Right to Know Week to be held Sept. 24-30.

"CNA has been a long-time advocate of access to information, and freedom of information issues, and we've done a number of activities over the years to highlight it," CNA's vice president for public policy, David Gollob said in a telephone interview Monday. "But this is the first time there's ever been a coordinated series of events across the country like this."

To mark the event, CNA will release its second national FOI audit. Similar to U.S. state-wide efforts typically coordinated by the Society of Professional Journalists and The Associated Press, the first audit, released in June of 2005 found that FOI laws are honored more in the breach than the observance.

Even the most non-controversial information requested by journalists who did not disclose their profession was provided immediately less than half the time. Public agencies 48% of the time were willing to let a public requester know when a road was to be paved. But no police department would release the number of sick days taken by its officers, information that is public in Canada.

Right to Know Week will also be marked by panel discussions bringing together journalists, politicians, FOI ombudsmen and others, Gollob said.

Sponsoring the week is Canada's federal and provincial Information and Privacy Commissioners, public officials with the independence to act as ombudsmen on behalf of citizens requesting public information. The commissioners were inspired by the proclamation, three years ago, of International Right to Know Day, Sept. 28.

Another obvious inspiration is Sunshine Week in the U.S., which will kick off its third year next March. At least one provincial commissioners office has sought informal advice from officials of the U.S. week, which is organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors and other press groups.

"We think it's fantastic that Canada is having a Right to Know Week," said Sunshine Week Coordinator Debra Gersh Hernandez. "Sunshine Week in the U.S. has been very effective. We're hearing great stories all the time about how it is catching on, and really making a difference in ensuring the public's right to public information."

Canada's Right to Know Week comes against a backdrop of disappointment in the openness policies of the Conservative Party administration of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was elected earlier this year on a platform of strengthening Canada's Access to Information and other FOI laws. The Liberal Party government fell chiefly on a scandal about secret government advertising and promotion expenditures.

"Instead of bringing in a new bill to reform the law, what they've done is referred the whole matter to a committee," CNA's Gollob said, "and what we fear is that it will be just mired in that."