By Jim Bronskill A newly launched federal review of the Access to Information system is being greeted with deep skepticism by transparency advocates. The Treasury Board Secretariat announced the government review, which takes place every five years, in a news release late Friday. The release says officials will seek input from a broad range of Canadians, Indigenous groups, experts and other interested people in the coming weeks and months. For a $5 fee, people can use the access law to ask for federal documents \u2014 anything from internal emails to policy memos \u2014 but the law is widely seen as out of date and poorly administered. Federal agencies are supposed to respond to requests within 30 days or provide valid reasons explaining why they need more time. Many users complain… <\/p>\n
By Jim Bronskill A newly launched federal review of the Access to Information system is being greeted with deep skepticism by transparency advocates. The Treasury Board Secretariat announced the government review, which takes place every five years, in a news release late Friday. The release says officials will seek input from a broad range of Canadians, Indigenous groups, experts and other interested people in the coming weeks and months. For a $5 fee, people can use the access law to ask for federal documents \u2014 anything from internal emails to policy memos \u2014 but the law is widely seen as out of date and poorly administered. Federal agencies are supposed to respond to requests within 30 days or provide valid reasons explaining why they need more time. Many users complain... <\/p>\n