Carney says he's open to a review of Canada's broken access to information system

Liberal Leader Mark Carney says if elected he'd commit to reviewing Canada's access to information law — a system originally created to help the public keep governments accountable, but one that has become bogged down to the point of inefficiency.

"An objective review of that would serve Canadians well, regardless of the result of the election," he told reporters during a campaign stop in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Based on the principle that people have a right to know how their tax dollars are being used, the federal government's access law gives Canadians the right to timely and accurate government records. The law has helped journalists, researchers, academics, activists and political parties keep the government of the day in check.

The system is meant to be user-friendly. For a $5 fee, Canadians can request government records, online, ranging from emails to memos and reports.

Federal agencies are then supposed to respond within 30 days or provide a rational reason why more time is needed to process a request.

But in practice, the system now moves at a glacial place and is stalled by excessive — and sometimes unjustified — redactions. It can sometimes take years to get information, and when a response is sent back, users have reported heavily blacked-out documents and blanket denials.

With no mention of the Access to Information Act in the Liberal platform, Carney was asked whether he's open to improving the system.

"It's not in the platform, it's in my head and so I will now, against the advice of my advisers, put it out of my head," he said.

"I do think looking at access to information is quite important."

Carney seemed to suggest he's also been frustrated by the system.

"I'm happy to commit to having a review of that, because I do find that at least as an outsider, I've been an outsider until now, and as a consumer, I sometimes can't always follow the process if you will," he said.

The Access to Information Act's watchdog has increasingly expressed frustration with the Liberal government for failing to adequately reform the system in its past decade of power. When he was first elected, former prime minister Justin Trudeau vowed to make government "open by default."

"I am reminded every day of the ways in which the act and the system it supports continue to fail Canadians," said Information Commissioner of Canada Caroline Maynard when she released her annual report last year.

Maynard has repeatedly ruled against government departments for withholding information.

The Conservative and NDP platforms also did not make explicit mention of the Access to Information Act, although both parties have called for an overhaul of the federal access to information system.