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Access to information: An asset for democracy or ammunition for political conflict, or both?
Author(s) -
Gingras AnneMarie
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
canadian public administration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.361
H-Index - 26
eISSN - 1754-7121
pISSN - 0008-4840
DOI - 10.1111/j.1754-7121.2012.00215.x
Subject(s) - secrecy , parliament , democracy , transparency (behavior) , politics , freedom of information , political science , asset (computer security) , state (computer science) , public relations , public administration , control (management) , value (mathematics) , law , economics , computer security , management , algorithm , machine learning , computer science
More than twenty‐five years after its adoption, the Access to Information Act has become increasingly a cause for concern among public servants, experts, scientists and the media. This article reviews the evolution of the access‐to‐information regime since the 1980s, the issues that have arisen, the political significance of information in democracy, and the enduring tension between its democratic purpose and strategic value. The article also examines the issues of centralization, control and secrecy within the state apparatus despite continuing calls for transparency. Under Conservative governments since 2006, there has been increased control and conflict over disclosure of information, which have spread to a larger part of the state apparatus. Among those involved in conflicts over information with the Prime Minister's Office are members and officers of Parliament and parliamentary committees.