NEWS Trudeau gov’t adds more hurdles to its Access to Information requesting procedure
The Treasury Board says the new rule was made because there exists a ‘need to ensure an individual making a request under the Act has the right to do so.’
Canadians looking to obtain records via Access To Information?requests from federal government departments could be waiting years due to new rules put in place just before Christmas.
Per Blacklock’s Reporter, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier announced on Christmas Eve that citizens must now provide a piece of identification, in the form of a birth certificate or other means, when submitting their information requests.
According to a Treasury Board Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement, the new rule was made because there exists a “need to ensure an individual making a request under the Act has the right to do so.”
“This includes ensuring the requester is a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident or a person present in Canada,” noted the statement.
The new requirement may seek to further delay an already notoriously slow system.