Canada’s Proposed Access To Information Reform Inadequate, Says CPJ

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Committee to Protect Journalists, along with a coalition of more than 30 international and Canadian civil society organizations, sent a letter on September 28 to Canadian Member of Parliament Scott Brison, the president of the Treasury Board of Canada, calling for proposed access to information legislation to be replaced with a more robust reform.

Brison sponsored bill C-58, which is under consideration in parliament and would amend Canada’s Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. Journalists and press freedom advocates say that it falls far short of what the government promised and that it does not constitute the robust changes that are needed.

CPJ has written about press freedom concerns in Canada over the past year. In addition to the access to information bill, the Canadian parliament is slated to consider a reporter’s shield law and a reform to national security legislation.