Access to information at risk from instant messaging / : La messagerie instantanée : un risque pour l'accès à l'information : un rapport spécial au Parlement

We also sought information from the offices of the head of some of these institutions (ministerial offices).2 This is because records held in those offices may be subject to the Access to Information Act.3 Finally, we added Shared Services Canada to the investigation in March 2013, due to its role in providing wireless and information technology infrastructure services to institutions and minister [...] Context The Access to Information Act provides a quasi-constitutional right of access to records that are under the control of a government institution at the time it receives an access to information request.4 In certain instances, the right of access is also protected by section 2(b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression. [...] The Supreme Court of Canada has described the underlying purpose of the Act as facilitating democracy by ensuring that citizens have the information they need to participate meaningfully in the democratic process, and that politicians and bureaucrats remain accountable to them.5 The purpose of the Act has also been linked to that of the Library and Archives of Canada Act. [...] Special report to Parliament Instant messaging presents an unacceptable risk to the right of access to information Based on the information obtained and reviewed during the investigation, we concluded that the absence of a technical safeguard, the gaps in existing policies, the proposed policies to address the use of instant messaging, and the impact of instant messaging on the ability of our offi [...] Only the office of the Minister of International Trade indicated that it adheres to the institution’s policies governing the records management and use of PINs, while the office of the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development reported that its ministerial staff use the institution’s policies as a guide.