- Harper and the Con’s shows us the dire need for enshrining in the Charter the Free, Unobstructed Access to Information

Submitted 7:40am, PDT, 9 Apr.'10 The Toronto Star
Geist: Open government moving in parallel but opposite directions, April 19, 2010,
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/796682--open-government-moving-in-parallel-but-opposite-directions#comments

These private sector efforts to consolidate information already released to the public, are commendable and every bit helps to "shine a light into dark corners" of government and "assist the process of holding governments accountable” (to borrow a phrase from Harper).

However, if the information is being hidden, obstructed, obscured, distorted and spun before it is released to the pubic, does simply making a such more easily accessible really shine the light into the dark corners.

It is suggested that it is the analysis of this 'information', the extrapolation, the inferring the necessary meaning, the drilling down through the hype, that is important. This is analogous to what the US intelligence used to do during the Cold War with Soviet Union Statements. There was no doubt that it was unmitigated propaganda, but like tea leaves it could be 'read'.

For example,

Guy Giorno, chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, said the government expects full compliance with the Access Act.

He also told a Parliamentary committee piously that "access to information is the oxygen of democracy ... which makes our democracy function and which allows citizens to hold people in public office accountable."

The media has pointed out the irony (and the Harper administration's hypocrisy) of Suzanne Legault, Canada's interim information commissioner, reported the same day that Canadians' right to government information "is at risk of being totally obliterated" and that "delays are eroding Canadians' right to know."

Of course, Harper's jewel regarding the media in Democracies that: "shine a light into dark corners" of government and "assist the process of holding governments accountable”.

The real issue here, and the Press is starting to hit on this, is:
Compliance with the Act does not eliminate the systemic problems and in fact can be used to obstruct the free and open flow of information. It is compliance with the spirit and intention of the Act. It doesn't matter what the actual wording of the legislation, shrewd and motivated individuals can always find a way to avoid conforming to the spirit and intent while insisting they are in keeping within a sharp interpretation of the Legislation.

The really useful Internet development of recent years is 'Blogging'. It is useful since it affords opinions from everyone, whether good, bad, subjective, objective. To understand the importance of this, just keep in mind that probabilities ensure that out of 33 million opinions and observations, someone will hit the nail on the head.

It is suggested that these site should allow people to post comments or to point to Comments posted to various Blogs on the matters set out on their sites.

Lloyd MacILquham cicblog.com/comments.html


My Post: 16 October, 2009
- Canadians need a White Knight to slay this evil of Obstructing and Obscuring Access to Information by Harper and the Con's.

Harper and the Con’s since being elected have taken steps, systematically, to marginalize Parliament, the Senate, access to information, transparency, openness and certainly have their sights on such other fundamental institutions and protectors of our democratic rights as the Supreme Court of Canada and the Judiciary, itself. The manifest purpose is to implement an agenda for which they simply do not want Canadians to be made aware of.

Liberal and comprehensive rights to access information, available to all, unobstructed and vigilantly exercised, is a cornerstone of modern, open and free, democracy, protecting all from a closed, secretive government intent on using the powers entrusted to them for their self interest and interests contrary to the will of the people.

The open, transparent, free and unobstructed flow of information ought to be enshrined in our Charter of Rights. Its obstruction and obscuration, and in the extreme, by Harper and the Con’s shows us the dire need for this.

"How can you cast your vote intelligently if you don't know what's going on?"
(Robert Marleau, information commissioner).

Liberal and comprehensive rights to access information, available to all, unobstructed and vigilantly exercised, is a cornerstone of modern, open and free, democracy, protecting all from a closed, secretive government intent on using the powers entrusted to them for their self interest and interests contrary to the will of the people.

Access to information affords the stuff whereby the individual may forge both sword and shield to uphold human rights, without which no amount legislation can guaranty these rights and so, should therefore stand on the same footing.


Many people criticize the media for not reporting fairly and accurately.
When information is obscured and perverted at the source by the government, such is what is happening now by Harper and the Con’s, this criticism is not merely blaming the messenger – since the media could make this a “cause de celebre”.

When the free flow is obstructed and curtailed it gives the government a leverage to gain influence in the media, by favouring one media outlet over another. The media is also to blame as well for this but then, they’re only human - aren’t they?

Harper and the Con’s have built, and employ ‘liberally’, a propaganda machine the likes of which Western democracies have not seen in recent times. They consider it ‘Educating the Public to Conservative Values’ (compare Harper’s statement at the beginning of the last election).

Like any propaganda machine ‘obscuration and obstruction’ of access to the truth is fundamental. Harper and the Con’s deliberate and extensive restricting and obstructing access to information is well documented. So to are his, and their, hiding and distorting the truth; responding to serious, reasonable and legitimate questions with personal attacks and slurs; and, their dark-ages attitude to Science and Scientific research.

I think education is vital but we must make sure that what people are applying it to is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth and that they have free, undistorted and unobstructed access to it.