Changes

The Government of Canada is working hard to enhance the role of Parliament and the proactive publication of information so that Canadians are better able to hold Parliament, their Government, and public sector officials to account. ''Italic text''To that end, the government of Canada added new requirements under the Access to Information Act requiring the proactive publication of certain information.

In 2019, the Government of Canada took a big step towards improving transparency with the passage of Bill C-58: an Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts. As Part II of the Access to Information Act requiring departments subject to the Act publish certain information known to be of interest to the public on a scheduled basis known as 'Proactive Publication'.

Proactive Publications are information known to be of public interest that government departments subject to the ''Access to Information Act'' (ATIA) must publish on a scheduled and proactive basis. Proactive Publication requirements are noted in Part II of the ATIA, a new section introduced with the coming into force of Bill C-58 in June 2019 ''an Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts''.

The Government of Canada is taking steps to improve transparency by mandating the proactive publication of specific information known to be of public interest facilitating Canadians to hold Parliament, their Government, and public sector officials to account. To that end, the government of Canada added requirements under the ''Access to Information Act'' (ATIA) mandating the proactive publication of specific information.

 

Proactive Publications are information known to be of public interest that government departments subject to the (ATIA) must publish on a scheduled and proactive basis. Proactive Publication requirements are noted in Part II of the ATIA (sections 71.01 - 91(2)), a new section introduced with the coming into force of Bill C-58 in June 2019 ''an Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts''.

In all, Proactive Publication requirements apply to:

In all, Proactive Publication requirements apply to:

For example, Canadians can now find the titles of briefing notes to ministers and deputy ministers, Question Period notes for ministers, briefing packages prepared for incoming deputies and ministers, and materials prepared for appearances at Parliamentary Committees online at the Open Government Portal. The Portal is easy to use, allowing users to search for the type of record they wish to access, the institution it comes from, or subject matters of interest.

For example, Canadians can now find the titles of briefing notes to ministers and deputy ministers, Question Period notes for ministers, briefing packages prepared for incoming deputies and ministers, and materials prepared for appearances at Parliamentary Committees online at the Open Government Portal. The Portal is easy to use, allowing users to search for the type of record they wish to access, the institution it comes from, or subject matters of interest.