Fundamentals Of Privacy And Freedom Of Information In Canada

Information and Privacy Law in Canada explores how we can access information held by public bodies, what governments and other organizations can do with information about us, and how we can use the courts or other mechanisms to hold others accountable when they violate our privacy or misuse our personal information.

Access to information (ATI) is widely regarded as a fundamental democratic right. Yet in Canada there still exists a struggle between the public's quest for accountability and our government's culture of secrecy. Drawing together the perspectives of social scientists, journalists, and ATI advocates, Brokering Access explores the policies and practices surrounding access to information at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels. This groundbreaking volume is the first of its kind to promote the idea that ATI should be used as a critical research strategy. It is a vital resource for scholars, policy makers, journalists, and anyone who is concerned about access to information and its effect on all Canadians.

What does open government mean in practice? This book offers an authoritative and highly topical look at the implementation of reform from senior academics and civil servants. Britain's situation and future requirements are set in context by insights from other Westminster systems of government, namely Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. Each of these accounts is itself an original contribution to the literature on that country's experience. Throughout, the emphasis in upon freedom of information and privacy issues.