Canadian Journalists for Free Expression's annual Report Card assigns grades to various institutions based on their performance upholding free expression across Canada.
One of the highlights of CJFE’s Review of Free Expression in Canada is our annual Report Card, which assigns grades to various institutions based on their performance upholding free expression across Canada.
The Report Card (PDF) is one of the most controversial components of the Review; our grades are often met with mixed response. Some think we’ve been too harsh, while others believe we haven’t been critical enough.
We stand by the grades we’ve assigned, but we also want to know what you think. Read our explanations below and cast your vote for what grades you would have given.
CAST YOUR VOTE BELOW!
Can’t see the polls? Click here
Access to Information: F
The federal access to information (ATI) system continues to be a source of bad news and a bad grade. Recently released performance statistics for 2012-13, when corrected for the distortion created by one unrepresentative department, show that delays beyond the 30-day time limit still affect almost 45 per cent of requests, while more than 80 per cent of responses are partially or mostly censored. Staffing and budget cuts are crippling the ATI capacity of some departments (for example, see the RCMP case below). There has been a significant increase in complaints about delays and a 51 per cent increase in complaints about missing records in 2012-13. Missing records may be the result of the destruction of, failure to preserve or failure to create records concerning government deliberations and decision-making. Without major reform of the Access Act and a new law requiring the creation of records, Canadians may witness the disappearance of a significant part of our history.
For more information, see “Access Denied!” on page 24.
Read the full 2013-14 Review of Free Expression in Canada.
