Strengthening the Public’s Right to Know

“There are few issues of more importance than the public’s right to know…All citizens must have timely, effective and affordable access to the documents which governments make and keep.” – Gordon Campbell, 1998

The 1990s were Canada 's high-water mark for government transparency and public access to information. In most Canadian provinces, freedom of information acts were either passed or imminent. British Columbia 's FOI act, passed in 1992, was considered the country's finest at the time.

Then came a new century and with it an apparent loss of will toward openness. Critics say that, in British Columbia and around the world, government transparency has diminished over the last seven years.

Ironically, this is happening at a time when new and innovative ways of providing government services continue to appear. Technology should make it easier than ever to advance government openness and create a free flow of information to the public.

Excessive government secrecy diminishes democracy, feeds dishonesty and distrust, and undermines good policymaking. Our society cannot afford to reverse course on openness.

The second BC Information Summit will bring together policymakers, experts and information seekers from all sectors to grapple with two fundamental questions: How can we meet the growing challenges to openness and how can we strengthen the public's right to know in an adversarial world?