Hi, everybody. I am pleased to appear before you today in the context of my proposed reappointment as Information Commissioner of Canada.

Nearly seven years ago, I arrived before this committee with a deep desire to serve Canadians, a relentless focus on results and a vision of how I intended to fulfill my role as an agent of Parliament. I had four specific priorities: ensuring the work at my office was open and transparent, improving collaboration with stakeholders to address barriers in the system, tackling the existing backlog of complaints and preparing to implement legislative amendments to the Access to Information Act.

I'm proud of my record in each of these areas. My accomplishments are reflected in the annual reports that I tabled, as well as in the background document that I provided to you before my testimony today.

Under my leadership, the Office of the Information Commissioner is an employer of choice. My team may be working in a challenging environment, but they truly enjoy their work and believe in our rights to access information. Our high retention rate and the impressive results of employee surveys over the course of my mandate attest to this.

I have worked hard to improve the overall health of the access to information system, which has not been meeting its legislative purpose. Through my systemic investigations, I have put the spotlight on the root causes of issues. I have also met frequently with ministers, senior department officials, management teams and employees. The goals of such meetings are always to promote culture change, to encourage better performance and to facilitate compliance.

In terms of enforcement, whenever I have been able to resolve complaints without resorting to issuing orders, I have done so, but I have also not hesitated to spur institutions to action through my orders and, when necessary, through litigation in the courts.

I've also taken my role as an adviser to parliamentarians very seriously. I understand that we live in an era of societal and technological change. We are dealing with outdated systems, poor information management and declining public confidence in public institutions. So I’ve tried to be a trusted source of information and expertise in the area of access to information. I've done everything I can to ensure that the activities of the Office of the Commissioner are clearly presented and that the state of the system is clearly assessed. My testimony was based on observations and investigations by my team.

I believe my renewal would represent stability for the office, the ATIP community and Canadians, allowing me to continue to build on what I have accomplished so far. If I am given the honour to continue in this role, I will carry out my duties with the same determination and focus on results I have shown through my mandate.

I will be relentless in speaking out on the importance of transparency by default, and the role that every public servant must play in ensuring that the rights of Canadians are respected. I have seen how stakeholders advocate for a better system, but I have also seen how hard public servants in the ATIP trenches are trying to make this system work in the meantime. These people have my support, and they need and deserve the support of their leaders in bringing about the necessary transformation.

The policy and legislative changes that I have recommended are based on experience and have been endorsed by stakeholders. As the next review of the act looms on the horizon, I will continue to press for long overdue improvements. They would contribute to making Canada the global leader in transparency that it always should have been.

Finally, my experience as commissioner has made me even more committed to the right to access to information. I know that I've defended and enforced this right effectively. That's why I remain positive and hopeful for the future, and I'm ready to continue to fulfill this role.

Thank you.

I look forward to your questions.