The Access to Information Act in combination with the Privacy Act has become the government’s goto legislation of choice to deny citizens their right to know what their government is up to.

Seven months after sending an Access to Information Request concerning the alleged bonuses paid to senior officials on retirement for lost promotions due to Joe Clark's attempt to get some payback (read The Betrayal Of Joe Clark) I received the following (partial):

March 23, 2008

Request for information on Pension Bonuses re: DFAIT's whistleblower*.

Dear Mr. Payeur,

We regret to inform you that we are unable to comply with your request. If such information did exist, it would be reasonably expected to be withheld pursuant to subsection 19(1) of the [Access to Information] Act.

19(1) Subject to subsection (2), the head of a government institution shall refuse to disclose any record requested under the Act that contains personal information as defined in section 3 of the Privacy Act (emphasis mine)

...

Yours Sincerely,

__________________

Monique McCulloch

Acting Director

Access to Information and Privacy Protection

Bonuses paid to public servants for reasons unknown none of the taxpayers’ business. Only in Canada!

Imagine if the executives at AIG had had this type of protection against disclosure of bonuses.

Bernard Payeur, April 9, 2008

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* How Freudian that Foreign Affairs, in their file reference, would refer to me as their whistleblower.