Prime Minister’s Office should be covered by access law, info commissioner tells MPs

By Canadian Press on February 9, 2026.

OTTAWA — Information commissioner Caroline Maynard says Canadians should be able to use the Access to Information Act to request documents from the offices of the prime minister and other cabinet members.

Maynard renewed her call to expand the scope of the access law to cover these offices during an appearance before a House of Commons committee today.

Speaking in French, Maynard said the right to information is a quasi-constitutional one and that Canadians need access to the information that belongs to them.

For a $5 fee, people can use the Access to Information Act to ask for federal documents — anything from internal emails to policy memos — but the law is widely seen as outdated and unevenly administered.

Federal agencies are supposed to either respond to an access request within 30 days or provide reasons why more time is needed.

Many users complain of lengthy delays and exemptions in the law that result in the release of heavily blacked-out documents.