While there are clearly problems with secrecy concerning attendance and other parts of the operations of the Senate, many recent scandals have shown clearly that it is not the only federal government institution with secrecy problems.

The federal Conservatives promised in their 2006 election platform to require every federal government institution to keep records of every action and decision, and to disclose the records except if someone’s personal health or safety would be hurt, or their personal privacy violated.

The Conservatives broke those promises, and also failed to include any promises to strengthen the federal Access to Information Act in their international Open Government Partnership Action Plan for the next three years.

The Act has so many loopholes and flaws that it should be called “The Guide to Keeping Secrets Act”. Thankfully, the federal Information Commissioner has initiated a review of the law that will hopefully lead all federal political parties to finally, after 30 years, change it into an actual open government law.

Given that government secrecy is a recipe for waste, corruption and abuse of the public, every day that goes by with this flawed law in place is another day of bad federal government (and the access laws for provincial, territorial and municipal governments across Canada have similar loopholes and flaws).