Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who was just elected to a third term, has received, for the second year in a row, an "F-" in access to information, according to the National Post.
A new freedom of expression report, "Like Sheep to the Slaughter," from the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, gave Harper the lowest grade possible for transparency, and more than half of federal agencies were rated below average and five failed outright, said the Canadian Press. Further, 44 percent of information requests filed with the federal government are not responded to within 30 days, as the law requires. The Supreme Court earned a grade of "C."
David McKie noted for CBCNews that the difficulties journalists face in accessing information may in fact be "contributing to a disturbing trend: fewer journalists are using the Act."
The Canadian report on access to information comes as the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has been criticized for its lack of transparency. Meanwhile, Brazil also is trying to get a freedom of information law approved.
Note from the editor: This story was originally published by the Knight Center’s blog Journalism in the Americas, the predecessor of LatAm Journalism Review.
