Ottawa-based lawyer documents how Canada keeps secrets other democracies share
Matt Malone's new book argues Canada lags peer nations on government transparency, as federal reforms face criticism from access-to-information experts.
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Canada is falling behind peer democracies on government transparency, according to a book releasing September 9 that compares access-to-information regimes across multiple countries.
Matt Malone, an Ottawa lawyer, spent months researching how different nations handle public records—from Scandinavia to Singapore. His findings: Canada lags on the metrics that measure good governance, civil liberties protection, and safeguards against corruption. The book, "Open Governments, Secret Canada: Hiding Information Other Countries Share," documents concrete differences. In the Netherlands, the prime minister's text messages can be accessed through freedom-of-information requests. In Canada, the Prime Minister's Office is exempt from access-to-information law entirely. In Ireland, cabinet confidence exemptions expire after five years; in Canada, they shield official communications between ministers with no time limit.
Malone and other Ottawa experts sent an open letter to the federal government this year opposing proposed changes to Canada's Access to Information Act. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has signaled it may reform the law, but Malone warns the changes would restrict access further. One proposed change would limit requests to records the government deems "official," a narrower definition that Malone said would "substantially throttle what access actually looks like."
Most frequent users of Canada's access-to-information system say it urgently needs reform—but they're split on whether the proposed changes would help or harm their work. The Treasury Board solicited public feedback on policy approaches in March but has not commented on the proposed changes.
What specific changes did the Treasury Board propose in March, and which ones would expand or restrict public access?
How does Canada currently rank on international transparency indices, and has that ranking changed since the last Access to Information Act reform?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
The facts
When is Matt Malone's book being released?
Matt Malone's book 'Open Governments, Secret Canada: Hiding Information Other Countries Share' is releasing September 9, 2026.
What is one example of how Canada's access-to-information rules differ from other countries?
In the Netherlands, the prime minister's text messages can be accessed through freedom-of-information requests, whereas in Canada the Prime Minister's Office is exempt from access-to-information law entirely.
What concern does Matt Malone have about the proposed changes to Canada's Access to Information Act?
Malone warns that the proposed changes would restrict access further, particularly by limiting requests to records the government deems 'official,' which he said would 'substantially throttle what access actually looks like.'
