Statement made on 22 October 2009 by Senator Jim Munson
Hon. Jim Munson:
Honourable senators, I have a question for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Canada has received yet another failing grade in the international arena. We already know how poorly we do for child care and poverty. The OECD and UNESCO have given us failing grades. We know how badly we are viewed on the environment as well when delegates walk out on Canada at international climate change meetings.
However, this new failing grade is about freedom of the press. This week, Reporters Without Borders released their annual ranking of 175 countries. They rate a country's free press on three factors: the ability of journalists to protect their sources, ready access to information, and the existence of lawsuits that deter people from providing information. Canada was not first, second or third — not gold, silver or bronze. No, Canada was ranked nineteenth. What is even more significant, we fell six spots from 2008.
Freedom of the press, as my two colleagues on the other side know, is an essential part of our democracy. Yet this government does not seem to recognize this. When asked to supply information about government programs and policies, this government drags its feet, taking several weeks and even months to respond to access to information requests from journalists.
We know this government is quite savvy about photo ops and self-promotion, but when will it give people what they really want — timely information?
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