CANADA

During this period the following developments affected press freedom. On September 20, the Canadian Newspaper Association challenged the government to repeal Section 4 of the Security of Information Act, which makes it a crime for a journalist to receive information that the government considers secret. Last year the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) raided the offices of Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill, citing Section 4 as justification. Later, the prime minister and deputy prime minister made strong comments against the press. This and the police raid caused nationwide indignation and criticism of the RCMP action. On September 8, the Canadian Newspaper Association said that the federal government was using bureaucratic methods to block media outlets’ access to information and to subject their requests to scrutiny that caused unfair delays in violation of Canada’s Access to Information Act. The association warned that media requests for government information take a long time to process because they are subjected to such a degree of scrutiny and even censorship recent research by Canadian scholars concluded that the federal government applies information management systems to warn it about journalists’ requests under the freedom of information law. In August, press freedom associations particularly, the International Federation of Journalists, expressed heightened concern about media concentration and the influence of powerful media conglomerates. There are also concerns about attempts to loosen media ownership controls and, growing concern about the future of the country’s powerful tradition of public service broadcasting. On June 29, press freedom organizations in Ottawa welcomed a Supreme Court decision upholding the public's right to access search warrant documents filed in court. In a unanimous decision, justices dismissed an appeal by Ontario's attorney general seeking to limit public access to search warrants, the information used to obtain the warrants and related documents. In a brief filed with the Supreme Court, media groups argued that the shroud of secrecy around search warrant applications should be removed and should not be permitted to continue without clear evidence that the administration of justice would be jeopardized by public access to the court documents. On June 16, the Canadian Newspaper Association urged members of the Parliamentary Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to lead an effort to modernize Canada's outdated Access to Information Act, to ensure transparency and accountability in government. The CNA's appearance before the committee followed the release of its national audit of Canada's freedom of information system, which found compliance with access-to-information laws severely wanting at all levels of government. The audit gave 75% of federal departments sampled a failing grade for noncompliance, and concluded that the public's right to government information that has an impact on their lives is in failing health. The RCMP's apologized for improperly arresting a Halifax news photographer after he took pictures of a car accident involving a police officer. RCMP officers arrested Scott Dunlop, a photographer with the Chronicle-Herald with more than 20 years experience, and held him in the back seat of police cruiser for 15 minutes after detaining him for obstruction for taking photographs of an accident that injured a Mountie. Dunlop was released without charges but was told charges could be filed later. Officers also briefly took, but later returned, his digital camera.