Minister’s aide meddled repeatedly in access-to-information requests

[CHIMO]

An aide to a Conservative cabinet minister meddled with at least four access-to-information requests on touchy subjects – such as Barack Obama's visit to Canada and asbestos – despite testimony he acted improperly only one time.

Documents recently provided to a House of Commons committee, and obtained by The Canadian Press, show Sebastien Togneri directed bureaucrats to remove material that was destined for release.

Mr. Togneri was adviser to then-Public Works minister Christian Paradis, and remains in his employ now at Natural Resources.

The committee began studying political interference into access-to-information requests when it came to light Mr. Togneri had blocked the release of a document to The Canadian Press in July of 2009. In that case, a bureaucrat was ordered to retrieve the package from the Public Works mailroom so as to remove files concerning the government's massive real-estate portfolio.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ministers-aide-meddled-repeatedly-in-access-to-information-requests/article1735970/