OTTAWA — Accusing the Conservatives of abandoning the principles of accountability and transparency they were elected on, the New Democrats are pushing a suite of reforms to Canada’s access to information and conflict of interest legislation.

The NDP are targeting three areas for reform: the federal Access to Information Act, the Conflict of Interest Act, and Treasury Board President Tony Clement’s push for so-called “open government” initiatives.

“Liberal and Conservative governments know how to use the language of accountability, but they have consistently failed to strengthen the ethics of their governments while they create loopholes large enough for them to drive trucks through,” said Charlie Angus, the NDP’s ethics critic, in a press conference Tuesday.

The suggestions include empowering the federal information commissioner’s office to compel government departments to release information — rather than merely make suggestions. The NDP also want to make House of Commons and Senate administration subject to access laws, as well as allowing the information commissioner to review cabinet documents, which are currently covered by a blanket ban.

The reforms come on the heels of a report from Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault calling for urgent action to reform Canada’s access laws. In her annual report tabled in Ottawa last month, Legault reported a “significant deterioration” in the system, and urged Treasury Board President Tony Clement to modernize the 30-year old law.

“This is a moment we feel we need to step back and say, ‘Wait a minute, this is serious,’ ” Angus said.

“The (2006) Accountability Act was supposed to bring a spirit of accountability. Obviously there’s shortfalls with it.”

The NDP also want to empower the ethics commissioner to administer financial penalties for breaches of the Conflict of Interest Act, develop strict post-employment and secondary employment rules for elected officials, and enshrine the ministerial code of conduct into law.

In a statement rarely heard in Ottawa, Clement told the House of Commons that the government is open to considering the opposition’s suggestions.

“If the (NDP) has some suggestions, we’re waiting for the reports from various commissioners on some changes that could be improvements, we would be happy to have the honourable member’s suggestions as well,” Clement said during question period, in response to a question from the NDP’s Mathieu Ravignat.

Still, Clement boasted of the Conservatives’ record, telling his Commons colleagues that the federal government responded to 54,000 requests for documents and released six million pages in 2012.

Angus shot back that many of those pages had been redacted until the documents look like “Swiss cheese,” and that Harper was “lording over the most opaque and secretive government in memory.”

The number of pages released under access to information law may be increasing — but so are the complaints to Legault’s office.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

In 2012-2013, Legault’s office received nine per cent more complaints than the previous year — a total of 1,596. Administrative complaints for things like delays and large fees increased by a whopping 42 per cent.

Among her findings, Legault reported that the RCMP had simply stopped acknowledging it had received requests for information, contrary to the law. The RCMP has since committed to increasing the number of staff dealing with access requests.