Canada has slipped six places to 55th spot on an annual list of global freedom-of-information rankings, and is now tied with Bulgaria and Uruguay.
The Halifax-based Centre for Law and Democracy and human rights organization Access Info Europe published the list to mark International Right to Know Day.
The rating system, launched in 2011, uses a 150-point scale to indicate the strengths and weaknesses of freedom-of-information laws around the world.
The latest report card says Canada has dropped down the list partly because other countries have leapfrogged it by introducing better laws.
War-torn Afghanistan, working to rebuild its institutions, tops the rankings this year, followed by Mexico, Serbia and Sri Lanka.
The compilers of the list say they hope Canada’s “poor showing” will be a wake-up call that spurs Ottawa to improve the federal Access to Information Act.
Related: Changes coming to FOI rules, B.C. minister says
Related: B.C. government takes three months to produce nothing
The Canadian Press
