Skip to main content
secret canada

For the best listening experience and to never miss an episode, subscribe to The Decibel on your favourite podcast app or platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Pocket Casts and Youtube.


It can be incredibly frustrating trying to get access to historical records in Canada. There are often lengthy delays and confusing inconsistency. That’s in large part because Canada — unlike other democracies — has no system in place to open up historical records. Instead, they are trapped within our country’s access to information system.

The Globe’s investigative reporter Robyn Doolittle has been reporting on the country’s struggling access to information system through the Secret Canada project. Today, she explains why it’s so difficult to access records that are decades – even centuries – old, and why it’s so important that we can see what happened in the past.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.

Interact with The Globe