HALIFAX — It will take up to 150 days to answer an access-to-information request for the costs of adding the word “royal” to the air and maritime divisions of the Canadian Forces, says the Defence Department.
In a request dated Sept. 27, The Canadian Press asked for documentation of the costs to restore the words “Royal Canadian” to the air force and navy.
However, the Canadian Forces says it needs more time because it has to consult with the Privy Council Office about possible cabinet confidentiality issues.
The department has extended the 30-day deadline for a response to March 26.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay repeatedly declined to give a cost estimate during the Aug. 16 news conference announcing the change, saying the value of restoring the traditional names was “priceless.”
The new names are now on the main websites for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Royal Canadian Air Force.
The name restorations also changed the name of the Land Force Command to the Canadian Army.
Michel Drapeau, an Ottawa lawyer who specializes in access-to-information and military law, says the delay is not acceptable.
“To suggest 150 days is a constructive denial of the access-to-information right,” he said.
A spokesman for the Defence Department was unavailable for comment.
Drapeau, a former colonel in the military, said deadline extensions for consultations with other departments is something he’s encountering more often in his legal practice.
“It comes now with an alarming regularity with even the most banal requests.”