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The Globe requested records and communications used to produce the statement and its conclusion on the day of its publication. Under the federal Access to Information Act, institutions have 30 days to respond to requests, which can be extended. Defence did not respond to the request nor did it give notice of an extension.

Last year, The Globe published Secret Canada, an investigation into the country's faltering access to information system. Among other findings, Secret Canada showed that government departments, at all levels, routinely flout their legal obligations without consequences and fail to respond to requesters within the required time limits.

In its latest annual report, Defence said it responded to access to information requests within legal time limits 61.7 per cent of the time in 2022-23, a decrease from the previous year. Overall, Ottawa said federal institutions responded within legal time limits to 72.3 per cent of requests that year.