Info czar raises alarm on ad for his job

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA — The fix may be in for a candidate to replace Canada's information ombudsman, warns the man who currently holds the job.

John Reid, the outgoing information commissioner of Canada, raised the alarm Tuesday, saying a recently posted job notice strongly suggests the Conservative government wants to fill the coming vacancy with a senior bureaucrat rather than someone more independent.

"Although it appears to be what the government is seeking, a bureaucrat is the last thing Parliament and the public need as their information commissioner," Reid said in his last official speech.

Spokesmen for the Privy Council Office and for the prime minister were not immediately available for comment.

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