More than 100 complaints related to requests for government information about Canada's military mission in Afghanistan were registered with the country's information watchdog in 2007-2008, according to its annual report.

Released Tuesday, the report details the first full year in office of Information Commissioner Robert Marleau, which was characterized by heavy debate about public access to government information — particularly in regard to the Afghan mission.

Among the notable cases mentioned, the report points to investigations involving the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, which faced allegations of concealment, heavy censuring and political interference regarding information about human rights abuses of Afghan detainees.

It also singles out the Department of National Defence, which was accused of refusing to disclose information about detainees.

The commissioner's office found there was no evidence foreign affairs officials had concealed an internal report on Afghan detainees or of political interference to suppress the information, chalking the problems up to administrative delays in processing the requests.

The probe of DND, however, revealed the department had created a potentially problematic group called the Tiger Team to vet all requests for information about the mission in Afghanistan.

"Concerns were raised that this additional layer of review was causing delays in responding in a timely fashion to requesters," the commissioner's report reads, "that the team was in fact deciding whether to release or withhold information rather than the access to information and privacy co-ordinator doing so, and that no information about the mission was being disclosed."

The commissioner's office was unable to conclude whether the Tiger Team was contributing to delays, saying instead it will revisit the issue during its annual report process next year.

How Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government provides information to the public, particularly about Afghanistan, has been the focus of criticism in the past year.

Headed by former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley, a panel examining Canada's role in Afghanistan slammed the Conservatives for being too close-mouthed in its communications strategy for the mission.

Manley told the CBC earlier this month the Canadian government has not helped public understanding of the mission or of the many complex issues surrounding it, suggesting the problem is serious enough to threaten the mission's overall success.

Despite the panel's recommendations, details of the Afghan mission are still subject to tight information control by the Prime Minister's Office while key departments, such as Foreign Affairs and the Canadian International Development Agency, remain media-averse.

Under Canada's Access-to-Information laws, government departments have 30 days to respond to requests for information unless there is a legitimate reason for extending the time frame.

The report said the number of new complaints received rose by 1,070, or 80 per cent, from the year before.