Provincial Liberals propose a reset of Ontario’s Freedom of Information laws
Provincial Liberals want the Ford government to adopt measures that increase the government’s accountability.
They are critical that proposed changes to the Freedom of Information Act will be retroactive.
The party’s Ethics, Integrity & Accountability critic Stephanie Smyth is not buying the Premier’s argument that it is protecting those who contact him directly.
“Doug Ford’s excuse is garbage,” says Smyth.
“This has nothing to do with protecting your personal privacy. Those protections already exist.”
Smyth says the changes are intended to prevent anyone from finding out who has the ear of the Premier.
The Liberals are proposing that the government adopt several measures they are putting forward to improve accountability.
They include making public all completed FOI requests, banning the use of personal emails and devices for government business and banning MPPs from accepting gifts and favours that could leave them in a conflict-of-interest situation later on.
The Liberals also want to see increased powers for the Integrity Commissioner to launch investigations independently without referral.
“Before I was elected, I was a journalist,” says Smyth.
“Freedom of information requests were a key tool in the work that we did, and especially to holding those in power to account and especially to uncovering the truth. And more than that, they are a right. They are a right Doug Ford is trying to take away.”