Ontario introduces bill to shield premier, ministers
Ontario is moving forward with legislation that will exempt the Premier, cabinet ministers and their offices from responding to freedom-of-information requests. Minister Stephen Crawford stated during a press conference on March 13 at Queen's Park that these changes are part of modernizing outdated laws which have not been updated in four decades while also strengthening cybersecurity protections for government records.
Key Points
-
1The Ontario government plans to introduce legislation that will exempt the Premier and cabinet ministers from responding to freedom of information requests.
-
2This proposed law change aims to keep documents, emails, and records related to decision-making by top officials secret under a 'modernization' framework.
-
3Minister Stephen Crawford claims current FOI laws have not been updated in 40 years as the justification for these restrictions.
Developments
The Ontario Ford government plans to amend its freedom-of-information law retroactively by exempting records held in premier and ministerial offices from public disclosure entirely. This proposed change would undo over 35 years of access for journalists, civil society groups regarding scandals such as the Greenbelt affair while leaving only general administrative documents available through standard FOI requests subject to exemptions like cabinet deliberations already protected since 1988.
Ontario is amending its Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which has not been updated in nearly 40 years, by excluding records held by Premier Douglas Ford and cabinet ministers to enhance confidentiality. These changes also extend response timelines for information requests while simultaneously updating cybersecurity protections under the new legislation introduced as part of a modernization effort.
Ontario's Doug Ford government is amending freedom of information laws after March 23 specifically excluding records from cabinet ministers and their offices. This controversial move aims to protect ministerial confidentiality while extending FOI response timelines for the public service, despite claims that Ontario lacks explicit protections compared to other Canadian jurisdictions regarding such documents.