Ontario is set to make Premier Doug Ford and cabinet members’ records secret as it “modernizes” freedom-of-information (FOI) laws.
Speaking Friday morning at Queen’s Park, Procurement Minister Stephen Crawford said the changes, which will be introduced when the legislature resumes later this month, will help protect cabinet confidentiality.
“Any interactions of the executive council members amongst themselves will be confidential, and I think that’s in the best interest of the people so that we can have candid conversations, important discussions without any potential blowback,” Crawford responded while being grilled by journalists about the controversial change.
“Governments make important decisions … many of those decisions need to be in cabinet confidence,” he added.
He stressed that Ontario is currently one of only two jurisdictions in Canada (the other being Nova Scotia) without explicit protections for records belonging to cabinet ministers or their offices.
“This will apply retroactively,” he added, prompting a reporter to ask if the government is trying to “hide” something.
Crawford responded by saying this is “one of the most transparent governments in the history of Ontario.” He argued that the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act has not been updated in nearly 40 years and was designed before email, mobile devices and cloud-based systems changed the digital landscape.
“It no longer matches how government works or how people expect their information to be protected.”
Province to lengthen FOI response timelines
The province will also lengthen freedom-of-information response timelines from 30 days to 45 days.
In a release, the province said, “robust FOl requirements will remain in place, including when it comes to government decision-making in the form of direction from ministers and their offices to the public service.”
“I agree that the people of Ontario have absolutely every right to know about the decisions that are being made,” Crawford said. “And that’s why they’ll continue to be receiving information through the public service …”
While the FOI changes dominated question period during Crawford’s announcement, the minister stressed that the province is also updating its cybersecurity protections, including implementing enhanced cybersecurity rules for vital public services with mandatory cybersecurity practices for hospitals, school boards, children’s aid societies and post-secondary institutions.
“This includes requiring school boards to notify parents or guardians when students’ personal information is disclosed to third-party software, ensuring families have the information they need to make informed decisions,” the province’s release states.
