“We will amend the Access to Information legislation to enhance the transparency of government actions and decisions.”
Danny Williams, Leader of the Opposition, February 2003
There truly is a greater fraud than a promise unkept. That would be the promise that is consciously and deliberately broken.
In February 2003, the provincial Conservatives – then in opposition – pledged to increase public access to government information. The latest round of changes to the provincial access to information law suggests they are continuing their practice of hiding as much information they can.
Here are some examples of the sorry provincial Connie legacy of Freedom from Information:
- Ignoring the Black Letter (2005) In 2005, the Tories ignored the black letter of the access law and tried to hide public opinion polls.
- Aural is moral: (2009) Paul Oram didn’t have briefing notes, then he had ones with someone else’s name on them and then it didn’t matter because he quit politics.
- Oil Royalties (2009)
- The Secret Inland Fisheries Review (2009)
- We can’t talk about the process because there is a process. (2009)
- Thousands for public speeches (2009)
- Schrodinger’s Purple Cat: (2010) files that existed and didn’t exist at the same time.
- Tories hide spending documents from Auditor General (2012)
- Update – Williams afraid of whistleblower law
- Update – Tories hide spending documents from Auditor General
- Update – Privacy commish sues Dunderdale gov over “political” e-mails on gov comps, phones
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