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News
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Opposition welcomes court challenge to arrogance of
Williams government July 29, 2005
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Kelvin Parsons, Opposition Justice Critic and MHA for the District of Burgeo-La
Poile, says he is dismayed that the Privacy Commissioner has been forced
into the unusual position of taking the government to court in an attempt to
ensure the media’s right to public information is protected. "It is truly unfortunate that the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has been forced to take the Provincial Government to the Supreme Court in an effort to have public opinion polls released under the Access to Information Act," said Parsons. "This speaks volumes about this government’s record of secrecy. The government is trying to defeat the spirit of the legislation. "The Liberal Government brought forward the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act in an effort to ensure a greater level of openness and accountability within government and to provide the people of the province another means to hold government accountable for its actions. "I am pleased that the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner is appealing the decision of Executive Council not to follow the Commissioner’s decision to make public the results of polls done for the cabinet as requested by The Telegram. We are looking forward to the court ordering the government to release these polls so the public can learn what they are trying to hide. Other provinces have voluntarily released similar information in the past and the government of Mr. Williams should be no different. "This government fails to practice what it preaches in regards to openness and transparency. Their failure to comply with the Commissioner's decision illustrates how arrogant the Williams' government has become over the past two years and reinforces the need for a strong opposition, a free press and strong freedom of information legislation."
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