The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) is deeply concerned by the passing of Ontario Bill 97, which undermines transparency, privacy and government accountability.
The Ontario government’s willingness to bypass the legislative committee process in order to force this law through further undermines government transparency.
Bill 97 removes broad categories of future and historical government records from its freedom of information law and shields government privacy and cybersecurity practices from public and regulatory scrutiny.
Read more about Bill 97 here.
Anaïs Bussières-McNicoll, Director of CCLA’s Fundamental Freedoms program, made the following statement:
“Bill 97 is a significant blow to government transparency in Ontario, undermining a crucial tool used by journalists, researchers and oversight organizations to hold government officials accountable. The law’s retroactive application is particularly concerning, because it allows the government to avoid disclosure of records that have already been requested.”
Tamir, Director of CCLA’s Privacy, Surveillance and Technology Program, made this additional statement:
“This law creates gaping holes in Ontario’s privacy rules and oversight. The government is left with fewer restrictions on how it handles our personal information and—in many instances—the ability to act with impunity. The cost to privacy and cybersecurity will be bourne by everyone in Ontario.”
Howard Sapers, Executive Director of CCLA, added the following statement:
“Pushing Bill 97 through without proper legislative scrutiny further undermines public confidence in this initiative and is a sign of poor governance. It is the latest in a disturbing race to the bottom among Canadian legislatures that is harming our democracy.”
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