N.S. election: Liberals only commit to reviewing weak powers of information czar
Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Iain Rankin is only committing to review the weak powers of the province's information commissioner but his rivals are promising to give her office some legal teeth.
Advocates for freedom of information have long argued the authority of the commissioner's office is too weak because it lacks so-called "order-making powers."
Those powers would force the public agency to contest the commissioner's decisions in court instead of that burden falling on citizens.
Applicants have had to go though complex and expensive court proceedings in recent years to enforce decisions to release public information.
The NDP and the Progressive Conservatives say that if they are elected in the Aug. 17 election, they will make information commissioner Tricia Ralph an independent officer of the legislature with order-making powers.
Rankin, however, promised Friday to having his justice minister review and modernize the legislation on public information.
Former Liberal premier Stephen McNeil in 2013 had promised to grant the commissioner order-making powers but never fulfilled that pledge, calling it a "mistake."
Rankin said if elected, he's committed to having more "up-to-date legislation that allows easier access to public information."
"What I committed to, which is in the mandate letter to (Justice Minister Randy Delorey), is a full, comprehensive review to legislation that hasn't been amended in decades," he told reporters.
"The review will come out with specific recommendations and we'll accept every one of them."
Tory Leader Tim Houston has tied the issue to an alleged lack of Liberal transparency. He said the Liberal government -- unlike other provincial governments -- hasn't found a way to allow the legislature to sit during the pandemic or to allow the public accounts committee to fully operate during the health crisis.
"All of these things are stains on this government because they all undercut democracy and every time you undercut democracy you turn people off from democracy," Houston told reporters last week. "People think, 'It just doesn't matter."'
"A Progressive Conservative government is one that will have the courage to be held accountable by the people," he added. "It is one that will be transparent. That means giving order-making ability to the commissioner."
NDP Leader Gary Burrill says his party would be different from the Liberals on the issue of access to public information.
"We believe in this," he said in an interview on July 26 with The Canadian Press. "We've been saying for a long time that the freedom of information officer should be an officer of the house and that they should have the capacity to make their rulings stick."
In April, a research group studying how jails and federal prisons across the country handled the COVID-19 pandemic singled out Nova Scotia for the poor response of its access to information system.
University of Winnipeg researcher Kevin Walby noted that the projected fees in the province were close to 20 times higher than those in Ontario regarding requests for materials ranging from manuals and policy directives to requests for statistics on prisoner grievances.
Faced with tens of thousands of dollars in fees, Walby abandoned the request in Nova Scotia. He said at the time that even if he would have been successful in obtaining the information about the province's prisons, he might have had to go to court to enforce the decision.
Information commissioner Ralph said at the time that Walby's request would have had to wait "upward of three years" before her office could have dealt with it because of limited resources.
In June 2017, Ralph's predecessor, Catherine Tully, had called for reforms, including to make her position into an independent officer of the legislature, which would have given her office security of tenure and an easier time with budget requests.
She noted at the time Nova Scotia was the only province not to allow its information commissioner that kind of independence. Tully had also argued for order-making powers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 2, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
Thieves use stolen forklift to rip cash machine out of U.K. bank
Police in the U.K. are searching for a group of suspects seen on video using a forklift to steal a cash machine from a bank.
'There was a lot of black smoke': Crane operator sounds alarm while trapped during highrise fire in Halifax
A tower crane operator alerted emergency crews after noticing a fire on a construction site in Halifax Tuesday morning.