Home \|\| About KDR \|\| Weekly Feature Archive
Alberta government forcing through changes on contentious info law Jim Macdonald - Canadian Press \|\| May 17, 2006 EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta's freedom of information law, once described by a journalism group as the most secretive in Canada, is about to get even more restrictive. The Conservative government is pushing through changes this week to Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to put a five-year blackout on briefing documents and other records that show how Premier Ralph Klein ran the province for more than a dozen years. "This Conservative government seems hell bent to ram through legislation this week to make Canada's most secretive government even more tight-lipped," Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said Monday in the legislature. Taft accused the Tories of putting the interests of two dozen cabinet ministers ahead of three million Alberta residents. But Klein said the Liberals are complaining because they won't be able to make political hay with cabinet briefing documents. "There is no way that the opposition is going to get this briefing book," Klein, waving his notes in the air, told the legislature. "They will use it for purely political purposes." Klein's Conservatives are using their majority to limit further debate on Bill 20 as the spring sitting of the legislature winds down this week. Klein has said cabinet briefings are sometimes brutally frank and sharing this anytime soon with the public might be embarrassing for his staff and other bureaucrats. "There are some sensitive pieces of information that were put together by the administration," Klein told the assembly. The premier said the Alberta government received more than 3,000 freedom of information requests over the last two years, most of them from the opposition. The responses to 94 per cent of the information requests were completed within two months, a response rate Klein called "commendable." "That's pretty impressive given the number of requests we get and the complexity of those requests." Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com But Taft said there's a growing number of people lining up to criticize the legislation. "Noxious! That's the word used by a top expert in government secrecy when asked to describe this government's Bill 20," said Taft, who was referring to Alasdair Roberts, a Canadian author and professor teaching at Syracuse University in New York state. Frank Work, Alberta's information commissioner, has also criticized Bill 20, saying the restrictions are unnecessary, since most cabinet documents are already kept confidential for an infinite period. But Klein told reporters recently that cabinet ministers should be able to seek advice from senior officials without fear that it will someday appear in the media. "It enshrines in law what we already practise." Raj Pannu, information critic for the NDP, said Klein is trying to cover his tracks before retiring later this year. Pannu said people need to remember that Tory leadership contender Lyle Oberg was fired from cabinet recently after saying he knew about the "skeletons" in the government's past. "There are lots of skeletons in the closet for this government and they want to keep them in the closet for as long as they can," Pannu said Monday in an interview. "Five years is a long time and often people forget." Paul Hinman, the lone Alberta Alliance member of the legislature, said Albertans should be offended by what the Conservatives are doing to protect this information. "It's offensive to me that we're not going to be able to see those records that show what went on behind closed doors," said Hinman. "That's scary and even dangerous." About KDR \| \| Home \| \| Weekly Features Archive	Weekly Weekly Features Archive
In Depth What Is Wrong With Canada Recent 9-11 News Suppressed by the Media Aspartame: The Sweetest Killer The Number 1 Reason YOU became a Slave Knowledge Driven Look at Your Favourite Canadian Political Parties
Archive March April May 2006 30 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 01 02 03 Weekly Features

Home || About KDR || Weekly Feature Archive

Alberta government forcing through changes on contentious info law

Jim Macdonald - Canadian Press || May 17, 2006

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta's freedom of information law, once described by a journalism group as the most secretive in Canada, is about to get even more restrictive.

The Conservative government is pushing through changes this week to Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to put a five-year blackout on briefing documents and other records that show how Premier Ralph Klein ran the province for more than a dozen years. "This Conservative government seems hell bent to ram through legislation this week to make Canada's most secretive government even more tight-lipped," Liberal Leader Kevin Taft said Monday in the legislature.

Taft accused the Tories of putting the interests of two dozen cabinet ministers ahead of three million Alberta residents.

But Klein said the Liberals are complaining because they won't be able to make political hay with cabinet briefing documents.

"There is no way that the opposition is going to get this briefing book," Klein, waving his notes in the air, told the legislature.

"They will use it for purely political purposes."

Klein's Conservatives are using their majority to limit further debate on Bill 20 as the spring sitting of the legislature winds down this week.

Klein has said cabinet briefings are sometimes brutally frank and sharing this anytime soon with the public might be embarrassing for his staff and other bureaucrats.

"There are some sensitive pieces of information that were put together by the administration," Klein told the assembly.

The premier said the Alberta government received more than 3,000 freedom of information requests over the last two years, most of them from the opposition.

The responses to 94 per cent of the information requests were completed within two months, a response rate Klein called "commendable."

"That's pretty impressive given the number of requests we get and the complexity of those requests."

Article Posted at www.KnowledgeDrivenRevolution.com

But Taft said there's a growing number of people lining up to criticize the legislation.

"Noxious! That's the word used by a top expert in government secrecy when asked to describe this government's Bill 20," said Taft, who was referring to Alasdair Roberts, a Canadian author and professor teaching at Syracuse University in New York state.

Frank Work, Alberta's information commissioner, has also criticized Bill 20, saying the restrictions are unnecessary, since most cabinet documents are already kept confidential for an infinite period.

But Klein told reporters recently that cabinet ministers should be able to seek advice from senior officials without fear that it will someday appear in the media.

"It enshrines in law what we already practise."

Raj Pannu, information critic for the NDP, said Klein is trying to cover his tracks before retiring later this year.

Pannu said people need to remember that Tory leadership contender Lyle Oberg was fired from cabinet recently after saying he knew about the "skeletons" in the government's past.

"There are lots of skeletons in the closet for this government and they want to keep them in the closet for as long as they can," Pannu said Monday in an interview.

"Five years is a long time and often people forget."

Paul Hinman, the lone Alberta Alliance member of the legislature, said Albertans should be offended by what the Conservatives are doing to protect this information.

"It's offensive to me that we're not going to be able to see those records that show what went on behind closed doors," said Hinman. "That's scary and even dangerous."