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Opinion
BC Politics

Do You Want a More Open Government? Then Tell Them

Consultation seeks ideas on privacy, FOI law changes.

Keith Reynolds 22 Mar 2018TheTyee.ca

Keith Reynolds is the former National Research Representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees. This article first appeared on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives website here.

The story goes that Franklin Delano Roosevelt once met with a group of activists who wanted bold action. He listened and then said, "You've convinced me. Now go out and make me do it."

B.C.'s new government is holding a consultation on updating our freedom of information and protection of privacy legislation.

On the basis of commitments made during the election campaign, there is room for optimism. But if enough people and organizations respond to this consultation, perhaps we can persuade the government to take bold action.

During the election the B.C. NDP responded to a questionnaire from the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (BC FIPA), which can be found here.

They committed themselves to:

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives' B.C. Office has submitted a response to the consultation and supported these commitments.

CCPA-BC has asked the government to go further. Among other things, we have asked for private corporations delivering public services to be subject to Freedom of Information legislation. We have asked for specific actions to reduce costs and delays in using FOI.

When our legislation was introduced in the 1990s, it was among the best in the world. Since then the legislation has been undermined and other jurisdictions have gone far ahead of us.

If you want a more open and transparent government in B.C., now is the time to tell them.

Details on participating in this consultation can be found here. People are encouraged to make individual submissions. You can leave a message on the website here or here, or you can submit a written submission either in Word or PDF format here. The deadline is 4 p.m. April 9.

You can support the CCPA submission, or you can comment on one or more items that are of particular interest to you.

If you want a lot more detail, you can read the CCPA-BC's submission to the special legislative committee reviewing the legislation. Or you can read the valuable submissions from BC FIPA or the Centre for Law and Democracy. Journalist Stanley Tromp also made an extensive presentation that you can find here.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity. Remember Franklin Roosevelt's words.  [Tyee]

Read more: BC Politics

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