Freedom of Information delays continue while access portal is rebuilt

Halifax -- The NDP Caucus is calling for an interim solution while the Liberal government continues to rebuild the Access to Information Portal. In the last four weeks, two Freedom of Information requests have been returned to the NDP Caucus months overdue, in violation of the Freedom of Information Act.

“Freedom of Information requests are an important part of how opposition MLAs hold the Liberal government accountable for its decisions. When information is withheld, legislators are left in the dark about why certain decisions are being made,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill. “There are rules that allow extensions, but in both of the recent cases in our office the information was withheld far past the deadlines that were set.”

The FOI portal was taken down in the spring of 2018 after a security breach allowed hundreds of people’s personal information to be downloaded. Last week the government announced a vendor has been selected to relaunch the Access to Information Portal.

“The McNeil Liberals have a problem with secrecy. The freedom of information laws are there to make sure the government can’t hide behind closed doors and misrepresent the process of their decisions,” said Burrill. “At the very least we need a Privacy Commissioner with enough power to enforce these rules, especially when we see the government becoming more and more complacent about breaking them.”

The two FOIs that were recently returned to the NDP Caucus were from the Department of Community Services and the Department of Finance. One was almost three months over its due date. The other was returned almost a year past the deadline that was set.

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