MACLEOD SPEAKS ON TRUTH IN GOVERMENT BILL PDF Print E-mail
Wednesday, 28 April 2010 03:59
Ms. Lisa MacLeod: It's my pleasure to rise in the assembly today to talk about the Truth in Government Act that I have tabled and that I will be speaking about next week here in this chamber. I'm hoping each member of the assembly will support us.

It is a measure of five robust accountability ideas that we think can be done today, here in the Ontario Legislature. Those five issues are: expanding the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and its scope so that it hits every public sector body-that means that it would open it up to hospitals, which is an idea that has been put forward by the Ontario Hospital Association as well as Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner. We also have four other initiatives there that talk about full, proactive disclosure in all public sector bodies. That means that we would ask for full disclosure, quarterly, on websites of the following things: any contribution or grant given that's $10,000 or more will be known to the public; any contract that is tendered, over $10,000, would also be made available in public; all hospitality and travel expenses will be made public; and we would ask that all reclassifications of public sector jobs be made available so the public, media, third party watchdog groups and the opposition will all have an opportunity to see what's in government so we can restore truth in government.

I'm calling on all members of the Ontario Legislature to support Tim Hudak and the PC caucus's plan for truth in government.