TORONTO — The Ontario government has moved to fast-track several pieces of legislation, including a bill that would amend the province’s freedom of information rules, while cancelling public hearings that had not yet been scheduled.
The Progressive Conservative government introduced a time allocation motion Thursday covering Bills 97, 98 and 101, limiting debate and accelerating their passage through the legislature.
The move effectively ends the possibility of public committee hearings for Bill 97, which proposes changes to access-to-information laws.
According to the government’s motion, the bills will proceed through truncated committee reviews, with timelines shortened for public input and legislative consideration.
Bill 97 includes provisions that would exempt certain records from freedom of information requests, including those related to the Premier’s office and cabinet ministers. The proposed changes have drawn criticism from opposition parties and transparency advocates.
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized the government’s decision, arguing the amendments would reduce accountability and limit public access to government information.
“Doug Ford is going to great lengths to hide his cell phone records,” Stiles said in a statement. “We all know that the government’s move to exempt the Premier and his Minister from Freedom of Information requests is a recipe for more corruption and backroom deals.”
She added that cancelling hearings restricts public participation in the legislative process.
“This is an attack on our democracy, and by cancelling public hearings, Doug Ford is sending a clear message: if you don’t agree with him, he doesn’t want to hear from you,” Stiles said.
The government has not publicly detailed its rationale for cancelling hearings on Bill 97, though time allocation motions are commonly used to advance legislation more quickly.
In addition to the freedom of information changes, Bill 98 and Bill 101 propose broader reforms, including updates to school board governance. Those bills will proceed with reduced committee timelines but are still expected to receive some level of review.
The legislation was previously before committee for two weeks without scheduled public hearings prior to the government’s motion.
Debate on the bills is expected to continue at Queen’s Park under the accelerated schedule.
