TORONTO — The Ontario government says it plans to modernize the province’s freedom of information system.But one of the most significant changes it is proposing would do the opposite of what many people expect from modernization. It would place the premier’s office and the offices of cabinet ministers outside the reach of freedom of information requests.If the legislation moves forward, documents and emails tied to decision-making inside those offices would no longer have to be released when journalists, citizens or advocacy groups request them.That is not a small procedural change. It cuts right to the heart of how transparent government is supposed to be.Freedom of information laws were created to give the public a window into how government works. They allow reporters to follow the paper trail behind decisions, watchdog groups to investigate policy choices and ordinary citizens to ask questions about what their government is doing.Some of the most important decisions in government do not happen quietly inside ministries or departments. They happen in the premier’s office and in ministers’ offices. That is where political strategy, policy direction and stakeholder pressure all meet.Those offices sit at the centre of political power in Ontario. Shielding them from scrutiny would make it harder to see how that power is being used.The timing of the proposal also raises questions.Earlier this year a court sided with Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner in a dispute over call logs from Premier Doug Ford’s personal cellphone, which he has used for government business. The case began after Global News requested the records.The court ordered the logs released.The government has said it will appeal that decision. At the same time, it is now proposing legislation that would prevent similar requests from being made in the future..Whether intentional or not, the sequence leaves the impression that the rules are being changed after the government lost a court fight.Freedom of information laws are not designed to make life comfortable for politicians. In fact they often do the opposite. FOI requests have exposed questionable decisions, backroom lobbying efforts and internal disagreements that governments might prefer to keep private.That discomfort is part of the system working as intended.Critics of access laws often say political offices need space to deliberate. Ministers and their staff, the argument goes, must be able to speak candidly without assuming every conversation will eventually appear in a news story..There is some truth to that concern. But Ontario’s existing FOI framework already includes protections. Not every requested record becomes public. There are exemptions covering cabinet discussions, personal information and sensitive policy advice.Those protections exist to balance transparency with the realities of governing.What the government is now proposing goes further than that balance. It would remove the premier’s office and ministers’ offices from the process entirely.That kind of exemption does not strengthen public confidence in government. It risks weakening it.Access to information laws remain one of the most practical ways for citizens and journalists to hold governments accountable between elections. Without them, much of the real decision-making inside government becomes far harder to track..Ontario has long had one of the stronger access regimes in Canada. That reputation was built on the idea that the public deserves insight into how power is exercised.Changing the law to reduce that visibility moves the province in the wrong direction.Governments regularly promise openness and accountability when they ask voters for their support. Those promises carry more weight when the public can see how decisions are actually made.If Ontario wants to improve its freedom of information system, the goal should be clearer access and stronger transparency.Closing off the most powerful offices in government does neither.
