Freedom of Information Concerns - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER: The Information and Privacy Commissioner is the latest oversight body to speak out against this government's surprising slate of undemocratic legislation. She's warning that proposed amendments to Freedom of Information laws will weaken transparency and accountability, and I'll table that. Also, not surprisingly, her office was not consulted before these changes were introduced. Why is this government ignoring the concerns and expertise of the Information and Privacy Commission?

THE PREMIER « » : I had a good discussion with the commissioner yesterday. She comes to the end of her tenure. I thank her for her service on this. The changes came out of things that she had asked for initially. She's asked for some changes and some tweaking, and I'm sure we'll proceed with that. The record in this province on responding to FOIPOP requests is actually the best in the country. In this province, we respond to 80 per cent of the requests within 30 days - 80 per cent. That's the highest in the country. There are many provinces - I don't want to call them out - but 50 per cent, 44 per cent, 27 per cent. In Nova Scotia, 80 per cent in 30 days.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: I am so glad to hear that some of the changes proposed are going to be walked back. I wonder if the media had anything to do with that. This government has come here with the surprising agenda to double down on avoiding accountability, including trying to pass legislation that would have allowed the Auditor General to be fired without cause, attempting to limit debate in this House, painting the media as the enemy. And now, pushing changes that make it easier to deny Freedom of Information requests, and figure out what's actually going on in here. The Premier was right to walk back proposed changes to the Auditor General's Office. Can he tell us when he's going to do the same for the Information and Privacy Commissioner?

THE PREMIER « » : The commissioner reached out, the commissioner sent a letter and outlined some - what she described as amendments and tweaking. That's the way the process works. It's actually built like that. Legislation is tabled. There's actually a process. Committee of the Whole, public engagement, second - that's actually the way the process works. I know it might surprise members opposite because the Liberals, when they were in government, they didn't take many changes. Whatever they introduced, that was it. The NDP - well we know what the NDP did. In this government, we have the courage to listen to Nova Scotians. We respect Nova Scotians. We will continue to do that. We will listen to Nova Scotians at every opportunity. When they put forward meaningful things like the commissioner did. If the Opposition put something meaningful forward, the day I see that, I'll be happy to listen to that too.