Ford government passes budget bill including controversial FOI changes

The Ford government’s omnibus budget bill passed its final vote at Queen’s Park Thursday, ushering in controversial changes to freedom of information laws that will allow the premier and his cabinet ministers to keep their office records secret.

The FOI changes were first announced in March after Premier Doug Ford lost a court battle over access to his phone records.

The budget changes the laws retroactively, meaning Ford no longer has to follow the court ruling to release those records.

Opposition leaders grilled Ford during question period, suggesting he is trying to hide damaging information.

In the gallery at Queen’s Park, protesters chanted “FOI” as the votes were counted.

The speaker announced the bill as passed with 57 ayes and 33 nays.

Opposition parties expressed anger over the inclusion of the FOI legislation in the budget.

“This is a budget about protecting the premier and his phone records because, guess what, we all know that this premier has been up to something,” says Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles.
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser asked the premier what he is trying to hide.

Ford defended the move, claiming the province is following federal standards.

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“We’re duplicating exactly what the federal government is doing, we’re duplicating exactly what the federal government has done for 15 years,” Ford said.

Fraser pointed to several matters revealed through the previous FOI framework, including the $8.2 billion Greenbelt scandal and the Skills Development Fund.

He also cited “millions of dollars for strip club owners, the Ford family dentist, and minister’s best friends.”

Ford said the changes are also intended to keep constituent matters private.

“I give my phone number out to everyone and everyone calls me,” says Ford. “No premier in the history of this country has given his cell number out to actually help people, to talk to them about confidential information and I’m sure if I told these people I’m going to post everything you gave me, I would have more lawsuits than you could shake a stick at.”

Stiles disputed the premier’s claims, saying he is “lying to Ontarians” because existing laws already protected private constituent information.

Stiles suggested Ford is hiding information related to the Greenbelt scandal.

“If he had nothing to hide, he wouldn’t be passing a law, he wouldn’t be changing the law to prevent that,” Stiles says. “It’s a terrible day for democracy in Ontario and it’s a bad day for taxpayers because you will be losing some of the accountability and transparency.”

In addition to the FOI changes, the $244.2 billion budget merges the province’s conservation authorities, provides a tax cut to small businesses and caps ticket resale prices.

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