Decade old NDP promises to improve transparency still unfulfilled

Coalition releases recommendations and calls for NDP leadership candidates to respond

WINNIPEG: The Canadian Association of Journalists, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, Manitoba’s Provincial Council of Women and the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties released a damning report card today on secrecy within the provincial government.

“In opposition the NDP made many promises to open up government and make it more transparent,” said Mary Agnes Welch, President of the Canadian Association of Journalists “But, since taking power ten years ago, those promises have largely fallen by the wayside.”

The group released their report card during Right to Know Week, a nation-wide effort each year to draw attention to the right for citizens to know what their governments are doing.

The coalition graded the NDP on the following five key promises that were made while in opposition and during the 1999 election:

“Governments get their funding from taxpayers, so taxpayers should have a right to know how their dollars are being spent,” said Colin Craig, Manitoba Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “We want to know what the NDP’s two leadership candidates would do to improve transparency in government.”

The group released five recommendations for improving transparency in government:

 1)    Government Contracts – post bid results like the City of Winnipeg does and untendered contracts like the feds

2)    Politicians’ Expenses – scan and post copies of all receipts on-line just like Toronto’s city council does

3)    Create Question Period Online Archive – create video archive for citizens to view like Alberta has

4)    Bring Independent Offices Under FIPPA – would improve accountability of agencies like Elections Manitoba

5)    Eliminate Aboriginal Confidentiality Clause – Aboriginal people deserve transparency too

Click here to view the NDP's responses to a 1999 government transparency survey and here to see the analysis behind this year's report card.