What information should the government let you see?

Should they put your friend’s health records and the kid next door’s report card on the internet for all to see? Clearly no. But what if a non-profit taxpayers’ watchdog group like the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is refused access to juicy details about a controversial government expenditure? Shouldn’t those details come to light?

Obviously the answer is “yes,” but unfortunately information requests to the government sometimes receive a “no” when they shouldn’t.

Why you should care?

If a media outlet or watchdog group like ours can’t investigate something that’s going on, then we can’t inform the public. And if people don’t know about something, how can they hold those in office accountable?

For example, the CTF regularly fills out forms to get access to records on the amount of sick time used by provincial government employees. We then compare the results – which consistently show higher sick time in government than outside government. The information is then used to illustrate how there is room to reduce expenses and then cut taxes.

On the whole, we’ve found various provincial departments, crowns and other agencies to be pretty co-operative as of late when it comes to freedom of information requests we’ve filed.

But there is still room for improvement.

Consider an issue that arose with the Information Commissioner, the province’s independent officer responsible for helping people obtain government documents. Last year he helped a citizen with a request for some information, but had to wait 16 months for the documents. Requests are supposed to be answered within 30 days. It’s not right the original applicant and Information Commissioner had to wait almost a year and a half for the information.

What Saskatchewan needs to do is implement something other provinces have done and that is to give the Information Commissioner the power to order government departments and divisions to release information. That way there wouldn’t be any stonewalling or delaying the release of information.

Right now, all Saskatchewan’s Information Commissioner can do is to stomp his feet and ask a bureaucrat nicely to release for the information.

Opportunities for transparency improvements don’t end there.

Once cabinet is done each weekly meeting, records from that meeting are sealed shut for 25 years before the public can see what occurred behind closed doors.

The premier could improve transparency by eliminating the waiting period altogether or by cutting it down dramatically. After all, municipal governments also make important decisions, but their documents are routinely made available to the public.

The premier could also follow the federal government’s lead and put more information online about cabinet ministers’ expenses, grants handed out to various groups and contracts.

As Premier Brad Wall considers his legacy as premier, he already has some pretty good accomplishments – paying down debt, reducing taxes and cutting wait times in hospitals to name a few.

However, in the coming years he should aim to make Saskatchewan the most transparent government in the country. Now there’s a pretty clear goal.