Judgement expected Friday on 2018 Ontario mandate letters
CTV
Canada’s top court will decide this week whether or not the Doug Ford government can keep its 2018 cabinet mandate letters a secret.
Canada’s top court will decide this week whether or not the Doug Ford government can keep its 2018 cabinet mandate letters a secret.
The Supreme Court of Canada said a judgement will be delivered on Feb. 2.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday morning, Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said the government has not wavered from their position that the letters should not be made public.
“We’ve been pretty clear. The premier’s been pretty clear. Those are captured by cabinet confidentiality.”
The six-year-long battle began with a freedom of information request by the CBC, which asked for the 23 letters the premier wrote to his cabinet ministers after he first was elected in 2018. A mandate letter is typically a generic document that outlines the responsibilities of a minister as well as the premier’s priorities for their file.
The cabinet office refused the CBC’s request, citing an exemption for cabinet privilege.
The media outlet appealed to the Ontario information and privacy commissioner, who ordered the release of the letters.
