Privacy commissioner slams Liberals again

“The provision of inaccurate and incomplete information in my initial investigation is unprecedented in my tenure as Commissioner”

-- Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian, August 20, 2013


Nipissing MPP Victor Fedeli
News Release

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Ontario’s Privacy Commissioner has issued a second scathing report on Liberal efforts to recover and release deleted gas plant scandal documents, said Nipissing MPP and PC Energy Critic Vic Fedeli.


In Ann Cavoukian’s 32-page addendum to her original report on the deletion of emails by senior Liberal operatives in the offices of the Premier and Minister of Energy, she confirms the Liberals are not making every effort to be open and transparent as claimed.


“I found it very difficult to accept that the routine deletion of all emails was not an attempt by the staff in the former Minister’s office to avoid transparency and accountability,” Cavoukian wrote as she scolded the Ministry of Government Services (MGS).


“My office was not provided with accurate information about the archiving and/or storage tools in use by MGS, nor were we told about any possible back-up tapes existing from the relevant time period,” Cavokian continued later in the report.


“I was baffled as to how MGS staff could have failed to provide relevant, accurate information about the IT systems under its control.”


Cavoukian further took issue with the fact the government didn’t provide her with a complete picture of its email system and didn’t inform her of the existence of relevant back-up tapes.


“In addition, relevant portions of the information they provided were not accurate,” Cavoukian said.


Fedeli says today’s report is further proof the Liberals continue to do whatever they can to keep Ontarians from the truth about the gas plant scandal, and that nothing has changed under Kathleen Wynne.


“It’s clear now there is a concerted, organized effort to keep documents from the Gas Plant Scandal Committee and keep us from the truth,” Fedeli said.


“This is unacceptable and Ontarians won’t stand for it. Kathleen Wynne needs to stop playing games, own up to her role in this scandal and order release of all relevant documents today.”

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