Culture of Cover-Up Must End Now

Media Statement October 22, 2015
Culture of Cover-up Must End Now: Andrew Weaver MLA
For Immediate Release

Victoria, B.C. – Andrew Weaver, Deputy Leader of the B.C. Green Party and MLA for Oak Bay Gordon Head welcomes the report today from Elizabeth Denham, Office of Information and Privacy Commission, and is calling on the government to immediately implement the report’s recommendations on documentation and retention of records.

“The government has repeatedly been criticized for either providing incomplete records, or claiming that no records exist, in response to Freedom of Information requests. They’ve further been criticized for ignoring previous recommendations concerning the creation and retention of records, use of personal email for government business, and oral communications where notes and documents should be required,” said Andrew Weaver, “There is a pervasive culture of cover-up that has become the status quo under this government. This has to end now.”

Further, Andrew Weaver is calling on the Premier to immediately implement the following recommendations from the OIPC:

1. Technological changes to stop employees from permanently deleting emails;
2. Mandatory training in records management, including training on what is a transitory record and what is not;
3. Best practices to ensure that employees follow correct processes when responding to access to information requests and meet the duty to assist;
4. Legislative changes including a duty to document key decisions of government, and oversight of information management and destruction of records with sanctions for non-compliance.

“The commissioner was clear when she stated that: ‘these practices threaten the integrity of access to information in British Columbia’ and I completely agree.” said Andrew Weaver, “The Premier ran on a promise of openness and transparency in government; evidently her definition of those terms is at odds with Elizabeth Denham’s as well as British Columbians’.”

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Media Contact
Mat Wright
Press Secretary – Andrew Weaver MLA
Cell: 250 216 3382
Mat.wright@leg.bc.ca
Twitter: @MatVic

Parliament Buildings
Room 027C
Victoria BC V8V 1X4