Quit stonewalling on finances

No watchdog can do an effective job shoved in a dark room and blocked from what it’s supposed to protect. Yet that’s the position of Ontario’s non-partisan guardian of the budget.

The government of Premier Kathleen Wynne is surely pleased — after all, it’s responsible for obstructing the province’s financial accountability watchdog. But Ontarians should be deeply concerned.

The public is the ultimate loser when politicians and bureaucrats dodge scrutiny by hiding data, even from an independent officer of the legislature. That’s precisely what’s happening in Ontario, according to Financial Accountability Officer Stephen LeClair.

In his first annual report, he detailed how the Liberal government has repeatedly stonewalled his requests for information; requests fundamental to doing his job.

As a result, the public has been denied a full and independent assessment of Wynne’s controversial plan to sell most of Hydro One, including insight into whether Ontarians stand to lose money on this deal over the long run.

Taxpayers have been deprived of a project-by-project analysis of the cost and economic impact of Wynne’s massive investments in infrastructure. And the public is likewise in the dark about the accuracy of the health ministry’s $53-billion spending projections.

When LeClair asked for information on these important files, to double-check official claims, he was met with rejection. That raises a rather obvious question: What does this government have to hide?

The primary excuse for failing to share information is cabinet secrecy. On this score, the Wynne government has much in common with that of former prime minister Stephen Harper. His administration made a habit of citing vague reasons of cabinet secrecy to hide vital facts and statistics from the public. Wynne should be ashamed of keeping such company.

There are valid reasons for holding some cabinet documents confidential. But this government’s ministries have apparently taken a position that virtually any spending or revenue projection should remain hidden, even from the financial accountability officer, unless such data has already been made public.

Wynne and her ministers can’t blame the bureaucracy for this excessive secrecy — it’s within their power to disclose cabinet documents. The fact they don’t do so makes them ultimately responsible for undermining the work of Ontario’s financial watchdog.

LeClair’s office has had to scramble to mine other sources of data in an attempt to assess this government’s claims. That’s hardly an ideal situation. But reform is unlikely to happen without a groundswell of public outrage, pressuring Wynne’s administration to change its ways.

Something similar has already happened, with fury over the Liberal government’s unprincipled fundraising forcing a longawaited crackdownon drumming up political contributions. There should be similar anger over undue government secrecy.

In order to hold politicians and bureaucrats fully responsible for their spending, the public must clearly see and understand what these people are doing. And that can’t happen without an unfettered and effective financial accountability watchdog.

Wynne and her ministers can’t blame the bureaucracy for this excessive secrecy