Premier orders emails preserved amid fallout from mass deletions
The system for handling information is uneven, Clark admits
VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark has banned political staff and ministers from deleting any sent emails, in response to a scathing report by the privacy commissioner.
Clark sent a letter to staff Friday ordering them to keep all emails they send, including transitory records of a personal nature.
The ban will ensure “there’s always one copy of everything” until former privacy commissioner David Loukidelis finishes a review into how government can improve the way it handles emails and Freedom of Information requests, said Clark.
“While we’re waiting for David Loukidelis to complete his report, I want to make sure all of that information is retained,” Clark told reporters.
“And then when we really understand how he thinks we can meet the privacy commissioner’s expectation according to the act, then we will dispose of the things he says we should be disposing of.”
Elizabeth Denham blasted government in a report Thursday that outlined how political staff are exploiting the ability to permanently “triple-delete” email records before they are backed up on government servers, effectively erasing the only copy of what might be an important or embarrassing government record.
As well, Denham accused the Clark government, and Clark’s senior staff, of sidestepping the FOI law by not writing things down, bulk deleting emails and narrowing the wording of people’s FOI requests so they produce no records.
An aide to Transportation Minister Todd Stone resigned Thursday after Denham’s report accused him of lying under oath when asked if he’d ever tripledeleted emails. The RCMP is now investigating.
The premier’s ban on email deletion applies to ministerial assistants, chiefs of staff, political staff in Clark’s office and cabinet ministers. It does not apply to the larger B.C. civil service, with almost 30,000 employees in various ministries.
Opposition NDP Leader John Horgan said Clark’s ban is an admission the Liberal government has been breaking the FOI law for years and ignoring previous reports by Denham’s office.
“It seems to me the premier is surprised when she gets caught,” he said.
Horgan questioned the premier’s sincerity for change, saying a recent Opposition FOI for any emails sent by the premier during two weeks around the Site C dam announcement turned up nothing but form letters and news releases.
“I don’t send a ton of email, because I meet with staff and talk to staff and colleagues every single day, often weekends included,” Clark said. “The decisions that I make are mostly made in cabinet meetings and cabinet committee meetings, and that’s all evident to the public because all of that is recorded and, to the extent we’re allowed, released.”
B.C.’s FOI law requires government employees to keep records related to their work and the business of government. However, they are allowed to selfidentity records that are of an unimportant or personal nature and delete them as “transitory” files. Clark admitted Friday that the system is uneven.
“The public expects this information is consistently retained if it’s necessary,” said Clark.
Denham’s report also faulted Clark’s deputy chief of staff, Michele Cadario, for deleting virtually all of her emails so that they can’t be captured by FOI.
Clark said she won’t discipline Cadario, but that her office will change its procedures.
It seems to me the premier is surprised when she gets caught.
JOHN HORGAN OPPOSITION NDP LEADER