Ford accuses FOI watchdog of ‘politicizing’ transparency clamp-down

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is accusing the province’s transparency watchdog of “politicizing” his government’s crackdown on freedom of information laws, claiming he has “nothing to hide” but that he doesn’t want to risk publishing personal records.

The government is facing major pushback, including from the Information and Privacy Commissioner, over its plan to give political staff and government ministers near-total immunity from transparency requests.

Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim, whose office oversees transparency and privacy laws in Ontario, has said the government announced its new policy without consulting her.

If they did, Kosseim said, the province would have received pragmatic advice on alternative options that would have been “far preferred” to the final decision.

The plan will exclude the premier, his cabinet, parliamentary assistants and their staff from freedom of information laws.

Asked about the criticism, Ford said the head of the civil service had spoken to the commissioner, and accused Kosseim of playing politics with the issue.

“I know the secretary of cabinet sat down and had a very good conversation,” Ford told Global News on Tuesday.

“I’ve never seen a privacy commissioner go out and do media; it’s very politically driven, in my opinion. It’s very unfortunate we have a privacy commissioner that wants to politicize this.”

Ford’s office later clarified that Secretary of Cabinet Michelle DiEmmanuel spoke with the commissioner about the changes prior to the government’s announcement and has been engaging with the office on certain portions for a few months.

The premier’s office acknowledged the difference between consultation and being informed about the decision.

Meanwhile, Minister for Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford suggested the transparency watchdog, who was appointed by the legislature in 2025, shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

“In terms of the IPC, the privacy commissioner, I mean, her word is not gospel,” he said in a brief interview with Global News.

“As you’re probably aware, she lost a case in court in 2024 when she basically challenged the government on cabinet confidentiality, so I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on her words.”

The government also lost several court cases, including a recent defeat in which a panel of three judges sided with the Information and Privacy Commissioner and ordered Premier Ford to release his cellphone records.

The premier’s office had planned to file an appeal to that decision, before introducing the retroactive changes to freedom of information, which will essentially void that defeat.

“It’s not just about the cellphone,” Ford insisted on Tuesday, before pivoting to discuss privacy concerns that are already covered under existing legislation. “I have nothing to hide.”

Ford said the changes will bring Ontario in line with the practices in other provinces and the federal government, but it is also about protecting his cellphone records.

He contends that releasing those would reveal the personal and health information of residents who send him text messages, but that type of information is already protected.

As well, he said the government and provincial agencies receive 75,000 freedom-of-information requests per year.

“That’s more than all provinces in the entire country combined,” he said. “So there’s obviously an issue there. It’s costing thousands and thousands of hours that people should be reallocated, focusing on what people really care about.”

Critics say the premier’s cellphone records — and who he talks to — are the driving force behind the legislation, which they suggest the government has introduced to keep all his conversations secret.

“This government is focused on hiding the premier’s cellphone records,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said. “And we know that there must be something pretty damning in those records if they’re taking these kinds of measures to hide those cell phone records.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

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