Ontario budget watchdog to get more access to government spending records

TORONTO – Ontario’s budget watchdog says the Liberal government has agreed to stop stonewalling his attempts to get information.

The financial accountability officer had said the government was too often citing cabinet confidentiality as an excuse to not answer his questions.

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Stephen LeClair said ministries claimed that all forecasts of future revenue and spending were cabinet records and couldn’t be provided to him unless they had already been made public.

LeClair said it was difficult to know if a bill is a good idea without having access to the government’s forecasts of its financial impact.

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But he says now cabinet has agreed that once it has made and publicly announced a decision, his office will be able to access the financial information and analysis used to make the decision.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa says granting the financial accountability officer increased access to information ensures he can fulfil his mandate.