REGINA, Sask. — The opposition New Democrats have introduced a new private member's bill aimed at removing some of the steep costs of freedom-of-information requests.
Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail introduced Bill 638, The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (Accountability and Transparency) Amendment Act, which received first reading Nov. 10.
Speaking to reporters, McPhail said the bill would “blow a hole in the battleship of a 20-year-old government that is just allergic to transparency, that does not believe that the people of Saskatchewan preserve access to information and ultimately be more accountable to the people that we all serve here in the province of Saskatchewan.”
If Bill 638 is passed without amendment, he said, “what it would look at is giving the Privacy Commissioner a little bit of teeth to be able to compel government to release documents that would remove fees.”
McPhail told reporters that his proposed bill “would remove those fees. It would also make the minister's calendars public on a quarterly basis and also give the ability for government to post any information that is in the public interest to the website.”
As well, if a freedom-of-information (FOI) request has been granted, McPhail said, “that upon 14 days after they've given that documentation to the public,” it would compel the government to “provide that information on the government website as well.”
McPhail pointed to the high costs of some FOI requests as a reason behind the bill. During question period, he said that in November 2023, the NDP had submitted a request to the Water Security Agency for information on a flood risk assessment.
“Pretty simple, right? No, not this government,” McPhail said in the assembly.
“They quoted us $107,000 for that information. That’s not an estimate, Mr. Speaker; that’s an insult.”
Speaking to reporters, McPhail said the NDP had to abandon the request because of the cost involved.
“We ultimately said no because $107,000 is just too expensive to access some of that information,” McPhail said.
McPhail also pointed to an NDP request for information about the government's coal refurbishment plan, saying the party received 1,500 pages that were completely redacted.
He also pointed to other NDP attempts to seek information from the government, including on the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Bell Canada regarding the Bell AI data centre project outside Regina. An opposition emergency motion to make the MOU public failed to proceed in the legislative assembly Nov. 4 after the government refused the unanimous consent required for the motion to enter debate.
“You know, the government wants to say in the House that they're transparent,” said McPhail.
“Well, they're about as transparent as my suit is today. They do not believe that they need to ask or answer any questions that the people have regarding, again, the Data Centre, the coal refurbishment, the plans that they've had around the GTH. We've seen over 20 years of this Sask Party government continually try and cover up and lie about the challenges that we see across the province of Saskatchewan.”
McLeod defends government's record on transparency
In response to McPhail's questions about transparency, Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod pushed back against the NDP during question period.
“Now contrary to the narrative that the opposition seems to be desperately trying to concoct as the ejector seat heats up over there, Mr. Speaker,” said McLeod, who received a warning from the Speaker over his use of the word "concoct."
McLeod continued, “the fact of the matter is the Government of Saskatchewan’s commitment to transparency, privacy, and the public’s right to obtain information and access records is long-standing, Mr. Speaker.”
He said that in 2025-26, access-to-information requests were granted either in whole or in part, if records existed, more than 93 per cent of the time. McLeod said Saskatchewan's overall rate of compliance with recommendations from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner “remains incredibly high relative to other jurisdictions.”
McLeod later said that when such a request comes in, “there is a lot of time and effort that goes into that. There’s a lot of paper that’s generated, depending on the size of the request. And those costs must be borne, Mr. Speaker.”
McLeod also took a further shot at the previous NDP government.
He pointed out that in 2005, when the NDP was in power, it “received a grade of F — that’s 44 per cent or below — from the National Freedom of Information Audit.”
McLeod also quoted the information and privacy commissioner at the time, who said the NDP had “a somewhat relaxed approach to access and privacy.”
“Mr. Speaker, it would seem that they also have a somewhat relaxed approach to applying the actual facts to their narratives.”
Canadian Taxpayers Federation supports bill
The NDP bill is receiving a thumbs up from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF), which says it will strengthen accountability.
“Taxpayers pay the bills and they deserve to know how their politicians are spending their tax dollars,” said Gage Haubrich, CTF Prairie director, in a statement.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant and this bill will make it easier for everyday taxpayers and journalists to uncover wasteful government spending.”
The federation said FOI requests are among the ways it uncovers information about government waste, including $17,401 spent on two charter flights between Regina and Saskatoon.
“Government accountability and transparency shouldn’t be a partisan issue… Politicians from both sides of the legislature need to back this bill to show they support taxpayers’ right to know.”
