Fairly simple Bill here, it would change the Executive Council Act to require Premiers to publish mandate letters, and changes the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to close an exemption to publishing such letters. The exemption normally applies when the disclosure would reveal the substance of deliberations of the Executive Council or its committees.
First up Bill 10 lays out the definition of what qualifies as a “mandate letter”. It is any written communication in any form that is issued by the Premier to another member of the Executive Council or a Parliamentary Assistant after a general election or throne speech, after a member of the Executive Council has been appointed (if that member is the receiver), or after a Parliamentary Assistant is appointed (again, if they’re the receiver). This communication is a mandate letter if it sets out the expectations of the work the receiver is to carry out to advance the government’s agenda.
The mandate letters must be published to the Government of Ontario website within a week after being issued. Previous mandate letters issued any time on or after June 7, 2018 must also be published within 60 days of this Bill taking effect.
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