Mr. McGuinty...you have some explaining to do

Dear Mr. McGuinty,

Your government recently performed a stealth attack on the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Your government recently amended the Act to exclude records relating to the provision of abortion services. Individuals no longer have a right to make access requests under Part II of FIPPA to an institution for records in the custody or under the control of that institution relating to the provision of abortion services:
(5.7) This Act does not apply to records relating to the provision of abortion services. 2010, c. 25, s. 24 (17)

This amendment to FIPPA was very quietly slipped in as part of Bill 122: An Act to increase the financial accountability of organizations in the broader public sector. This was done by your government.

The irony, of course, is that this manoeuvre actually greatly decreased financial accountability since all access to abortion related information in the province of Ontario is now prohibited.

These changes have nothing to do with pro-life or pro-choice ideology.

These changes are comprehensive and are a complete perversion of the democratic process. What happened here is a shameful abuse of power.

And this all happened under your watch.

In light of these facts, and as leader of the Government in Ontario, and since the Government in power answers to its citizens, of which I am one, can you please answer the following questions for me?

1) Why were abortion services the only "medical procedure" excluded from FIPPA? Why were no other "medical procedures" excluded?

2) Why was there no information made available to the public about these changes beforehand so that we would be aware of the far reaching implications of these changes, and could lobby against them? Why was this done in secret?

I look forward to receiving your reply at your earliest possible convenience.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Patricia Maloney