Standing in front of the Office of the Commissioner of Legislative standards, Newfoundland and Labrador New Democratic Party (NDP) Leader Jim Dinn pledged that an NL NDP government would be the most transparent in the province’s history – starting with publicly posting Members of the House of Assembly (MHAs) conflict of interest disclosures.
“Sunlight is the best disinfectant,” said Dinn. “It’s time for Newfoundland and Labrador to catch up with the rest of Canada and make this important information easily accessible to the public.”
In British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, conflict of interest disclosures for elected officials are publicly posted online, where journalists and the public can easily access them.
But in Newfoundland and Labrador, anyone wishing to view an MHA’s disclosure must travel in person to the Office of the Commissioner for Legislative Standards and book an appointment. Once you’ve gotten your appointment, you’re permitted to view the document, but not allowed to leave with a copy – not even a digital one. Instead, you must handwrite any details from the report. If someone else wants to verify what you’ve found, they have to repeat the entire process from scratch.
Under the House of Assembly Act (Section 37(4)), there’s no obligation to display that information publicly.
“If you live in Lake Melville and wanted to know the potential conflicts of your local MHA, you’d be in for two days of travel and out $1,500 dollars,” said Dinn. “Meanwhile you could access the disclosures for politicians in British Columbia without leaving your couch. That makes no sense.”
Under the NDP’s plan, Dinn envisions an online, user-friendly system that would allow the public to access all relevant government investment and financial data in real-time, without having to jump through hoops.
“For the public to trust their government, they need to know that decisions are being made in their best interests, not the personal interests of those in power,” said Dinn. “It’s this kind of lack of transparency that leads to the insider backroom politics we’ve seen too often from both Liberal and Conservative governments. ”
“It’s time for a government that builds back trust and delivers a better deal for the people here in Newfoundland and Labrador. And that’s exactly what a NL NDP government would do.”
This commitment is part of the NDP’s broader vision to ensure greater accountability for Members of the House of Assembly and to get a better deal for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.