Privacy Commissioner calling on government to change act

On September 7, the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal ruled that the Privacy Commissioner will no longer be able to demand to see certain records.

Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey is calling on the government to act to fix this gap with a legislative amendment.

Harvey says he needs access to review documents in order to ensure that the government and public bodies are being open and transparent as required by law.

The Court’s decision concluded that the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act does not contain language to allow the Information and Privacy Commissioner to require that public bodies provide him with records during an investigation of an access to information complaint where the public body has claimed that the records contain information protected by solicitor-client privilege.