Our position is that the government works for the taxpayers of the province. Taxpayers have the right to ask how their money is being spent.
Government transparency to taxpayers is a cornerstone of democratic governance and accountability. This concept entails the open sharing of information regarding government operations, budgetary allocations, and decision-making processes. By fostering a culture of transparency, governments enable citizens to scrutinize public expenditures and hold officials accountable for their actions. Moreover, heightened transparency enhances public trust in governmental institutions.
The Doug Ford government demonstrates no interest in the concept of “open sharing”.
Our personal experience in regard to animal welfare and dealing with Doug Ford personally, Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and the Ministry of the Solicitor General team is that they intentionally do the opposite. Their approach and attitude with us is one of arrogance and conveying that we have no right to know the answers to the questions we are asking.
They will not allow the public to speak to anyone on the Operations (AWS) side – which is the enforcement side. Refuse to provide updates about any investigation – even the police will provide the public with updates to their ongoing investigations.
This government website does not show any contact information for anyone on the Operations side.
Unlike the OSPCA who released annual enforcement statistics, this government does not.