The following statement was issued today by Kelvin Parsons, Minister of Justice. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Further to comments by the premier last week, I have assembled a committee and am announcing that a comprehensive review of the province's Freedom of Information Act will commence early in the new year.

Government acknowledges that there have been no major changes to the act since it was enacted in 1981. While the act was considered a pioneering piece of legislation at the time, in the past 20 years there have been major changes in the way we manage information, and even the creation of new forms of communications like e-mail and voice mail.

As the honourable premier stated on December 4, government has no intention of hiding behind legislation. We are committed to an open, transparent process in the development and implementation of public policy, and we want to ensure our legislation remains clear and relevant in this new age of information.

We understand that there must be a balance between the public's right to know, and respect for individual privacy. It is also important to promote full and frank discussions at the executive and ministerial level, which require appropriate recognition of the confidentiality of certain deliberations.

A committee of four individuals, each respected in their own fields, will determine the process for carrying out the review. This process may include such things as holding consultations and receiving written submissions from stakeholders.

The committee will review and make recommendations on all aspects of the Freedom of Information Act and regulations, including, but not limited to recommendations dealing with the following:

• the need for a new review mechanism to examine decisions respecting the disclosure of information;

• the composition and powers of any recommended review mechanism;

• the appropriate exemptions from disclosure of the act;

• amendments necessary to deal properly with new forms of information such as e-mail; and

• appropriate time periods for government departments and agencies to respond to requests for information.

The members of this newly-formed committee are sitting in the speaker's gallery today and I'd like to welcome them to the house.

Joan Dawe, a former deputy minister of the Department of Health and Community Services, will chair the committee. She is currently chairperson of the Board of Directors for Health and Community Services, St. John's Region, and a member of the Board of Directors for the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Boards Association.

Siobhan Coady is the vice-president of Corporate Communications Ltd., a national strategic marketing and communications company. She is also president of Bonaventure Fisheries, a privately-held fish harvesting company, and a past president of the St. John's Board of Trade.

Dr. Leonard Williams is a former deputy minister of education who has spent the majority of his adult life as a school administrator. He is a past president of both the Newfoundland Teachers' Association and the Canadian Teachers' Federation. Members of this house will no doubt remember Dr. Williams' role as chairman of the 1992 Royal Commission on Education. Dr. Williams will be invested as a member of the Order of Canada, early in the new year.

Dennis Browne is a prominent St. John's lawyer who has on several occasions been appointed as a consumer advocate to protect the public interest at hearings before the Public Utilities Board.

I am grateful to each of these individuals for their interest in participating on the review committee. I have asked them to present their report to government within six months.

2000 12 12 2:05 p.m.