Executive Council
December 15, 2006Transparency
and Accountability Act Proclaimed
The Transparency and Accountability Act,
proclaimed today, will ensure greater openness and accountability of all
government departments and public bodies.
�The Transparency and Accountability Act is a flagship piece of
legislation for our government,� said the Honourable Danny Williams,
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. �This act reflects our commitment
to provide the legislative framework for the conduct of fiscal policy,
better decision-making processes and most important, strengthened
accountability, openness and transparency. We remain committed to
ensuring that government is fully accountable to the people who have
entrusted us to run the province.�
The act covers strategic planning and annual reporting, financial
forecasts, public entity borrowing, and performance-based contracts for
senior officials. It requires public release of a wide variety of
information so that it is accessible to the people of the province. This
legislation applies to all government departments and public entities,
with the exception of provincial courts.
�This act builds on the other important initiatives our government has
undertaken to ensure greater government accountability to the people of
the province,� added the Premier. �This includes our changes to the
elections act to ensure for timely by-elections and fixed general
election dates, and our new lobbyist legislation ensures that government
lobbying is done in an open and transparent manner. These are just some
examples of how our government is fulfilling our commitment to openness
and transparency.�
There has been a significant amount of work accomplished to bring
departments, boards and agencies in line with the provisions of this
legislation since it passed in the House of Assembly in December 2004.
There continues to be a transition period and a prescribed schedule to
ensure that all public bodies are compliant with the legislation by
April 1, 2008.
�Departments, boards and agencies have begun to table strategic,
business or activity plans,� said Premier Williams. �These plans will
contain clearly defined goals, primarily based on public commitments
made by government. This process ensures that departments and public
bodies are focused on fulfilling those commitments.�
While the work of some departments and agencies directly affect the
public, others are focused on internal operations. The planning process
was developed with this in mind. The type of plan developed will depend
on the categorization assigned to the entity. Categorization is based on
characteristics such as mandate, level of resources, organizational
structure, and program delivery practices. These changes have been
designed to balance true achievability with strategic thinking.
The progress on these plans will be measured and reported on through the
annual reporting process to the House of Assembly.
The Transparency and Accountability Act will be officially
proclaimed and Gazetted on Friday, December 15, 2006.
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Elizabeth Matthews
Director of Communications
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960, 351-1227
elizabethmatthews@gov.nl.ca
2006 12 15
12:00 p.m.