Africa-Press – Mauritius. The newspaper L’express of May 24, 2023 reports that the head of government refused to Parliament a request to introduce a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) because it is “expensive” and that some countries regret having introduced it .
The cost argument does not hold water based on the experience of some developed countries, including Canada. In Canada, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) exists at two levels of government: the federal government and the provincial government.
The FOI is a great democratic tool in that it allows citizens to access information that the government has on public policies. It is based on the principle of transparency in public affairs.
In principle, the FOI allows access to information that is not available in the public domain (websites, official documents). Under FIPPA, all information that is in the public interest may be disclosed upon request.
Of course, the law provides certain exceptions that do not allow the disclosure of sensitive information such as Cabinet Papers, national security information or personal information such as taxpayers’ tax records.
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