VICTORIA, B.C.: Conservative Critic for Citizen Services Jody Toor has accepted a petition from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, calling on the government to scrap Bill 9, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026. This bill would erode transparency and make it easier for the government to hide information from the public.

Thousands of British Columbians signed the petition against Bill 9, signalling a powerful desire for a government that is open and honest. Toor will present the petition to the Legislative Assembly, showing the government how strongly British Columbians oppose the bill.

“I am calling on the government to withdraw Bill 9 and commit to transparency and accountability,” said Toor. “It is important for democracy that people have the right to know what their government is doing.

Bill 9 makes it more difficult for citizens to submit access to information requests. It adds fees and gives the government more power to ignore requests. The bill does not clearly define the reasons why the government can ignore access to information requests, which means that in practice the government will be able to ignore almost any request it wants. This bill is consistent with the NDP government’s long track record of increasing secrecy and avoiding accountability.

“Amid record debt, a record deficit, and record spending, the NDP government doesn’t want British Columbians to know what they are doing with their tax dollars,” said Toor. “What are they trying to hide?”

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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948