CUPE has been trying to get key government documents related to the federal Liberal government’s support of a privatized Montreal transit project.
We wanted to know how the Liberals decided it was a smart idea to invest in the REM light rail project.
The Liberals have promised to pay more than $1.2 billion of the REM’s $6 billion cost.
When we filed an access to information request for the reports the Liberals used to justify their decision, we got more than 2,000 pages back.
But with 95 per cent of the information completely blacked out, we didn’t get any answers.
The public has a right to know how public funds are being spent. The federal Access to Information Act is keeping us in the dark about privatization deals like the REM.
The REM appears to be in trouble. Corporations bidding on the project are rumoured to be asking as much as $2 billion over its budget. And the project is already far behind schedule.
And now the Liberals are ramming through Bill C-58. The bill will make it even harder for Canadians to access key information about our governments and how they spend public money.
What’s the big secret?
