Ford says privacy commissioner opposing record restrictions ‘politically driven’
Written by The Canadian Press on March 24, 2026
TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he believes the information and privacy commissioner, who is speaking out about changes he is making to freedom-of-information laws, is “politically driven.”
The government announced this month that records of the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants and their offices will no longer be subject to public disclosure.
Ford says the changes will bring Ontario in line with the practices in other provinces and the federal government, but it is also about protecting his cellphone records.
Information and privacy commissioner Patricia Kosseim has sided with Global News in a battle for access to Ford’s call records, saying they should be public since the premier uses his personal phone for government business.
When Ford’s government announced the upcoming FOI restrictions earlier this month, Kosseim said retroactively changing the law sends a message that “if oversight bodies get in the way, just change the rules.”
Ford says today that Kosseim, who did an interview this week with Global News, is trying to “politicize” the issue.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 24, 2026.
Allison Jones, The Canadian Press