Hiding SECRETS? Doug Ford's Alarming Attack on Political Transparency with FOI Law Changes

Bill welcomes Richard Brennan (AKA The Badger), veteran Queen’s Park reporter to break down a major developing story in Canadian politics and Ontario politics.Premier Doug Ford’s government is proposing significant changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information (FOI) laws—changes critics say could weaken transparency and limit public access to government records. The proposed updates would allow more records from the premier’s office and cabinet to be kept secret, while also extending response times for information requests.Bill and Richard examine what these changes mean for accountability, especially in the wake of past controversies—like the Greenbelt investigation—that relied heavily on access-to-information laws. They also discuss the broader implications for journalists, watchdogs, and the public’s ability to scrutinize government decisions.With decades of experience covering Ontario politics and news, Brennan offers insight into why investigative journalism—and strong FOI laws—are essential to a healthy democracy.Tune into Episode 399 of The Bill Kelly Podcast for daily politics news updates.This politics news update was recorded on March 18, 2026.WATCH THIS EPISODE and subscribe to our channel: https://youtu.be/ieeFNxxvOekWATCH A RELATED EPISODE: Floor-Crossings Are A Great Canadian Politics Tradition, Don't Fall for the FAKE Drama!https://youtu.be/fDhf01yvaS0Don’t forget to like, share, comment and subscribe to support Bill’s work. THANK YOU for staying informed!Subscribe to Richard Brennan’s Substack here: https://richardjbrennan.substack.com/Become a channel member to hear Bill’s stories from 50+ years as a broadcast journalist in our exclusive series, THE WAY I SEE IT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeUbzckOLocFzNeY1D72iCA/joinListen everywhere: https://kite.link/the-bill-kelly-podcastYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBillKellyPodcast/featuredBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/billkellypodcast.bsky.socialSubStack: https://billkelly.substack.com/FURTHER READINGFord government proposes FOI law change that would keep premier’s records secrethttps://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-foi-changes-9.7127380Doug Ford acknowledges transparency clamp-down is to protect his personal phonehttps://globalnews.ca/news/11734575/doug-ford-foi-personal-cellphone/ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit billkelly.substack.com/subscribe