The bricks and mortar of government accountability are quietly crumbling on the NDP's watch. Provincial Ombudsman Barry Tuckett recently griped about being "swamped" and "bogged down" by piles of complaints from Manitobans who filed information requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

Hallway access to information is crippling the Ombudsman's office. Tuckett estimates that he already received half as many complaints in the first two months of this year as it had in all of 1999. Should the trend continue, his workload would increase by 300 per cent.

Once the Parthenon of government accountability, Manitoba's access to information laws have been reduced to rubble by years of neglect and government sabotage. When the Filmon government passed amendments in 1997 - taking the information laws back into the dark ages - Gary Doer described it as "the worst legislation in North America."

Costs to the public shot up by fifty percent, tighter restrictions were introduced, and 30-day extensions were granted to slow-responding departments. The enduring legacy of the Byzantine amendments conceals government documents from citizens who have a right to know.

Mr. Tuckett pins part of the blame for the rising number of complaints on feeble bureaucratic excuses like: "gee this is going to embarrass us, or gee I'm not comfortable about releasing that or geez why are we doing this-." But the embarrassment is reserved only for governments and bureaucrats unclear on the concept of open government.

As the Opposition leader, Doer committed that his government would, "-bring in a new bill- very shortly, and we will have legislation that is worthy of the former reputation of Manitoba of being an open, democratic tolerant society."

But after repeated requests by the Manitoba Library Association, the Provincial Council of Women, the Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberty and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation pressing for reforms to the information laws, the new government refuses to act on its pre-election pledge.

Now the government has extending the flawed act to educational bodies, health-care bodies and local governments, worsening the backlog of complaints for the Ombudsman. Why extend to local bodies legislation that has been described as the worst in North America without first making the amendments to which the NDP have committed

Restrictive information laws have always been a thorn in the side of the opposition, the media and pressure groups that rely on FIPPA to uncover waste and hold governments accountable. In 1997 alone, the NDP and Liberal opposition made 132 requests for access to information under FIPPA.

Government information is public information that should be made available without delay and at the lowest possible cost. After all, Manitobans paid for it once already in taxes.

Modern information technology such as the internet allows immense and inexpensive opportunities for the government to establish and maintain the routine disclosure of information.

The challenge for the NDP during the next session of the legislature likely in May will be to introduce wide-sweeping reforms to Manitoba's information laws.

They should expand the scope of the act for the public to gain access to public opinion polls; create the position of an Information and Privacy Commissioner to order disclosure of government information; restore search and preparation fees from $30 per hour to $20 per hour; and introduce a provision to waive fees where requests for records relate to a matter of public interest.

The NDP should make good on its pre-election promise and reform the information laws now before the culture of secrecy takes hold of the new government as it did the old.