CAJ Press Release - Charlottetown City Council
<<< Back to main page
Dear CAJ member,
The CAJ is issuing the following press release today regarding the
decision of Charlottetown city council to severely restrict the media's
access to the council's committee meetings. We recognize this issue is
not unique to Charlottetown and that in several, often smaller,
municipalities across the country local councils limit the media's
access to proceedings which should be public. We would like to
investigate this further. If you have encountered what you believe is
unjustified restrictions to the council proceedings in your area, please
let us know.
Sincerely,
John Dickins
Canadian Association of Journalists
For immediate release
CAJ calls for more openness from Charlottetown city council
OTTAWA (Dec.17, 2004) - The Canadian Association of Journalists today called on Charlottetown's city council to stop interfering in the public's right to know by more fully opening committee meetings to citizens and the media.
Earlier this week, city council voted 7-3 in favour of opening committee meetings to the media, but added a long list of exclusions, including pre-budget debates, reports and presentations to council and meetings any organization wants to make private.
"Politicians in Charlottetown are supposed to be accountable public representatives, not members of a private club," said CAJ president Paul Schneidereit. "The important role of a free press as monitor and watchdog of the public interest in a democracy is enshrined in our Constitution. By their actions, city council is frustrating that intent."
"Charlottetown's attitude is out of step with the way that modern governments in free societies work," said Schneidereit. "Some exclusions are defensible, but they should be kept to an absolute minimum. Local politicians in P.E.I.'s capital seem to feel there's quite a bit that the public has no right to know."
Across Canada, municipalities seem to have varying standards when it comes to transparency and accountability to the public.
"This case is only too representative of a greater problem. Politicians in too many communities, especially smaller ones that often receive less media scrutiny, conduct far too much public business behind closed doors. This undemocratic culture of political secrecy must stop."
The issue of opening meetings to the media took off earlier this year when a CBC reporter was asked to leave a committee meeting. In April, the CBC formally filed a request to have all committee meetings open to the public.
The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 1,400 members across Canada. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide public interest advocacy and high quality professional development for its members.
-30-
For information:
Paul Schneidereit, CAJ President: (902) 426-1124
John Dickins, CAJ Executive Director (613) 526-8061
After hours: (613) 290-2903
