Behind Closed Doors

The Law and Politics of Cabinet Secrecy

By Yan Campagnolo
Categories: Law & Legal Studies, Political Science, Canadian Political Science, Public & Social Policy
Publisher: UBC Press
Hardcover : 9780774867085, 352 pages, October 2021
Paperback : 9780774867092, 352 pages, June 2022
Ebook (PDF) : 9780774867108, 352 pages, October 2021
Ebook (EPUB) : 9780774867115, 352 pages, October 2021

Table of contents

Foreword / The Honourable Louis LeBel, CC

Introduction

1 Constitutional Conventions

2 Common Law Public Interest Immunity

3 Statutory Public Interest Immunity

4 The Rule of Law

Conclusion

Appendix: Statutory Provisions

Notes; Selected Bibliography; Index

Description

In an era where government transparency and accountability are considered fundamental values, does Cabinet secrecy still have a place? Behind Closed Doors is the first comprehensive exploration of the legal and political rules protecting the confidentiality of collective decision-making at the highest executive level of the Canadian state. Yan Campagnolo defends Cabinet secrecy as essential to the proper functioning of responsible government while criticizing its associated statutory provisions as excessively broad and possibly unconstitutional. Comparing Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, this meticulous work proposes feasible, specific reforms that would achieve a better balance between transparency and confidentiality.