Behind Closed Doors

In an era where government transparency and accountability are considered fundamental values, does Cabinet secrecy still have a place? The legal and political rules that protect the confidentiality of collective decision-making at the highest level of the state executive have come under increasing scrutiny in Canada. Behind Closed Doors: The Law and Politics of Cabinet Secrecy is the first comprehensive work on this controversial doctrine. Yan Campagnolo defends the practice of Cabinet secrecy by demonstrating that it is essential to the proper functioning of responsible government, while finding that the statutory provisions that support secrecy at the federal level are excessively broad and possibly unconstitutional. Employing a comparative analysis of the rules that apply provincially in Canada and in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, this meticulous work proposes a feasible solution: specific reforms that would achieve a better balance between transparency and confidentiality.