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Info commissioner worries cabinet ministers avoiding public scrutiny

The federal information watchdog is worried that cabinet ministers could be avoiding public scrutiny by using personal email to conduct government business.

OTTAWA — The federal information watchdog is worried that cabinet ministers could be avoiding public scrutiny by using personal email to conduct government business.

Suzanne Legault refused Thursday to comment directly on the case of Treasury Board President Tony Clement. He’s been accused by opposition parties of using his personal email account to hide his role in doling out federal G8 largesse in his riding.

But the information commissioner said she’s concerned in general that there’s little she can do to ensure ministers don’t intermingle government files, which are covered by the Access to Information Act, with personal files, which are not.