In camera meetings – Closing the door doesn’t make it private
In camera (or closed–door) meetings exclude the public from participating and, by their very nature, they enjoy an aspect of privacy that open meetings do not. Additionally, if an administrative body is carrying out a public function, the privacy of the contents of in camera meetings can be further protected by a legal principle called “deliberative secrecy”. However, in certain circumstances, the courts may require that parties give evidence of what transpires in these meetings—in particular where they relate to administrative bodies acting as employers, rather than carrying out public functions.
