The NDP is calling on Education Minister Adriana LaGrange to release back-to-school re-entry plan documents after a freedom of information request showed up blank.
Sarah Hoffman, the NDP’s education critic, said the fact that her office is claiming that none of these records exist means that LaGrange is deliberately hiding records from Albertans.
The Opposition filed a freedom of information request to access correspondence that had taken place between the education minister’s office and Albertans between May and the end of July.
But the result shows there are no records.
“The minister has said over the many months that she was working on back to school, that she was receiving correspondence from Albertans, she was in regular contact and having meetings, and I would expect there would be records.
“And anyone who understands the way the government works would expect there would be records,” Hoffman said Tuesday afternoon.
“We asked for correspondence from school boards, media requests, discussions of media coverage as well as correspondence from teachers.”
Hoffman said she knows there are records, because she has been included in some of the correspondence.
“They said there were no records. They didn’t say they were redacted records. They didn’t say they withheld information for privacy concerns. They said they didn’t exist,” Hoffman said.
“This is inconceivable.”
A spokesperson from LaGrange’s office told the Advocate freedom of information requests are managed by non-partisan public officials, not political staff.
When a request comes through, the staff turn over any applicable documents in their possession, as required by law.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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