Brandon Harder, Saskatoon StarPhoenix
The Saskatchewan government withheld information relating to a trade mission to Germany that it should have released, according to a recent report from Saskatchewan’s information and privacy commissioner.
The Jan. 23 report, penned by Ronald Kruzeniski, concerns a request for records relating to the minister of trade and export development’s trip to Berlin and Frankfurt, Germany in 2023.
The unnamed party requesting the information sought documents such as receipts for expenses, itineraries and meeting notes.
The Ministry of Trade and Export Development released some records to the requester, but withheld information in certain instances.
The commissioner’s report is lengthy, analyzes application of multiple exemptions (reasons for withholding information) under The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and considers information relating to a third party — the University of Saskatchewan.
Not all of the report’s findings are referenced in this article.
However, an appendix attached to the report shows that many of the instances where the government chose to withhold information, it justified doing so by characterizing the information as not “responsive,” meaning not relevant to the request.
The report states this included information about airline names, hotel names, logos and addresses, handwritten notes added to the receipts after they were printed and certain addresses.
It also included information described as “logistics arrangement” such as “who would be meeting the delegation at various points,” hotel names and addresses, hotel costs and terms of service, estimated travel times between various events, booking confirmation numbers, conditions for access to meetings, addresses for meeting locations and description of gifts for hosts.
“I find that all of the information withheld as non-responsive is responsive to the request,” Kruzeniski wrote, meaning he found it all to be relevant.
He recommended the government release the responsive information, unless some other exemption applies to it.
He further recommended the government release other information where he found an exemption did not properly apply.
In the instances where he found exemptions did apply, he recommended the government continue to withhold the information.
“The Government of Saskatchewan takes transparency seriously. That is why all ministerial out-of-province travel costs are disclosed online for the public to review,” said a written statement provided by the province Wednesday.
“Officials with the Ministry of Trade & Export Development are currently reviewing the Acting Commissioner’s recommendations and will take them into consideration when determining next steps.”
Currently, the privacy commissioner reviews or investigates a file and makes a recommendation to the body from which the information is being sought. That body can then choose to comply with the recommendation or ignore it.
The Saskatchewan NDP provided a statement on behalf of shadow minister for ethics and democracy Meara Conway, which acknowledged the importance of the province strengthening trade opportunities.
“But we need to ensure that we are getting value for our international trips and that these trips don’t just turn into taxpayer-funded vacations for Sask. Party ministers,” Conway’s statement reads.
Conway’s statement says the NDP expects the government to follow the commissioner’s recommendations by the “end of the month.”
bharder@postmedia.com
