Dale Kirby Question Period (06.14.2012)

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Member for St. John’s North.

MR. KIRBY: Mr. Speaker, I filed access to information requests with the Department of Advanced Education and Skills in an attempt to discover information regarding plans for infrastructure work at College of the North Atlantic in Stephenville. In response I received back from the department nearly six pages of solid black toner.

I ask the minister: What was the message she was trying to send by approving the release of this black toner response?

MR. SPEAKER: The hon. the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills.

SOME HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear!

MS BURKE: Mr. Speaker, it is like any request that comes into any department, whether it is Advanced Education or Skills. The request is reviewed and if the information is accessible information it is provided. There are rules around what is not provided and rules around what needs to be redacted. If the information was not to be provided it is redacted by the staff who do that, Mr. Speaker, for the department. If the information is accessible it would not have been redacted.