CALGARY, AB: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today posted the expenses of all Alberta ministers online at taxpayer.com, dating back to the last election.
After filing Freedom of Information (FOIP) requests for the information, the government initially denied the CTF access on the grounds that it would release the information publicly within 60 days. With the deadline at midnight December 4th, the CTF received the post-election documents.
For many ministers, the CTF requested, through FOIP, expenses incurred over the past few years. While the government released ministerial expenses dating back until the last election, it has thus far not provided expenses for dates prior to that.
“The government’s new proactive expense disclosure policy makes Alberta a leader in this field and an example for other jurisdictions to follow,” said CTF Alberta Director, Derek Fildebrandt. “So, we know this isn’t going to be an issue going forward. We’re going to see all of these expenses online within a couple months of them being filed.”
“The information released is a positive first step, but it’s disappointing that they continue to withhold minister’s expenses for the time before the last election. Albertans have a right to see how politicians spent their money and the past shouldn’t be covered up,” continued Fildebrandt. “That’s precisely why we filed the FOIP request.
The government pledged in writing to release post-election expenses by December 5 and pre-election expenses by December 15.
CTF staff has only begun to process and review the contents of the information released and will provide further comment.
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