After the Opposition accused her of a confidentiality breach, Community Services Minister Valerie Docherty has fired back with documents she says prove she did nothing wrong.
The issue revolved around an accusation from Opposition house leader Steven Myers that Docherty named a social services client during a South Shore Chamber of Commerce meeting in April.
Docherty tabled two letters she said were proof she didn’t, including one from South Shore Chamber of Commerce president Marion Miller.
“I am writing to express my outrage and displeasure that persons are using our meetings to attack one of our guest speakers, Honourable Valerie Docherty,” Miller said in the letter.
Miller wrote that Myers didn’t attend the meeting or didn’t call to verify his information and she questioned his integrity in making a public statement accusing Docherty of naming a social services assistance client.
“He who lives in glass houses should not throw stones,” Miller said.
In her letter, Miller said Myers’ remarks were “defaming, degrading gossip” that were associated with the chamber and Docherty.
Miller added she would pursue further action publicly, provincially and nationally if Myers continued to say Docherty named a client at the meeting.
Another letter was signed by 11 people who attended the meeting and said Docherty didn’t mention any names of any of her department’s clients.
“I am clearly indicating my strong disagreement with Steven Myers’ inaccurate statement by signing this letter,” the letter read, followed by 11 signatures.
Docherty also tabled details of a visit Opposition Leader Olive Crane and Myers made to a facility that houses children who are wards of the province.
During Tuesday’s question period, Docherty talked about the visit, to which Myers responded he and Crane talked to a worker and didn’t go further than a parking lot.
But Docherty said what she tabled Wednesday came from two of the staff who were at the facility when Myers and Crane visited.
The third document said staff confirmed several people, including Crane and several people they didn’t recognize, went to the door at one of the residences, but were told they couldn’t go into the building.
According to the document, another staff member confirmed Crane and the people with her spoke with the employee in the driveway as they were walking to a second group home at the site.
