Information & Ethics Committee on Feb. 8th, 2024

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

I will also ask Mr. Harroun if he received any direction from the Treasury Board when it was announced that other federal departments didn't have the required PIAs.

[Steven Harroun]

We did not receive a direction from the Treasury Board. We advised Treasury Board that we had a PIA, as per my previous answer.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Would both departments be aware that, if the President of the Treasury Board was made aware of a systematic compliance issue, they are able to make direct recommendations to the head of the government institutions involved?

Were there are no PIAs?

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Answer very quickly, both of you—either a yes or no, if you can do that.

[Anne Marie Laurin]

PIAs are submitted to both Treasury Board and the OPC, so they have an opportunity to provide feedback to us on those things.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Thank you.

We'll go to Mr. Housefather for six minutes.

Go ahead, please.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

While I always appreciate my colleague Mrs. Kusie, I think I was at a different panel than her for the first panel, because I didn't hear any of the things that I think she heard.

I mean, I think when we came here today some people were hoping to hear that these tools were bought since the Liberals took power in 2015—

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

Perhaps, if the clerk can check the attendance from the first hour, the clerk will recognize that I was here. Maybe we can take a moment to verify the attendance for the first hour.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

I don't need her to do that. I know you were here.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Okay. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Go ahead, Mr. Housefather.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I didn't say you weren't here. I said I didn't think we were at the same meeting. I didn't say you weren't here.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

You described the first panel differently than I perceived it.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Mr. Housefather, I have another point of order from Ms. Kusie.

Go ahead.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

I believe the member across from me was implying that I was absent from the room for the first hour, when in fact—

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

No, I wasn't.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

That was the implication. That was the implication.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

That's a matter of debate.

I'll go to you, Mr. Housefather. I stopped your time. Go ahead.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

I'm not even going to get into that one.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think there was an attempt to somehow say that these tools were bought when the Liberals were in power, no PIA was obtained and there was negligence on the part of the Treasury Board.

To the CRTC, just to be clear, when did you buy the tool?

[Steven Harroun]

We bought it in 2014.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

It was in 2014, before the Liberals took power.

What about the Canada Revenue Agency?

[Eric Ferron]

It was 2012.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Okay.

Then, as to a PIA, there was an attempt to say, well, you guys didn't comply. There was no PIA.

To the CRTC, you do have a PIA for this program.