That answered my question.
On debate, then, I would confirm Madame Lavallée's prediction that I would not agree with the media report in this matter. The notion that there is a secret server for this information is about as big a secret as the existence of the Peace Tower.
As Mr. Peterson will know as a former minister, it's a well-established public practice that each government department has a separate server as an administrative tool. The opposition knows that under the Access to Information Act, documents within a minister's office are exempt from the act, and they always have been. The use of a separate server is merely an administrative convenience, because if we were to keep all department information on the server, it would be a lot more work for the ATIP coordinators to separate out documents from ministerial and departmental staff.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter where the information is stored, it's what affects whether it is accessible under the ATI Act or not. I would therefore suggest respectfully that this matter is not worth the committee's time, given that it's a request to study a matter that's a longstanding, open, and transparent practice. To that effect, Mr. Chairman, I'd like to table the great secret here.
I've brought copies in both languages. I've already made copies for all members. These are the Guidelines for Ministers' Offices. At page 55, Part 10, “Information Management”, the document states:
Ministers should maintain separate information systems for Cabinet documents, institutional records, ministerial records, and personal and political records.
That's indeed the information Ms. Lavallée is looking for.