Evidence of meeting #9 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was requests.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:50 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
I can clarify on that. The delegation instruments go to individuals and not to offices and support staff, so the individual who has a right to know is the minister. The special assistant who comes down asking does not have a right to know.
4:50 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
The delegation instruments are available, but the delegation--and I can't speak across the 180, and Mr. Lemieux may be able to clarify for me--as far as we know, does not ever go into the minister's staff. It is there with the minister, with the individual there, and then it goes to the ATIP coordinator or to the variety of ATIP coordinators, depending upon the structure there, but it does not flow through to political staff.
4:50 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
And thank you, Mr. Alexander and Mr. Lemieux, for coming out and giving this presentation.
I was looking through your presentation. On page 2, at the fourth bullet, would you please clarify what this issue is that we are talking about? You talk about the recent allegations. Could you explain which case that is, because there might be some members here who might not be familiar with it.
4:55 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Mr. Chair, that particular paragraph raised by the honourable member is referring to the e-mail and the subsequent press coverage and so on that Mr. Kenney raised in that particular e-mail there.
4:55 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
That's correct, with the name of Bronskill.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
In all of our experience we see this as a very remote case, and the Privacy Commissioner is doing the investigation into that.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
How many times do you think that has happened under the new minority Conservative government in the last nine months?
4:55 p.m.
Deputy Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
This is the only case that has been brought to our attention in our role of administering the policy.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Then I am a little troubled with the conflicting information that Mr. Alexander is bringing to us and the Privacy Commissioner. He said that this is the routine process in the present Conservative government under Mr. Harper.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
Order, please, through me.
I just want to clarify your question, Mr. Dhaliwal. You're referring to whom when you say that the--
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
It was the Privacy Commissioner. He said that this is a process, that these types of requests are shared with the government on a regular basis. Isn't that true?
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
You're likely referring to Mr. Leadbeater, who is from the information commissioner's office. He's the deputy information commissioner.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Tom Wappel
And the point of order probably is that he didn't say that.
Yes, Mr. Kenney.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Jason Kenney Conservative Calgary Southeast, AB
Well, he did not say what Mr. Dhaliwal paraphrased in his original question. Mr. Leadbeater definitely did not describe this as a regular practice limited to the current government; he did generalize and say that this was a practice he had seen under five administrations.
