Evidence of meeting #15 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sparrow.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
I'm the director of communications, so yes, the responsibility lies with me.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
So you would be the one who would report those. You don't have any sense of how many times you've done that or...?
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
I don't make the Prime Minister's Office aware of every media inquiry that comes through the department, no.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
These 51, were they all considered to be political in nature, given the definitions that you were mentioning earlier--
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
No. Some of them--
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Some of them have to do with the budget, for instance. Some of them have to do with overall government messaging. In my role, I'm there to complement what the department does, and I believe I accomplish that.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
With regard to the ones that are reported to the PMO, are they the ones that are considered political? How do make the determination of which ones get reported to the PMO?
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Well, the decision is often made if... The Prime Minister and other ministers are often asked questions from the media on a wide range of topics, not simply topics that just pertain to their portfolios. If I believe that the media inquiry could be asked of another minister, I make the other minister aware.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Does the PMO ever ask you to change the responses or call back from the department information that you may have approved in your role as director of communications?
11:50 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
No.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
Once you've reported to the PMO, you've never been asked to go back and make changes or alter the information that was to be released.
11:55 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Sorry, could you clarify...?
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
You said that you report some of these decisions to the PMO. Does the PMO ever come back to you and say “we think you should change that” and have you ever acted on that?
11:55 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Not to my recollection. Ultimately I generally make the decision and inform them of the decision. Sometimes there is conversation back and forth, but ultimately the decision and the responsibility lie with me--
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Bill Siksay NDP Burnaby—Douglas, BC
So you may have changed it in light of advice you've received from the PMO after reporting on an impending release.
11:55 a.m.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
I can't remember offhand, but it may have happened.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
Minister, the information sought in this particular media request, was it ultimately withheld from the public?
