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.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Nepean—Carleton, ON
You do not have the power to determine that the committee has asked for something. You have no motion to support your last statement.
If you wish to seek a motion—maybe you wish to move a motion—then perhaps the committee will pass that motion. But there is no such motion right now and therefore you are acting on a non-existent authority.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Okay. Just a moment...
Just a moment. I'm trying to facilitate the...because we have lost an awful lot of time in this meeting.
First of all, the chair is not permitted to make motions. I was trying to facilitate...because the member will obviously make the request, the motion.
Madame Freeman, do you have something to add?
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Yes. When the minister appeared last week, Judy Foote asked her whether 51 inquiries had been altered. Ms. Finley answered yes. Ms. Foote asked her whether we could see those documents. Ms. Finley answered—and I am paraphrasing loosely here—that she did not have them with her but that she was sure they were available, and that she would be quite happy to provide them to the committee.
Therefore, in her testimony, which is available, Ms. Finley agreed to the request. As Ms. Finley so clearly stated before, she has superintending authority in her department. In addition, she offered to provide the documents to the committee. I do not understand why we would not be able to obtain them.
It is in your testimony, Ms. Finley.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
The transcript speaks for itself. The minister has already undertaken to provide these.
But the question was put to Mr. Sparrow and I wanted to let him answer to see whether or not he concurred with the minister. But it would appear that an access to information request is not going to be required. We will wait for the receipt of that information undertaken by the minister.
Carry on, Madame Freeman.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
So we will be provided with the documents. That is our understanding. Is that right? How long will it take, Mr. Chair?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
The committee didn't specify that, but the minister did say they were available.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Can I put the question to Mr. Sparrow?
When will we receive all the media inquiries that were altered? When will you provide those documents to the committee?
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
That would be speculation on my part. We'll certainly look at it when we get back to the office. I'm unaware of how long that would take.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
I think we need to set a deadline. We have a week off and then we come back in early June. Could we have them by the time we get back, so we can examine the reasons that you tampered with, changed or altered 51 access to information requests from the media? We want to learn what your reasons were and examine those requests.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
It's not possible for me to give the committee a timeline at this point. I'm sorry.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Let's put it this way. The minister has made that undertaking, and I'm going to respect the minister's concurrence that they're available and that she would provide them within the normal reasonable time that's necessary.
But I would like to ask if you could inquire of whoever has the ability to inform the committee, as soon as possible, how long it might take, and then the committee will determine what further action would be necessary. Okay?
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Sure.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Could you describe the procedure you normally follow when you receive access to information inquiries from the media? I know that the assistant deputy minister, Mr. Larose, is involved, as well as Ms. Valladao. What is the usual procedure? Are media inquiries dealt with based on the identity of the requester, in other words, the reporter? How do you handle them? Does it depend on the nature of the inquiry?
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Media inquiries are often determined...whether the minister's office or the department responds is often based on whether they're deemed political, whether they're deemed as pertaining to the minister, for instance. Oftentimes that is...whether I would respond on the minister's behalf, or the minister responds, or a departmental official would respond.
But in my roles and responsibilities, I work with the department and we develop communications initiatives to ensure that we have a cohesive message.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
If I understand correctly, you handle requests of a political nature.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Yes.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
You do not usually deal with administrative or factual requests. Those go directly to public servants or the deputy minister, is that right?
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
That's not entirely correct, no. Oftentimes, the department will get... In our department, for instance, there are many questions that are program oriented, that are simply asking a question; for instance, how many bricks are there in the Peace Tower? That would generally go to the department; they often deal with more program-oriented questions.
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
I have a comment to make, if I may. When Mr. Leblanc asked to know the costs, money was still being spent, because there were still two days left in the advertising campaign.
Why did you not tell Mr. Leblanc that? At the very least, you could have given him some information, in an effort to be transparent. You could have at least said that a budget had been set out and that the numbers would be available when the campaign was over. You could have released the estimated costs and indicated that there were still two days left in the campaign.
Why did you not provide an explanation, at the very least? You simply withheld the information completely.
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
Mr. Chair, the reporter was provided with the accurate cost as soon as the ad campaign was finished and was provided it in a more than timely manner.
Bloc
Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, Human Resources and Skills Development, Department of Human Resources and Skills Development
That's when the reporter came back and asked for the information. Yes.
Bloc
Carole Freeman Bloc Châteauguay—Saint-Constant, QC
But you already had the information. It was already in the memos, in the email, and it was withheld.