Information & Ethics Committee on May 13th, 2010

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

You say you've had dealings with the issues management team at the PMO?

[Ryan Sparrow]

That's correct.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Who?

[Ryan Sparrow]

Mr. Chair, with all due respect, I don't think the issue is who I've spoken to in issues management, but rather that I am the minister's director of communications, and I ultimately take responsibility on behalf of the minister for communications in the department of HRSDC.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

I'd like to know who you spoke with on the issues management team with the PMO, because if there's another freedom of information request, I would like to see that you have been open and honest with this committee on who you spoke with in the PMO.

[Ryan Sparrow]

Mr. Chair, the issue is that it was my decision.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

That's not my--

[Ryan Sparrow]

I made the decision--

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Sparrow, I asked you who you spoke with in the PMO--

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

Point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Mr. Poilievre.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

We have here a member of a political staff who's being asked to identify who he has spoken with in the Prime Minister's Office. He could probably provide a list that would include 80% or 90% of the members of the Prime Minister's Office.

To demand that he provide an entire list of every person that he's ever spoken to in the office of the Prime Minister is a ridiculous question, and to badger him as though he is trying to evade the question when the question is an impossible one to answer off the top of his head....

I mean, how many people have you spoken to in the office of the leader of the opposition? Probably all of them--and there's nothing wrong with you doing that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Thank you.

[Scott Andrews, Liberal, Avalon, NL]

Mr. Chair, to that point of order--

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

No, no. Just a moment.

That's debate, not a point of order.

Your time is up.

Madame Freeman, five minutes.

Oh, sorry. We're back to Mr. Poilievre. Sorry. And then it's Madame Freeman or whoever...

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

I will be pleased to start, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

You have five minutes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

I want to talk about the relationship between accountability and responsibility.

Mr. Sparrow, do you agree that those two things go hand in hand?

[Ryan Sparrow]

Yes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

And if a department, any department, were to release false information, who would be responsible to the public for that? If a department were to release false information to the public, who would be responsible for that failure?

[Ryan Sparrow]

Well, since the minister is responsible for the department, the minister would be responsible.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

So the minister is responsible for the information that comes out of the department. Do you agree that the minister's delegate--in this case, you--would have some role in ensuring that the information that goes out is accurate?

[Ryan Sparrow]

Yes.

[Pierre Poilievre, Conservative, Nepean—Carleton, ON]

That is essentially your role in this instance, is it not?

[Ryan Sparrow]

Yes.