Thank you, Chair.
I just want to say that I do support the motion that's been put forward by Mr. Easter, and I share all of the concerns he has mentioned.
I think this is a very serious issue and it is one that this committee, in particular because of our responsibilities around access to information, can't ignore.
I myself have taken some personal initiative in writing to the Information Commissioner to ask her to investigate under section 67.1 of the Access to Information Act the incident regarding the release of the real estate portfolio documentation, but also the more recent one from the office of the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development.
So I believe they are very serious issues, and it seems to me, although I'm no legal expert, that they do pertain to the application of section 6.71 of the act.
Chair, it strikes me that we have seen some excellent media reporting, and in-depth media reporting, on this issue. Certainly the stories in The Hill Times are particularly well done and helpful on this issue, but also I think rather shocking.
When you hear political staff in ministers' offices saying that the PMO yelled at them.... I think that was actually the term they used, that people get yelled at when information that is considered unfavourable to the government is somehow released, even though the public servants who are responsible for gathering that information have cleared its release.
I think too that some of the testimony that was included in those news stories is also particularly shocking and goes to the whole question of whether there is a culture that has developed in ministers' offices and among political staff and is perpetrated or encouraged by others in certainly the PMO and other places that suggest that this kind of interference would be appropriate.
A quote from one of the news stories states, “Any push back or staff who dared cross [PMO issues management staff]”, which is who they're talking about in this quote, “...or tried to say that they could not stop it was insulted on the phone before all their colleagues and mocked”. It continues with: “Ministers' staff feel that if they don't do as they are told that the PMO can order them to be fired or that if they do not carry out orders, or implied orders, that their might be ramifications for their boss.”
I think that's a very serious allegation made by political staff in a minister's office. I think it's hard for us to ignore that kind of revelation, and I think we do need to try to get to the bottom of it.
Chair, I have to say that I am a little concerned about us engaging the study while the Information Commissioner is also working on it as a priority investigation. I believe we've established a system where the Information Commissioner has responsibility for this kind of investigation, and I think it's an appropriate system that we've established.
Although in the situation where the Information Commissioner is unable to give us a clear idea of when a report might be forthcoming on this issue, I do believe that it is of such a serious nature that we can't put off our look at it for very long either. So in that light, I am prepared to go ahead, although I do want to say that for my part, this doesn't indicate any lack of confidence in the Information Commissioner or her office and the folks who work there and their ability to appropriately investigate this situation, and I do look forward to their ultimate report on it. But I also think this is of such a serious nature that this committee does need to pay some attention to it as well.
Thank you, Chair.