Information & Ethics Committee on March 21st, 2011

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

I will now call the meeting to order.

I want to welcome everyone. Bienvenue à tous.

This meeting, which is the 51st of the year and the second today, is called pursuant to the Standing Orders. I'll just read the reference. It's a study of the issuance by the office of the Minister of Immigration of the letter dated March 3, 2011, on the matter of the circulation of the presentation entitled “Breaking Through - Building the Conservative Brand in Cultural Communities”.

The committee has only one witness before it tonight, and that is Kasra Nejatian.

Mr. Nejatian, welcome to the committee and thank you for appearing.

Mr. Nejatian has, I understand, a very brief opening comment. I'm going to turn the floor over to him for his opening comments, and then we can begin.

A point of order, Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I would ask that the witness be sworn in.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

I'm going to ask the clerk to do that.

[Kasra Nejatian, As an Individual]

I, Kasra Nejatian, do swear the evidence I shall give on this examination shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me God.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Clerk.

As I stated previously, we're now going to turn the matter over to you, Mr. Nejatian, for your opening comments.

[Kasra Nejatian]

Mr. Chair and members of the committee, thank you for giving me an opportunity to appear before you today.

Before I start, I'd like to wish you and all the members of the committee Nowruz Mobarak, happy new year. I wish you all nothing but peace and good fortune in the coming year.

If I may, I'd like to make a short statement, and then I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

My name is Kasra Nejatian. Until March 3 of this year I was the director of multicultural affairs in the office of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. I began working for the minister in the second week of January of this year as a ministerial-exempt employee. Before starting work in Ottawa, I was a corporate lawyer engaged in private practice in New York city.

Allow me to give a brief outline of the events that have led to my appearance before you today. On March 3, I was asked by the minister to follow up on a conversation the minister had had with the members of the Alberta caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada. The minister asked me to reach out to various Conservative electoral district associations in Alberta to solidify their support for an advertising campaign that the Conservative Party of Canada wished to run focusing on ethnic communities.

I drafted an outline of a letter seeking such support and asked my administrative assistant to further edit the text and to print one letter addressed to each member of the Alberta caucus. Pursuant to the minister's instructions, I asked that this letter be printed on non-governmental letterhead.

It may be appropriate to take a moment here to discuss some clerical issues. As it turns out, the office of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism at any time can stock at least five different letterheads. The first three of these I was well aware of. They are, first, the departmental letterhead used by the minister to send out letters; second, the departmental notepad used for handwritten notes within the office; and, third, the personal letterhead of Jason Kenney. None of these was used.

The office also, I learned recently, stocks from time to time two different parliamentary letterheads, one for printed letters and another for handwritten notes. It was the first parliamentary letterhead that was used for the letter that went out on March 3. It is possible the office stocks other letterheads as well. I am just not aware of any.

As events have shown, the letters I have spoken about were mistakenly sent to all Alberta members of Parliament instead of all the members of the Alberta caucus of the Conservative Party of Canada.

About two hours after the letters were delivered by two volunteers, I noticed that the leader of the New Democratic Party was asking a question in question period about these letters. Until this point I did not know that the letters were printed on parliamentary letterhead. Up until this question was asked, I was not even aware that the office maintained a supply of parliamentary letterhead. I had assumed that the only three letterheads in the office were the Citizenship Canada letterheads and the personal letterhead.

Before the end of question period on that day, I submitted my letter of resignation to the minister's chief of staff.

A mistake was made under my watch. It was a mistake made in contradiction of the minister's orders. The mistake was mine. I have taken full responsibility for it.

Before I take your questions, I'd like to take a moment to formally apologize. First, I would like to apologize to the minister for not taking the due care required to ensure that his instructions were followed.

Second, I would like to apologize to you and to all members of Parliament. This building is a place I've admired ever since I came to Canada. I became politically active when I was a teenager. I became active because I didn't speak the language and wanted to find a place where I could learn English and learn about Canada and its traditions. It wasn't long before I fell in love with this place, its history, and its traditions. That I have caused a violation of them is deeply embarrassing. It is also the biggest personal disappointment of my life.

Third, I would like to apologize to the taxpayers of Canada. You have been kind enough to share your country with me. I love Canada. Serving its citizens in this limited way has been the greatest honour of my life. I am deeply sorry that my carelessness could cause a further distrust in public institutions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I am happy to answer any questions that you or the members of the committee may have.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Thank you very much, Mr. Nejatian.

Speaking about traditions, I see also that you're a walking advertisement for Tim Horton's.

[Kasra Nejatian]

I try my best.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Given the controversial nature of this issue, I want to read the guidance that comes from the most recent edition of O'Brien and Bosc regarding questions to be put to the witness:

There are no specific rules governing the nature of questions which may be put to witnesses appearing before committees, beyond the general requirement of relevance to the issue before the committee. Witnesses must answer all questions which the committee puts to them. A witness may object to a question asked by an individual committee member. However, if the committee agrees that the question be put to a witness, he or she is obliged to reply. On the other hand, members have been urged to display the “appropriate courtesy and fairness” when questioning witnesses. The actions of a witness who refuses to answer questions may be reported to the House.

Having said that, I am now going to go to the first round, of seven minutes, and the first member is Mr. Easter.

You have seven minutes, Mr. Easter.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Nejatian.

I'm not sure whether I pronounced that right.

[Kasra Nejatian]

It's as close as anybody has ever gotten it.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Thank you for appearing.

Here is an off-topic question first, because we're having this discussion this afternoon. Were you ever a candidate for the current Conservative Party or its forerunners, the Alliance or the Reform Party?

[Kasra Nejatian]

Thank you for the question, Mr. Easter and Mr. Chair.

In the year 2000 I was a candidate in the riding of Don Valley East for the Canadian Alliance. I was 18 years old at the time. I ran against the former minister of defence, David Collenette, who, I should point out, was extremely kind to an 18-year-old running against him and was a lovely man.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

There's nothing like the experience of knocking on doors.

Have you been in contact with anyone from the Conservative Party, the Prime Minister's Office, or Mr. Minister Kenney's office since your resignation?

[Kasra Nejatian]

I haven't spoken with anyone from the Prime Minister's Office since I resigned. I have to admit that, as best I can tell, it's possible that I've been in a bar where someone who works in the Prime Minister's office has been. I haven't reached out; they haven't reached out to me. I haven't spoken with the minister since March 3, and outside social occasions, I haven't spoken with anyone who works for the party or the minister's office.

I have long-standing relationships with some of these folks, so I have spoken with them about various issues, but not....

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

I see your job title with Minister Kenney's office on your letter here. Was that for both Mr. Kenney's role as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration as well as multiculturalism? Was it the whole capacity?

[Kasra Nejatian]

I'm sorry, I put the earpiece in my ear way too late for that question.

If I understand what your question is, yes, my job title was in the office of the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. I worked for the minister in that office, and my job title was director of multiculturalism. I didn't really deal with any immigration or citizenship issues outside the portfolio of multiculturalism, I believe, in a substantive way.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

There's one other point. You mentioned in your remarks that you asked your administrative assistant to further edit the text. Who did your administrative assistant work for besides yourself? Did she really work for the minister?

[Kasra Nejatian]

She only reported to me. She was my administrative assistant. She's still at the office, so I don't know who she works for now, but she was my admin assistant when I showed up on my first day.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

Is she paid for by the Government of Canada?

[Kasra Nejatian]

I assume so.

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

It's the Government of Canada, or the taxpayer, or the Parliament of Canada.

I find it rather strange--and this is the nub of the issue here--that in this office you would stock up on five different letterheads. In my view, the minister is the minister. He can't be the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration today, and tomorrow he happens to be Jason Kenney. This is one of the problems I have with what I think is a severe conflict of interest, and I think that to your credit you showed it to us in this letter and this outreach.

You have the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, who has discretionary authority to affect people's lives in this country, the lives of people who have come to this country. You also have him doing the role of ethnic outreach for the Conservative Party itself, which in itself is a conflict. If you're somebody in this country, and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.... You can say you're ethnic outreach today and Jason Kenney another day, and you put your hand on their shoulders, but they know you're really the minister.

Don't you think it's a conflict and could be seen as strong-arming people for money or for favours to the party? Your letter shows us that. Do you think that's not correct?

[Kasra Nejatian]

Thank you for the question.

I was only there for six weeks. I'm probably not the best person to speak as to the relationship of a minister, a member of Parliament, and a member of the party. I suspect the minister may have some thoughts on that; I don't think I do. I think it is certainly open to you to ask those questions of folks.

I have to admit that I was there for six weeks. I wasn't a--

[Wayne Easter, Liberal, Malpeque, PE]

You were there for six weeks. You were working on the Canadian taxpayer's dime, your administrative assistant was working on the Canadian taxpayer's dime, yet you were doing political fundraising for ethnic outreach for the Conservative Party of Canada. Is that not correct?

[Kasra Nejatian]

In my time in the minister's office, I spent a significant amount of my time on departmental issues, but it is correct that from time to time I did personal work and volunteer work for the Conservative Party of Canada. I think it should be noted that my six weeks there were not spent ignoring my departmental duties. During the time I was there--