Evidence of meeting #101 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A video is available from Parliament.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
Thank you very much.
Again, Mr. Vickery said that within 11 minutes of him notifying federal authorities of that subdomain, the site was shut down.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
Peter Kent Conservative Thornhill, ON
So it was that instant.
He also said in his testimony that he had found evidence of cryptocurrency on your website, and that too has been taken down. Can you explain why?
9:05 a.m.
Chief Operating Officer, AggregateIQ
The cryptocurrency project is a project that we were doing for a client. They had asked us to create a token sale. A token is something that's attached to the blockchain. It's a rather complicated topic, but in short, it's a way that they can keep track of folks who might be interested in their project.
Right now that project is not launched for that client, because they're working with their legal team to make sure they're meeting all of the British Columbia Securities Commission and American federal securities commission guidelines for such sales.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
April 24th, 2018 / 9:05 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Silvester and Mr. Massingham.
I'm very interested in how AggregateIQ obtained $5 million, is it, in contracts on the Brexit vote?
Mr. Massingham, did you get those contracts through SCL?
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
I'm interested because when I look at SCL's commercial, elections, and social group management, you are listed as the head of SCL Canada, so did you go rogue on SCL?
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
You were never a part of SCL.
Well, you do realize that what you testify here is like testifying in court, Mr. Massingham. You can't make things up.
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Okay.
I'm looking at the agreement with SCL Group Trinidad on what work they will do, and it's AIQ that's going to deliver for SCL. I'm looking at their American elections pitch and the key team members number one and number two: Zack Massingham, Jeff Silvester, SCL. I see their elections group management, head of SCL Canada, Zack Massingham. Four spots to hire IT engineers: AIQ to hire, AIQ to hire, AIQ to hire, and AIQ to hire.
So you're not part of SCL Canada?
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Would there be any reason that you would take the fall for SCL? Because you've damaged your reputation substantially, don't you think, with this international crisis? Why would you guys take the fall for SCL?
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Mr. Massingham is listed as the head of SCL Canada. You aren't. I'm just trying to get a sense—
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Okay.
You received 40% from the Vote Leave campaign. You worked with the Democratic Unionist Party, Veterans for Britain, and BeLeave.
BeLeave was a marginal students' group that had an email contact list of fewer than 1,000, and yet they were given 625,000 pounds. They're under investigation in the U.K. for possibly circumventing the electoral finance limits.
Do you believe that they should be under investigation?
9:10 a.m.
Chief Operating Officer, AggregateIQ
The investigation is by the Electoral Commission. Of course, the Electoral Commission contacted us last year. It was around March of 2017. We answered all of their questions with respect to our relationship with BeLeave and with Vote Leave.
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Charlie Angus NDP Timmins—James Bay, ON
Okay.
It's really interesting. BeLeave is this marginal students' group that gets funnelled 625,000 pounds. Now, if I were a student activist, that would be a lot of money for me to use, yet they contact this group, this Canadian company that's above an optometrist's shop in Victoria and give them the full amount.
Now, that full amount of money was directed to ads in the last six days of the campaign. That would certainly be a way of circumventing the electoral financing limits. Do you not agree?
