Evidence of meeting #117 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 vote.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Noon
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
That was going back to a previous point in time where we were with SCL during the U.S. mid-terms. SCL had provided an advertising budget for their clients. The ad budget wasn't able to be spent during the campaign period, and SCL had requested that we send the money back.
So what we had asked was that Facebook, since we sent the money back to SCL—
Noon
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
We're specifically talking about BeLeave. According to the Electoral Commission in the U.K., BeLeave never actually placed ads, and yet you're saying you used that million dollars to place ads for BeLeave. That's not what you were talking about when you said that you asked Facebook to return the money. You're still saying that you placed ads.
Noon
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Okay. We have another contradiction there with other evidence, which seems to be a pattern here.
Noon
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
The report I have seen from Facebook says that BeLeave and BeLeave's ad account did place ads, which is why I'm very confused as to how these other regulatory bodies can interpret that in any other way.
Noon
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Okay.
You said that you have no evidence of coordination between Vote Leave and BeLeave. Yet there are significant amounts of evidence that we have access to here in the committee that shows, in fact, that you did. You had meetings. You were in strategy sessions. There was the Slack channel and Google Drive. When you were answering the question from my colleague, you said you had no idea about evidence.
I'm going to ask you very simply. Are you aware of any money or any data that moved between Vote Leave and BeLeave?
12:05 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
No, other than the donation that Vote Leave made to BeLeave.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
So you're not aware, nor did you participate in coordinating any data moving between those two.
12:05 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
There was no data moved between those two organizations, as far as I saw.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Mr. Massingham, I'm going to ask some very simple questions. It's nothing to do with any of the things we're discussing. I want to get an idea of your role.
You and Mr. Silvester started this company. Is that true?
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
What are Mr. Silvester's qualifications? Does he have any post-secondary education?
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
What are your qualifications? What's your post-secondary education?
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
That would have included courses in contracts, finance, accounting, marketing, the general gamut of business.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Raj Saini Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
You have a business background, and Mr. Silvester has a computer engineering background, so you decide to open this company.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal