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.
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
I'm sorry. We have not been listed in those documents. To the best of my knowledge, we're not listed in those documents, so I cannot comment.
September 27th, 2018 / 11:20 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Bob Zimmer
Thank you, Mr. Angus.
Next up for seven minutes is Mr. Erskine-Smith.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Dominic Cummings said of AIQ, “We couldn't have done it without them.”
First, do you believe that AIQ's work was instrumental in the success of the Brexit campaign, or is Mr. Cummings wrong?
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
No, I think we all played our part there. They had an amazing team.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
To follow up on Mr. Angus's questions, you just indicated you're not in the documents, but I just want to make sure I know what document I'm talking about. I have an Electoral Commission report from the summer, July, that lists you repeatedly discussing a common plan between BeLeave and Vote Leave. Is this the document that you don't think you're listed in?
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
I don't have these documents in front of me. I'm not sure.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
You've never read the findings of the Electoral Commission.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Okay, remind me what the position is that you hold at AIQ. I'm confused.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
That's interesting. You're the CEO of the company, and the company has been found to be part of a common plan with respect to violations of election finance law in the U.K. and you haven't read the report.
The report is less than 50 pages. Are you aware the report is less than 50 pages?
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
As I believe we've told the committee, I have been off work for some time. Jeff has been handling most of these proceedings, if not all of these proceedings.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
You are.... You haven't read the report and you're simply unaware that AIQ is referenced in this document multiple times. That's the truth?
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
While we might be mentioned, they have—
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
So you are aware that you're mentioned...baby steps.
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
I haven't read the document, so I cannot be sure. If it were in front of me, I could certainly review it.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Let's go with this, then. This is from the Electoral Commission report. Because you haven't read it, let me read some of it to you:
On 11 June 2016 Mr Cummings wrote to Mr Clake saying that Vote Leave had all the money it could spend, and suggesting the following: “However, there is another organisation that could spend your money. Would you be willing to send the 100k to some social media ninjas...?”
You're the “social media ninjas”. Are you aware of that?
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Okay. All right. Excellent.
It continues:
While BeLeave may have contributed its own design style and input, the services provided by Aggregate IQ to BeLeave used Vote Leave messaging, at the behest of BeLeave’s campaign director. It also appears to have had the benefit of Vote Leave data and/or data it obtained via online resources set up and provided to it by Vote Leave to target and distribute its campaign material. This is shown by evidence from Facebook that Aggregate IQ used identical target lists for Vote Leave and BeLeave ads....
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Maybe you should have read the report if you wanted to disagree with it. Do you think that's fair?
Chief Executive Officer, AggregateIQ
Jeff has read the report. I believe they have submitted a number of documents. They have a dialogue going back and forth explaining just what exactly went on there. They continue to work through it.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Okay.
This is probably hopeful of me to ask, but have you read the Information Commissioner's report?