For me, a lot of the questions.... I went back over my notes from when a number of key players testified to a different committee, to the finance committee. That was some months ago, but I was able to participate in those meetings as well.
Certainly the public of Canada—anyone paying attention to this issue—knows that Rachel Wernick, as assistant deputy minister for the key department of employment services, ESDC, testified. The Prime Minister testified. His chief aide, Katie Telford, testified.
I don't know that Mr. Theis's phone call on May 5 adds anything. I say that, because part of me regrets voting for a motion to compel staffers to come forward if they didn't have anything important to contribute. In the case of Mr. Theis, now that I realize we're looking at one phone call of 25 minutes on May 5, I don't see how it can be germane. We know that decisions and conversations took place with Rachel Wernick; conversations took place to get the WE Charity lined up way before a conversation on May 5.
We know that the announcement was made April 22 that there would be such a program. The Prime Minister made the announcement before any agency was lined up to do the work. They then backtracked and said, “No, Prime Minister, you can't use the Canada Service Corps. It can't do the work.” Then somehow WE Charity's name got into the mix. Then, we had a May 8 effort to key it off and it was rejected until June 25.
Not to waste too much of the committee's time—and I apologize—but it seems to me that it's only appropriate to ask staffers to be compelled to appear at a committee if they have information that's relevant. I don't see how Mr. Theis's 25-minute phone call on May 5 can add anything substantial to what we already know, since the WE Charity was already being keyed up to go to the key cabinet committee before that call. It was on the agenda for May 8. It got bounced back until June 25 for reasons that are already much in the public domain.
That includes, by the way—it's in the public domain, so I don't know why everyone's dancing around this.... I'm sorry to all colleagues, but just to point out, everybody knew that Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau had been in London with the WE Charity. The only question is whether her way was paid there. She got COVID from attending the WE Charity event in March. We all know this.
My only question remaining is, will the government continue to oppose having staffers come forward if they have relevant additional information?
Mr. Rodriguez, I think you've demonstrated that the one thing you can tell us is that there was a 25-minute phone conversation on May 5, and nothing more than that. If that's the sum total of it, I don't know that it was worth your time or the committee's time for you to bring that information forward.
Do you have any other comments on what you may or may not have been told by Mr. Theis as to any pertinent involvement that he had in this matter?