Information & Ethics Committee on June 4th, 2024

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

It's the end of the time. You can respond in the next round.

Mr. Fisher, go ahead for five minutes.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Can I start with a point of order?

You're out of order, Mr. Cooper. You can't make comments like that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

That's not a point of order.

Mr. Fisher, you have five minutes.

Go ahead, please. Start your intervention.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

All MPs—backbench MPs, opposition MPs, parliamentary secretaries and ministers—have forms that they need to fill out for the Ethics Commissioner. Can you talk about what is required of a minister? You've been a PS as well. Talk about the strict requirements of a minister.

You talked, in your opening statement, of taking the necessary steps under the Conflict of Interest Act. You talked about some of those steps. I tried really hard to pay attention and follow, but there were so many interruptions. I'm going to ask you if you could outline.... I've never been a minister, and probably never will be a minister, but I'd like to know a little bit about that higher level of scrutiny you undergo, which, perhaps I and other members of this committee don't.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I appreciate that, Mr. Fisher. The scrutiny is intense. You have 120 days to comply from the start, and if as a minister you have stocks, you have to sell them. If your life partner has stocks, you have to sell them. You can only hold mutual funds, and you have to make sure that there's no operational connection between you and any businesses or non-profit associations that you would have operated at some point.

In my case, it was not just to make sure that everything was compliant with the act in the first 120 days. When you're a minister, compliance isn't an end point; it's a fluid process. What's important to note is that I have made the decision, rightly, to recuse myself on appointments and nominations. I've always been very careful to make sure that I respect the rules that are set up by the Ethics Commissioner, and he himself has said that I followed the rules, and there's no need to look into my business affairs.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Minister, and I appreciate the clarity that you've provided through that statement.

You've probably heard of the news about Conservative MP Branden Leslie crafting and circulating a fake-news video online. You're an interruption today into our misinformation, disinformation, malinformation study, which I had found as a new member of this committee to be absolutely super interesting. Notwithstanding the fact that—

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

Mr. Fisher, I've stopped your clock there.

I'm going to remind you that a majority of the committee voted to have Mr. Boissonnault here as part of this study, so it's not an interruption of anything. This was a decision of the committee. He is here, as the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner will be, because a motion was passed by this committee.

I just wanted to clarify that for you.

Thank you.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you for the clarification, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Boissonnault, in my remaining time, is there anything else you would like to put on the record?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'll restate that I'm not a lobbyist. I've never been a lobbyist. I never registered as a lobbyist, because I never wanted to be a lobbyist.

To your other question, Mr. Fisher, I hope the committee will be able to get back to the business at hand. I'm happy to appear here so people understand the Ethics Commissioner asked me for information; I provided that information and the Ethics Commissioner said there was no need to look into my business affairs.

[Darren Fisher, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Chair, with respect to calling relevance on me in this particular instance when there has been very little call for relevance for many members of this committee recently, I take some umbrage with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Brassard]

You can. I was clearly explaining and reminding you that it was a matter of relevance. It is a matter of fact that a motion was passed by this committee.

You still have a minute and 38 seconds.

Okay.

Mr. Fortin, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, Mr. Boissonnault.

I've been listening to the questions for some time. The Ethics Commissioner told you that there was no problem with your statements and that there was no need to investigate further. That's what you told us. However, have you had discussions with the Commissioner of Lobbying?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

To the first question, the answer is yes. It is confirmed. The Ethics Commissioner has indicated that he doesn't need to look into my personal affairs.

As far as the Commissioner of Lobbying is concerned, I haven't received any communication from her because I'm following the rules.

I was a parliamentary secretary during my first term, so my five‑year period isn't over.

I never wanted to be a lobbyist, I never registered as a lobbyist, and I never have been one. I haven't received anything from the lobbying commissioner.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I understand and accept your statement that you never wanted to be a lobbyist. However, that doesn't prove that you've never contravened lobbying rules, even if unintentionally, so my question is whether you made a request to the Commissioner of Lobbying to check, given the activities you've carried out between your two mandates, whether your situation posed a problem.

Have you done any more digging on that with the lobbying commissioner?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Since I was parliamentary secretary, I always followed the rules that applied to me. There was no need to confirm that I had followed the rules, since I had followed them.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I believe Ms. Poon is registered as a lobbyist.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Did she discuss with you whether or not your activities could contravene any of the provisions of the Lobbying Act?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Correct.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I always made it clear to her and to any other client that I would never arrange a meeting with a member of the government or assist anyone in holding a meeting with a federal agent or representative.

Therefore, I never did.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Your company was involved in discussions around the Calgary airport, I believe. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

It was the one in Edmonton.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Were you personally involved in those activities? Did you take any steps?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I never attended any meetings between representatives of the Edmonton International Airport and the federal government.

[Rhéal Fortin, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Thank you.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I never set up a meeting with the federal government about this airport—