On the facts of whether we were consulted or informed, and what was the tenor of these discussions, we were informed by PHAC and a group within the innovation department that the government wanted to use de-identified information for the purposes outlined: i.e., use mobility data to determine trends in mobility for public health purposes.
We were informed of this as part of regular meetings with government agencies on any number of COVID alert issues. At that time, we were heavily involved in the COVID Alert app, among other things, so we were informed of this particular project.
We offered to provide advice on the adequacy of safeguards to ensure that the data was properly de-identified, and the government decided to rely on others. That's their prerogative.