Evidence of meeting #57 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was businesses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Thanks, Chair.
Ms. Alvaro, in your opening statement you referred to preparing communications plans. Were you being read in on cabinet proposals or other market-moving information and economic supports before they were announced publicly?
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
The information was announced publicly and then you assisted the minister in communicating on it after it had been publicly communicated.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Who would have prepared her communications and the communications plans for them once they had been announced?
10:35 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
I guess the question is, what was your function in preparing communications plans on information that had already been communicated?
10:35 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
As I mentioned in my opening statement, the information that was provided was provided in a press release that was on the ministry's website. The press release was provided to us, and then we turned the information that was in the press release into all of the extensive work products that I have shared with you today.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Okay.
In your work as a political commentator, have you ever commented on findings and other reports by the Ethics Commissioner or other work of this committee with respect to violations of the Conflict of Interest Act for designated public office holders?
10:35 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
I can't recall if I commented specifically on those matters. I can't recall.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Okay.
There is Trudeau report number one, with respect to the trip to “billionaire island”. I imagine that would have come up on CBC. There are the Trudeau II Report, the Trudeau III Report, the Morneau reports numbers one and II, and the LeBlanc Report. Did you never have occasion to comment on those in your role as a commentator?
10:40 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
Well, I'm an infrequent commentator. I am not commenting daily. I comment sometimes weekly and sometimes not.
No, I don't know offhand if I have commented on any of those matters.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Were you aware that they occurred?
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Okay.
The reason I ask is that one of the members asked about your awareness of or understanding that there were obligations for designated public office holders—not for you, but for them.
Your friend being a minister and you being a former political staffer, it's surprising that there wasn't, between you and the minister, an awareness that this would likely run afoul of conflict of interest rules. You would maintain that it was not something that occurred to you.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
We have these contracts worth tens of thousands of dollars. Canadians don't understand how.... If Canadians break the law, they're expected to face consequences. Oftentimes, there's an expectation of restitution.
Canadians expect restitution in this case. Do you believe that the individual responsible for breaking this federal law should be required to make restitution to Canadians? If not, why not?
10:40 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
I think it's really, really important to note that we, as an agency, complied with all of our obligations at every step of the way. I think it's very important to note that. I think that we have to not demonize the private sector for helping when help is needed.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
10:40 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
I think that's really important. I think that—
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Ma'am, I was very specific in my question that the person who was found to have broken the Conflict of Interest Act is a minister of the Crown. She's a designated public office holder.
My question is specifically with respect to the law having been broken, the perceived need for consequences by Canadians and the effect that this has on their confidence in public institutions. My question was specifically that if you don't believe the minister should make restitution to Canadians, why do you not believe that?
It is the conduct of the minister that I'm speaking to. I appreciate the context that you're providing as the vendor, but my question is very specifically about the need for the minister to provide restitution and, frankly, because of its negative effect on Canadians' confidence in ministers of the Crown, this has precipitated our call for her resignation. That was the nature of my question.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
10:40 a.m.
Communications Professional, As an Individual
Well, I think I would defer to the Ethics Commissioner, who deliberated over this and didn't find a need for restitution, as he had previously. I would defer to him on this matter, and I think it's important that we all do.
10:40 a.m.
Conservative
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Thank you, Chair.
There's been some outrage across the table about the actual cost of Bev Oda's orange juice, so I want to go back to some of the numbers we've heard here today.
You said in your opening statement that your firm provided 103 hours of work and 56 products over 17 days. We've heard that some of the things that were taken from that training are used in the long term; it wasn't just for the 17 days. It's a bit of a stretch, then, to say that you were making $2,000 an hour. Would you agree?
