Government Operations Committee on Feb. 28th, 2008

[Dimitri Soudas]

I don't have any people reporting to me, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

So you don't have anybody. A manager in communications would have two or three. So you don't have any staff who work—

[Dimitri Soudas]

Nobody reports to me directly, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

So when you do a special project, how do you get assigned a special project? Do you bring the special project, or are you given the special project?

[Dimitri Soudas]

Would you mind elaborating?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

You said you do special projects for Quebec.

[Dimitri Soudas]

And communications-related—

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Does the Prime Minister say, “Listen, I have a problem I need you to go in and fix for me”, or do you come to him and say, “Listen, we have a problem and I think I should fix it”?

[Dimitri Soudas]

In terms of questions related to the operations of the office of the Prime Minister, I would strongly recommend that either the chief of staff or the Prime Minister be asked those questions at 2:15, later today.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

I'm just trying to get a sense of how you get your orders. You're not going to tell me?

[Dimitri Soudas]

As I said, sir, either my communications director, Sandra Buckler, assigns me to—

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

But I'm not talking about communications. This isn't about writing a press release; this is about setting up a meeting.

Do you go to the Prime Minister and say, “We have a problem here in Montreal. Do you want me to look at it?” Or does he say, “I have a problem in Montreal and I want you to look at it”?

[Dimitri Soudas]

You referred, sir, to me setting up a meeting. What are you referring to?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Well, why are you here? You're here about a meeting that was set up between you, between Public Works, and between Mr. Rosenberg's company. At that meeting—it was set up—were you acting in your capacity for special projects? Were you acting in your capacity as an advisor or as the guy who writes the press releases for the Prime Minister? What capacity were you acting in?

[Dimitri Soudas]

I have not set up a meeting between myself, Public Works, and Mr. Rosenberg, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

Were you at that meeting?

[Dimitri Soudas]

Which meeting are you referring to?

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

The meeting where we had Public Works officials discuss with Mr. Rosenberg....

[Dimitri Soudas]

No. Actually, I met Mr. Rosenberg for the first time today, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

But his staff.

[Dimitri Soudas]

I've never met any of his staff either, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

You didn't meet on anything to do with this file?

[Dimitri Soudas]

You're going on two different tracks, sir.

[Charlie Angus, NDP, Timmins—James Bay, ON]

No, I'm not. I'm just asking you in what capacity were you at that meeting in August 2006?

[Dimitri Soudas]

I was an employee of the Office of the Prime Minister, sir.