Government Operations Committee on June 19th, 2008

[Ian Brodie]

Sorry, we may have said—

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

February 29, ABC News reports.... So at this point, the memo hasn't even been leaked, but you have a copy of the memo. They say they've spoken to someone close to the Canadian Prime Minister's Office who has confirmed it was Obama who told them there was nothing to worry about on the NAFTA front. So someone at the PMO told ABC, which basically confirmed the story that CTV had been told, perhaps by you and by Ambassador Wilson. Did you take the steps then to track who that leak was?

[Ian Brodie]

I spoke to a number of folks within the office, a number of my staff within the office, including anybody who had any familiarity with this issue, as far as I could tell, as well as our communications staff. And I quite quickly came to the conclusion that this had not come from anybody on the Prime Minister's Office staff.

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

I have one last question here. You said you didn't remember any statements by Ambassador Wilson about interference. I'm just interested. That was a front-page Globe and Mail story at the height of one of the biggest political storms the Prime Minister is facing. And you don't remember that? Do you read the morning papers when they come in, to check what the political hotspots are?

[Ian Brodie]

Not typically, no.

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

Interesting. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Mr. Bains, I think you want to share your time with Mr. Silva, because we are running quite late.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Mr. Brodie, on page 16 of the report, it indicates that at 14:35 PMO official 2 informs you he has a copy of a report about a meeting in Chicago involving the Obama campaign. Shortly thereafter, at 15:28, this PMO official provides a diplomatic report to you. Who is that PMO official, Mr. Brodie?

[Ian Brodie]

PMO official 2, I gather—well, I know—provided full cooperation to the investigators hired by the Privy Council Office.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

No, I understand the cooperation, but who is this person? That's what I'm asking.

[Ian Brodie]

I'm not in a position to be able to provide that information to you, since they have some Privacy Act rights and have not waived those.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Okay. Do the names Keith Fountain or Daniel Reid ring a bell in terms of any discussions you might have had with them prior to the investigation about NAFTA and this particular issue? Do these names ring a bell, and do you recall any discussions you had with them prior to the investigation?

[Ian Brodie]

No.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

So you had no discussions with them prior to the investigation regarding NAFTA, the leak, the whole incident with the primaries in Ohio and Texas, no discussion whatsoever.

[Ian Brodie]

No.

[Navdeep Bains, Liberal, Mississauga—Brampton South, ON]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Diane Marleau]

Mr. Silva.

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Thank you.

Mr. Brodie, on February 25 you had a meeting where there were discussions about NAFTA. Was that meeting a confidential or private meeting, or a public meeting?

[Ian Brodie]

It was a meeting in a boardroom at the embassy with embassy officials, some military officers, and other public service officials we had brought with us as part of the delegation that day.

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

I'm going to assume from your answer, and also from the report here, that the meeting was a private meeting, not a public meeting, and that it was confidential as well.

[Ian Brodie]

I'd accept that characterization.

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Now, you made some assumption that the information you were getting from the Democratic campaign was related to the Clinton campaign. Is that correct?

[Ian Brodie]

I don't recall that.

[Mario Silva, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

So you don't recall whether you believed it was from the Obama campaign or from the Clinton campaign?

[Ian Brodie]

No.