Government Operations Committee on March 10th, 2011

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

All right.

Here is another thing I'd like to lay to rest as well. It's rather interesting. I'm hearing more recently, “the Harper government this”, “the Harper government that”, and I'm hearing that reference more from members opposite than from any reference to media, so I guess I should say thanks to our friends opposite for the continued support. In fact, it's rather interesting. I'm on the Standing Committee on International Trade, and the critic for international trade for the official opposition made the comment in referencing our government; she called it the “Harper government”. That was about an hour and a bit ago, and a witness made the same reference as well.

I guess if there were a perception that that was a bad brand, I suppose it's okay, because I certainly recall many times with various media releases from members opposite when they talk about the “Harper government” this or that, but now that it appears that the brand seems to be fairly positive, now all of a sudden it's kind of curious that it's somehow.... Maybe they shouldn't be saying it so much, but it's what it is, and I'm hard-pressed to understand that rationale. But it's what it is.

Madam Smart, it seems to me that the Government of Canada has checks and balances to ensure that our advertising process complies with existing policies. Can you help me understand a little bit better how these checks and balances work?

[Anne Marie Smart]

Certainly.

Every year the government either does a Speech from the Throne or a budget, and the priorities for advertising are usually laid out as coming out of that budget under themes. For example, I have done a one-page handout of the major themes that are actually related to the Speech from the Throne for 2010-2011—families, economy, recruitment. When those major themes are established, my role is coordination and pulling together this annual advertising plan. We would work with departments to pull together advertising campaigns under each of those themes.

So under families, just as an example, you would have protecting the health and safety of Canadians, or victims of crime, and you'll see the various posters there. As the departments pull together those campaigns—and they're the ones that know their clients best, so they pull it together—they would work very closely with Public Works to make sure procurement and policies and procedures are followed, and they would work very closely with Treasury Board to make sure the common look and feel and the fit are identified properly in the creative concept.

As they come together, we also look. Ministers' offices look. So these things are not usually developed in one step. They're usually developed back and forth, back and forth. They're pre-tested. They're adjusted. There are many checks and balances built into this as it goes forward. And then after it's over, after it has run, if the campaign is a major one, we do an evaluation. The department must do an evaluation of the campaign.

[Ed Holder, Conservative, London West, ON]

I need to stop you, because I need you to reply in 11 seconds or less. I wanted to ask how you ensured the integrity of the contracting process, but perhaps more important right now is what happens to government advertising, assuming that there is no election? I hope there's a brief answer to that.

[Anne Marie Smart]

It's pulled. We contact Public Works, they contact the agency of record, and it's all pulled.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Holder.

Madam Coady, five minutes please.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Thank you very much.

I'm going to ask some questions for clarity purposes.

Can you clarify, and this is just for the record, that you've never had a make-good for any dovetail Conservative advertising? If you have, I'm just wondering, how many times and when and where did that occur? You said that you're not aware of any of them, and I just want clarity on that.

[Mark Perlman]

I'll clarify that we're not aware of any. We have had a couple of instances when people have said that they've been close, and we investigated them.

I'll give you one example where someone said the ad had dovetailed, and it was during the Academy Awards, as an example. When we did a check, the ads were not in the same station break; they were about ten minutes apart. So it wasn't in the same station break, but regardless we felt they could have been spread further apart. The broadcaster has agreed to make good on that and will do a make-good on that.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Okay. Is that the only time you are aware of?

[Mark Perlman]

Yes.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

So there's just that one time during the Oscars and you're getting a make-good on that.

I also want clarification on something I heard earlier. You clarified that the PMO actually approves the buy, is that correct?

[Anne Marie Smart]

For any advertising campaign?

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Yes.

[Anne Marie Smart]

Ministers' offices, departments, the PMO, and everybody looks and approves the buy. So yes, they would in the mix.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Thank you.

From this morning's newspaper, an article by Mr. Bill Curry talked about how an official from the finance department said there was money being spent right now preparing advertising. But you're telling me there's none that you are aware of.

[Anne Marie Smart]

I'm not aware of any.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

And you represent...?

[Anne Marie Smart]

I'm from the Privy Council Office.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

You're Privy Council Office, so you are just not aware of it.

[Anne Marie Smart]

I'm not finance.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

I'm just reading from today's article that said the finance department says they are in preparations right now.

[Anne Marie Smart]

I'm not aware of it.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Okay. Thank you.

I have a question that goes back to something that occurred this past fall. In response to an order paper question from the member for Brampton--Springdale it was revealed that the Conservatives spent money advertising on various websites. One of the websites was Hollywoodtuna.com and there was another one they spent for Google AdWords and some pretty risqué pages came up. I'm just wondering who actually approves the spending of that money. When I go back and I look at Hollywoodtuna.com and if I look at some of the Google AdWords searches that the Conservatives have spent money on--and I think there's another website called PhotoForum.ru--it certainly would not be within what I think would be the right and proper things for the Government of Canada to be spending its money on. Could you comment on that?

If PMO and PCO are approving all this spending for advertising and the cabinet is actually the one saying where the advertising is going, I'm concerned that it's showing up on some pretty risqué sites.

[Louise de Jourdan]

I can take that question.

I think the incident you are talking about had already been brought to our attention some time ago and we investigated it. It was actually related to a DND ad and dated back to quite a number of years ago; it was in 2006, when the Government of Canada was just beginning to use the Internet more as a form of advertising. We do use it a lot more now.

Our processes have evolved substantially. For example, like the instructions that Mr. Perlman spoke of earlier with respect to spacing of ads and so on and so forth, the AOR, the agency of record, also has very clear instructions on the placement of Internet that it uses with broadcasters. It's done on a filter basis. There's a whole series of filters that are in keeping with our values and ethics. So there are words provided.

There are some types of Internet buys that do pose a little bit more risk. It's kind of technical, but at the end of the day we've pulled away from those types of Internet buys. So we're following it pretty closely.

The AOR in addition to that has put in remedial action because it also affects them as a company. So it's company-wide not just in keeping with our stuff but they are working with the network providers to ensure that these filters are very strong and are taking action if they're not adhered to.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

For example, just reflecting on the Canada Post website, it was much more recent than 2006.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you.

Just briefly, please.