Let me talk a bit about what PCO's role is in advertising, because I worry sometimes that PCO's role sounds a bit murky when we say that we provide advice to the Prime Minister, coordinate cabinet committee meetings, and support the clerk in her role as the head of the public service. Let me give some precision in the area of government advertising.
The Privy Council Office plays a central role in the coordination, review, and management of government communications pursuant to the communications policy, including advertising as determined by the Prime Minister and cabinet. Our responsibilities include supporting and monitoring the implementation of cabinet decisions across government.
Cabinet takes the decisions. We support the monitoring and implementation of those decisions, providing institutions in government with advice, and support, and approval of their communications planning and management, including in the area of advertising. We coordinate and support the planning of the horizontal or government-wide communications by designating lead institutions and assigning special responsibilities.
I spoke earlier about the expenditures in 2009 for the H1N1 pandemic campaign. You can appreciate the need to have a government-wide approach there, and similarly, in the Ebola crisis that was playing out late last summer and through the fall.
That's a bit of a summary of what PCO's role in advertising is.