Evidence of meeting #97 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was business.
A video is available from Parliament.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
The nature of your consulting business. What value do you bring to your clients?
1:20 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
I provide industry best practices, business architecture, change management, organizational design, and business and IM/IT transformations.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Why would you say you're not a registered lobbyist, when you are directly coaching businesses on how to pitch their products to government officials and members of Parliament?
1:20 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
Again, my understanding of the specifics around lobbyists is that... I've never set up meetings. I don't make those calls. I don't connect. What I bring is industry standards expertise, if you will—I'm certified in several different architecture formats—as well as providing where the federal government is going.
I worked on a lot of that at Treasury Board, so I understand what they need. From resource management, that's HR, IT—
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Okay, but the products and services you are providing are for government, and you are interfacing with government. Don't you think those should require that you be registered as a lobbyist?
1:20 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
Absolutely not. All those standards are actually documented and on Treasury Board's website.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
I disagree with your definition of a lobbyist, but I will leave it there.
What were your payment expectations when working with Mr. Firth and Botler AI to connect them with ministers and other officials?
1:20 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
There was no such arrangement, and...yeah.
1:20 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
How do you get compensated, then, if you're telling me there are no expectations when working with Mr. Firth and Botler AI?
1:20 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
Again, I worked with Botler AI directly, specifically under a contract. Then I worked separately, again with GC Strategies, on other opportunities.
I didn't work with them together. If Botler had a relationship with GC Strategies, that was their relationship.
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Your business started in 2015, the same year that GC Strategies started. Did you start these businesses in tandem?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
You have been consulting with each other since that time, though.
1:25 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
I'd have to give you a start date. I'm not sure specifically when we started. It could have been earlier or later, I guess.
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Were you involved with Mr. Firth in the creation of ArriveCAN?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Did you ever have any communications with him relative to ArriveCAN?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
What percentage of your business, would you say, is conducted through the federal government?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
That's quite a high margin.
How often would you say you consult with federal departments, agencies or Liberal ministerial offices?
1:25 p.m.
Conservative
Stephanie Kusie Conservative Calgary Midnapore, AB
Never. Okay.
Why did you have Ms. Ritika Dutt email Chrystia Freeland, the Deputy Prime Minister, and, more relevant here, her chief of staff, Jeremy Broadhurst?
1:25 p.m.
Professional Consultant, As an Individual
I did not. That was a Botler decision.