Evidence of meeting #39 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was block.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Cross, what were the names of the clients you shared this with?
12:25 p.m.
Principal, Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, As an Individual
It's “the client” I shared it with.
12:25 p.m.
Principal, Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, As an Individual
No, I did not.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
One was a non-profit, and then there was another. You said there were two. That was your testimony.
12:25 p.m.
Principal, Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, As an Individual
No. I said my client was a not-for-profit. And the one client I shared the information capsule with was the University of Calgary. It was shared with one person there.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Mr. Gibbons, did you warn Ms. Block that you had been sent confidential information?
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Did you contact her and say “Somebody in your office has sent me this”? It's a simple question. I'm going to ask it of each of you.
12:25 p.m.
As an Individual
After you rose on a point of privilege in the House of Commons, I proactively wrote to you and the other members of the finance committee that I had possession of the report.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
We have a different dictionary. “Proactively” in my dictionary isn't five days later.
Ms. Hamilton, did you contact Ms. Block to say: “I've been sent something that says confidential; it could be a breach of privilege—oops! This is terrible for me and my firm. GCI would never get caught doing something like this. This is a complete breach of privilege of Parliament, and I can't believe it was sent to me and I want you to know about it right away”? Is that the first thing you did?
12:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs, GCI Group, As an Individual
When I was contacted the next morning, I assumed that Ms. Block was aware when she fired him.
12:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs, GCI Group, As an Individual
Russell told me he was fired by Ms. Block. I was pretty sure she was aware.
12:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs, GCI Group, As an Individual
I did not have any contact the night before. I went to bed.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
No, but you had.... You told us that you looked at it later on in the day. You talked about—
12:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs, GCI Group, As an Individual
I thumbed through it at approximately four o'clock.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
And your thumb never got you to the part that said it was confidential--is that the idea?
12:25 p.m.
Vice-President, Public Affairs, GCI Group, As an Individual
As God is my witness.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
You're not under oath, but maybe we should have put you under oath.
Mr. Cross, did you contact her?
12:25 p.m.
Principal, Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, As an Individual
I did not contact Mrs. Block. I was aware that Russ had been terminated. So I again made the logical conclusion that all members of the committee had been disclosed the information.
I wish to underscore that all copies—the electronic copy and the printed copy—of the document were destroyed the next day, that is, on Friday November 19, before we received instruction from the chair of the finance committee.
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
But at no point did you get back to the member of Parliament involved and say this is what happened.
12:25 p.m.
Principal, Tactix Government Relations and Public Affairs, As an Individual
No. Mr. Chair—
12:25 p.m.
NDP
Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC
Okay, that's fine. I'm just going to move on.
Mr. Mains, did you contact Ms. Block and tell her?