Industry Committee on June 5th, 2024

[Navdeep Bains]

You're correct, there is a process that included the Privy Council Office—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I asked if you made the final call, yes or no?

[Navdeep Bains]

As I was saying there is a process, and through that process—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I'm not interested in the process; I'm familiar with the process.

I asked: Did you make the final decision? Did you have the final say, yes or no? Are you passing responsibility to someone else, perhaps the Prime Minister's Office? Which is it, Mr. Bains?

[Navdeep Bains]

As I was saying, there's a process, and through that process, a recommendation is made. That process—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Mr. Bains, this is just ridiculous. You're deliberately obfuscating a very simple question that I asked that goes to your responsibility as minister for appointing all of these corrupt directors to the SDTC board.

Did you have the final say, or did someone else have the final say? Perhaps it was someone in the PMO?

[Navdeep Bains]

The way this unfolds is that the Privy Council Office is engaged in this selection process. They make a recommendation and, based on that recommendation, we take the appropriate steps.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Did you communicate with the PMO with respect to these appointments?

[Navdeep Bains]

The Privy Council Office is involved in this process along with a number of other government departments. They—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Why does the PMO have an appointment secretariat?

I presume you were communicating with someone in the PMO.

Who were you communicating with?

[Navdeep Bains]

Again, this a public process. People can apply and it's open to everyone.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I asked who you were communicating with.

[Navdeep Bains]

It's a committee or a panel that looks at the individuals who put their names forward. They go through an interview process. Their CVs are examined. They probably answer a bunch of questions.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Would you just answer one question?

Did the PMO have any say, yes or no?

[Navdeep Bains]

Again, I'm sorry. I'm trying my best to answer. I keep on getting interrupted.

What I was saying is—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

You're being interrupted, Mr. Bains, because you're not answering basic questions. You're trying to avoid accountability.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

Mr. Cooper, that's all the time you have now.

I'll give a few seconds to Mr. Bains to answer the questions that were asked.

[Navdeep Bains]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I just want to say that it was a robust process in determining who is selected. I made over a hundred recommendations during my tenure—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

What a joke. What a joke of an answer. It's ridiculous.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. Bains.

Please, at this committee, Mr. Cooper, we stay respectful. There are certain ways that we can present arguments and do it in a respectful way.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I have a point of order.

[Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I think it's Mr. Perkins first on a point of order.

[Rick Perkins, Conservative, South Shore—St. Margarets, NS]

I would ask that if the committee have respect, it starts with the witnesses answering the questions and not putting a recording on with one line for an hour.

[The Chair, Liberal, Joël Lightbound]

I'm not sure that's a point of order. I think that's a comment.

Mr. Turnbull, go ahead, please.