Public Accounts Committee on May 30th, 2024

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

You said “leadership team”. Was it more than one person or just Mr. Brouillard?

[Imraan Bashir]

He was my assistant deputy minister at the time. There were a number of other directors general that may have been present, but generally the debrief would have been upwards to the assistant deputy minister.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Would that have been an oral brief, or would there have been written documentation?

[Imraan Bashir]

As I mentioned earlier, the debriefs varied. Sometimes, if there was substance, they would be in writing. Sometimes there was a conversation during a bilateral meeting in person.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Given that Mr. Brouillard was the chief technology officer of Canada, do you not think he might have had some line of sight into a company like GC Strategies, which was an IT company, supposedly?

[Imraan Bashir]

I can't speak to Mr. Brouillard's line of sight into the companies he knows.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

I'll ask you this, then. Did he offer any concerns about GC Strategies?

[Imraan Bashir]

At that time, no concerns were raised.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Mr. Brouillard was the chief technology officer of Canada. Who currently holds that position?

[Imraan Bashir]

I think, last I heard, it was Minh Doan. I believe he's on leave of absence, so I'm not sure who is acting in the role at the moment.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Minh Doan.... That name rings a bell with this committee.

Have you ever met with Minh Doan?

[Imraan Bashir]

Certainly, in a government context, we were on the same committee. I believe it was the enterprise architecture review board. We sat across the table from one another in a format similar to this, but I didn't really work with him too closely.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Did you ever have any conversations with Minh Doan after leaving government?

[Imraan Bashir]

The only time was likely during the presentation of our findings of the CBSA cybersecurity assessment that we conducted. I remember presenting those findings to a CBSA committee, and I believe Mr. Doan was present at that meeting.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Do you have any records from that meeting?

[Imraan Bashir]

At best, I probably have a meeting invite, but I'd have to get back to you on that.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Who else do you recall was at that meeting with Mr. Doan?

[Imraan Bashir]

Mr. Utano certainly would have been present and likely some of his team members. It was a CBSA steering committee, as I recall. I don't know all the names off the top of my head. I suggest it would likely have been a series of IT leaders, if I can characterize it that way.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Could you get back to us if you have any documentation on who would have been at that meeting?

[Imraan Bashir]

Certainly. I'll take that back and get back to you with whatever I can.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

Does KPMG, or you specifically in your role, have any dealings with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans?

[Imraan Bashir]

First, personally, I have not had any dealings with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

I can't speak on behalf of the entire firm. I could take that back and get back to you. I don't know of any.

I don't know if Ms. Lee....

[Lydia Lee]

I have the same answer. I'm not aware.

[John Nater, Conservative, Perth—Wellington, ON]

What about the Treasury Board Secretariat?

[Imraan Bashir]

I recently completed a small engagement with the office of the comptroller general in the Treasury Board Secretariat. It was a roughly $30,000 engagement to provide security advice and guidance on a horizontal audit of IT security.

That was the last engagement I signed with the Treasury Board Secretariat.