Science and Research Committee on May 2nd, 2024

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

How do you explain the report in the media—and this is the title, “Left-wing 'fact checker' fined for targeting Scheer”—that SSHRC funds went to an organization that put out a voting guide that recommended voting against the Conservatives in the 2019 election? You didn't fine them, but you funded them. How much money went to this group?

[Ted Hewitt]

I can't remember the exact amount. It's in the order of tens of thousands of dollars. It went to fund the research, not the guide, which we found to be in contravention of our policy. We informed the institution that in no way should any publicity or notification around the use of that guide mention the word or the logo of SSHRC because we did not fund the guide. We funded the basic underlying research that might have been used for the guide. The institution made the corrections.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Did you get the money back or did you ask for the money back?

[Ted Hewitt]

No, we did not, because the money was not used for the guide. The money was used for underlying research that may or may not have been used in the guide.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

That guide was paid for by the university, then. Some of that—

[Ted Hewitt]

It was not paid by us, sir.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

It wasn't paid by SSHRC.

[Ted Hewitt]

Absolutely not.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

When you reviewed this, you read the story, did you call in the people who approved this funding and review that process they went through?

[Ted Hewitt]

Absolutely, because we wanted to know what the background was initially for the funding that had been accorded to the institution. We also talked extensively to the institution and to the researcher, through the institution.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

After the meeting, can you put forward, in writing, any members of that panel that approved this funding?

[Ted Hewitt]

It would have been done internally at the time, so I can certainly investigate how it had been done, but in accordance with the investigation that we would have done at the time, it was absolutely in accordance with our process. What we had issue with—

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

You're not supportive of this at all, then. Obviously—

[Ted Hewitt]

No.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

What steps have you put forward that will stop this from happening again?

[Ted Hewitt]

One thing we have done is to say that, in cases in which we find our logo.... There are rules and standards that are used associated with the use of our logo. We have told institutions that, if we feel the logo is not being used appropriately, we will withdraw permission for institutions to use the logo.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Is it just the branding that you're worried about or the funding?

[Ted Hewitt]

We did not fund it. We do not want it branded as having funded it. We want to make sure there's no confusion in that regard.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

But you funded research that went into a partisan guide.

[Ted Hewitt]

The research was fine by our standard. It was the use of the research in the guide, and the use of the logo to signify that, somehow, we had supported the guide that we objected to.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

But it's not just the logo that is the problem. It's the dollars that are flowing to an organization that is doing research in a partisan way. It doesn't sound like—other than protecting your logo—there have been any other steps to stop this from happening again.

[Ted Hewitt]

The research that was funded was funded under our processes. Some of that research might have been used somehow to create the guide, but the research itself was done under the auspices of the university and in accordance with its processes as well. There was no issue with the research itself.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

So there's no problem with the.... This did surprise you, though, the reports, and finding out that, perhaps, partisan.... That surprised you.

Did you personally look at the research they did?

[Ted Hewitt]

I was involved in ensuring the institution did a proper review, and I was certainly involved with the conversations with the institution and the researcher to make sure our money was not used in a partisan way.

[Corey Tochor, Conservative, Saskatoon—University, SK]

Was there a report generated on that research that you received from the institution?