Science and Research Committee on Dec. 3rd, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I'm sorry for interrupting, but the time is up for Mr. Blanchette-Joncas.

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

—transparency of our process.

[Maxime Blanchette-Joncas, Bloc, Rimouski—La Matapédia, QC]

Not answering is an answer.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

We can come back to that in the second round.

With that, the first round ends. We will now start our second round of five minutes and two and a half minutes.

MP Ho, please go ahead. You will have five minutes.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Minister, you previously served as a publisher of Gzero Media, a media arm fully owned by Eurasia Group, which is a global political risk consultancy that sells geopolitical analysis to multinational companies and foreign governments. You also sat on the Eurasia Group management committee, which is its senior leadership body.

Can you confirm that you held both of those roles from 2022 until 2025?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I was the publisher at Gzero Media, and I was part of the senior management team of Eurasia Group.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Have you resigned from that role?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I resigned long before I ran for the election.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Do you still receive compensation in any way? Do you have any ownership interests in, or get royalties from, Eurasia Group or Gzero publishing?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

No.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

As a member of the management committee, you would have been privy to some information about the AI analysis and AI policy of the clients of Eurasia Group or of Gzero. Do you see an issue there with your role as the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, as some of those clients may be stakeholders in your role as the Minister of Artificial Intelligence?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

I'm very proud of the fact that I have long experience in the public sector. I was a small business owner, and I started a company, Shift magazine. I co-owned that. As a small business owner, I'm proud of my experience working as a publisher of Gzero. Like any experience, I've learned a lot. I took away a lot from that experience. I think it's very important.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Did you also get information that was not public from your experience at Gzero—information about Gzero's clients?

[Corey Hogan, Liberal, Calgary Confederation, AB]

Excuse me, Chair. I have a point of order.

I know that I'm a substitute at this committee, but looking at the motion being debated, I fail to see the relevance of this.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you. That's not a point order. The minister is here to talk about artificial intelligence.

Please go ahead, MP Ho.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

I'll go again.

Have you ever had to recuse yourself for ethics reasons because of the information you had in your previous role at Gzero Media as it relates to your work as Minister of Artificial Intelligence?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Again, no, I have not. I'm very proud of the work I did at Gzero Media doing geopolitical analysis.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Have you had any interactions with any president, former employees, associates or business partners of Gzero or the Eurasia Group since you became Minister of Artificial Intelligence?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Yes, I've had some friendly conversations with my former employees there. Obviously, they congratulated me when I got elected. They've been very friendly conversations—nothing business-related.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Do any members of Gzero or Eurasia include Gerald Butts, the former principal secretary to Justin Trudeau?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

He was a member and works at Eurasia Group, yes.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

So you've had conversations with Gerald Butts.

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Yes.

[Vincent Ho, Conservative, Richmond Hill South, ON]

Okay.

Have any members of Gzero or Eurasia Group tried to lobby you, directly or indirectly, since then?

[Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

No.