Mr. Speaker, with respect to the above noted question, what follows is the response from the CRA.
The CRA facilitated a public stakeholder engagement session in English on July 20, 2020, and in French on July 21, 2020, to discuss the qualified Canadian journalism organization, or QCJO, designation process, as well as proposed changes to legislation. The sessions were open to the general public, such as representatives from news media organizations, journalists and individuals interested in attending this type of event.
With regard to part (a), the sessions on July 20 and 21, 2020, were not by invitation only; they were open to the general public. The CRA promoted the open sessions and the links to register on Twitter and LinkedIn in both official languages. In addition to social media promotion, the CRA sent the registration link via email distribution.
The confidentiality provisions under section 241 of the Income Tax Act prevent the CRA from releasing taxpayer information, including identifying organizations that have been designated as QCJOs. With respect to the stakeholder engagement sessions on QCJO designation held on July 20 and 21, 2020, for reasons related to the Privacy Act, we are unable to release the list of contacts who received the email to register for the sessions. Furthermore, as per standard practice with teleconferences, a list of those who attended the July 20 and 21 sessions was not kept.
With regard to part (b), as noted above, the stakeholder engagement sessions were open to the general public. The CRA promoted the sessions through social media and by email to an evergreen list of contacts. For reasons related to the Privacy Act, we are unable to release the list of contacts who received the email to register for the sessions.