Information & Ethics committee  No. I think he entrusted public servants to do their due diligence with respect to the proposed contribution agreement and the program that would be delivered.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, as we indicated to the finance committee chair, there was extensive discussion, prior to the briefing of the Prime Minister and then again at the May 8 briefing and the subsequent briefing, that the due diligence had been done. As parliamentarians know, there was no formal

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  No, I'm not aware of that.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm not aware of that.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, I think we have indicated that the kind of due diligence with respect to the ability of the organization to deliver the program had to do with official languages in one case, the ability to reach out across the country—in other words, take care of all the regional dimension

Information & Ethics committee  If I remember correctly, it was late April, April 21 perhaps, when the broad outlines of the entire package for students were being briefed.

Information & Ethics committee  There is a preliminary period during which officials from Employment and Social Development Canada, or ESDC, and the Department of Finance outline the program and develop the details. I don't have the specific dates right now, but at some point during that period, officials from

Information & Ethics committee  It's a standard mechanism for working with a— third party to deliver a program. It was already determined at that point that the elements of the program required a third party, and therefore a contribution agreement would be required. The contribution agreement itself follows t

Information & Ethics committee  Yes. I wouldn't have said it personally. That was the opinion of senior officials at Employment and Social Development Canada. I didn't give that advice myself, but it was already the opinion of senior officials at ESDC at the time.

Information & Ethics committee  This is absolutely consistent with the duties of public servants to consider options and to respond to ministers' requests in light of established program development preferences. That's normal and that's what was done in this case. The advice and analysis of senior officials was

Information & Ethics committee  Everything is based on the Conflict of Interest Act. As the committee knows, it is the responsibility of individuals to make their business known to the commissioner. If the commissioner deems that action is necessary, it's the responsibility of senior officials or ministers—

Information & Ethics committee  I indicated earlier that the due diligence had to do with the organization's ability to deliver the program. Other issues related to the organization, such as those related to the board of directors, were not considered at that time.

Information & Ethics committee  No, because senior officials said that they had dealt with the organization before, that there was a track record. The content of the contribution mechanism is specific enough to determine that expenditures, for instance, are well managed. This kind of due diligence also assesses