Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  The answer to your last question is no. If I may return to your earlier question about documentation and whether there might be a difficulty with insufficient documentation, in the field of public opinion research that was not identified as a major concern by the Auditor General in the audit of 2003, except that she indicated that in a number of research projects some departments did not adequately describe the research project and they did not adequately identify the need for it or the usage to which it was to be put.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  No, I would think not. By stipulating as a matter of law that public opinion research reports must be in writing and made available to the public, I think it would work in exactly the opposite direction in terms of a culture of transparency and openness, if I understood your comment.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I can tell you that the procurement instruments the department has put into place are focused exclusively on public opinion research. In other words, there are no standing offers or supply arrangements that provide for a mix of services between public opinion research and lobbying.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I believe the largest volume of work goes to a firm called EKOS Research Associates, but I would have to confirm that. In fact, I'll ask one of my colleagues in the room to confirm that before we leave today.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It was the Canada Information Office.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes, he was the executive director. He was succeeded by Marc Lafrenière. The Canada Information Office ceased to exist in 2000, I believe, and was replaced for all intents and purposes by Communication Canada, which also no longer exists as of 2004, I believe.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  No, none at all.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Yes.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I believe that case was mentioned in the Auditor General's report, which means that it was before 2004. To the best of my knowledge, no oral reports have been filed since we amended the policy to make written reports mandatory.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I believe that the new requirement to produce a written report has been included in Treasury Board's communication policy. Treasury Board Secretariat officials have further elaborated on these responsibilities in the department's administrative regulations, which stipulate which elements of the report's content are to be made public.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  It goes a little further. Obviously, the primary change is enshrining what was once an administrative policy in law. However, while the administrative policy did not stipulate when the report had to be made accessible to the public, the bill does. That is a fairly significant substantive difference that has been added to the existing responsibility set out in the bill.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Certainly. Although the Auditor General did say that public opinion research was well managed at the time of the tabling of the report, nevertheless she indicated a number of observations, where there were some issues, and recommended to the government that an action plan be developed to address any and all of the observations in her report that raised concerns or issues concerning the management of public opinion research within the government.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Mr. Chairman, I should perhaps briefly explain to the committee my job and the role my unit plays is in the coordination of public opinion research within the government, if that may be of some assistance. As director general for coordination of public opinion research and advertising, I'm responsible for the public opinion research directorate.