QUESTION PERIOD — Prime Minister’s Office
Use of Parliamentary Funds
June 22, 2021
Senator Gold, I’m sure you have read it by now, but here’s the opening paragraph of a story that ran in The Globe and Mail yesterday:
Liberal MPs have been using parliamentary funds to pay for services from companies that provide two of the governing party’s most important digital campaign operations, and that also run its powerful voter-contact database.
One of the companies in question, Data Sciences Inc., was founded by Tom Pitfield, a close personal friend of Prime Minister Trudeau. He is also president of Canada 2020, which Maclean’s magazine wrote a lengthy article about in 2017, describing it as being both responsible for the rise of Justin Trudeau and the new nexus of power in Canada.
You will also recall that Mr. Pitfield and his wife, Anna Gainey, President of the Liberal Party at the time, accompanied Mr. Trudeau on his trip to the Aga Khan’s private island, one of the two incidents over which the Ethics Commissioner found that the Prime Minister had breached Canada’s ethics law.
Senator Gold, can you assure this chamber today that none of the money that 97% of the Liberal caucus members forwarded to the Prime Minister’s good friend’s company was used either for political or campaign operations, which, of course, would be both improper and illegal?
Thank you for your question. The commentary around it, I’m sure unintended, honourable colleague, smacks somewhat of guilt by association and the like, but I will attempt to answer your question.
It is my understanding — and a number of members of Parliament have spoken to this — that the funds and the services of this company were used for constituency work and not political work. It is my understanding that that is both proper and legal.
Senator Gold, I’m wondering how you can be so confident about this given that one of the Liberal MPs who was asked about this matter, MP John McKay, said that he could not explain what the money in his budget was being used for. Why are you so confident it was used properly?
As I said, it is my understanding that the money was used properly, and on the basis of that, I’ve answered your question.
