Senator claims privilege over Digital First lobbying letter

An Alberta Senator is claiming his privileges as a parliamentarian were breached when two members of the House of Commons sent a letter to the commissioner of lobbying about a Senate witness. Scott Tannas is leader of the Canadian Senators Group in the Red Chamber. His complaint arises from a report in the Globe and Mail that Liberal MPs Chris Bittle, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and Lisa Hepfner, a member of the Heritage committee, sent a letter to lobbying commissioner Nancy Bélanger alleging that Digital First Canada took funding from Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube and TikTok. The Globe story appeared a day before Digital First executive director Scott Benzie was to testify against the Online Streaming Act, Bill C-11, before the Senate Transport and Communications Committee. “Mr. Benzie was accused by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage during the public hearing that he had failed to disclose that his group, Digital First Canada, received funding from YouTube and TikTok.” Tannas told the Senate Tuesday. “Another member of the committee accused Mr. Benzie of violating the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct. Needless to say, Mr. Benzie was given a very rough ride during his testimony before the House of Commons committee.” Although the letter of complaint was dated Aug. 3, the Globe article did not appear until Sept. 27. That was a clear indication that the information was leaked to discredit Benzie prior to his Senate testimony, Tannas alleged. Conflicts of interest arise when witnesses fail to disclose public sector financing, the senator continued; private funds such as those Digital First received do not fall under the lobbying commissioner’s purview. There was extended debate on Tannas’ question of privilege. Marc Gold, government representative in the Senate, wondered whether his fellow senator had raised the matter at the earliest opportunity, as Senate rules demand. He also questioned whether involving the Globe and Mail would be seen as a breach of freedom of the press. Senator Julie Milville-Duchêne, deputy chair of the Transport and Communications committee, said the Digital First director was questioned extensively on the matter by the committee chair. “My colleague, Senator Housakos, did indeed ask questions about the content of the Globe and Mail article, and the witness, Mr. Benzie, answered directly, although he said he did not want to spend too much time talking about it,” she said. “He said that the timing of the Globe and Mail article was suspect, but all the attacks he referred to, reported by content creators, occurred in the House of Commons, not the Senate. He talked about attacks that had taken place several months before.” She did not believe her privileges as a senator were infringed upon by the Bittle-Hepfner letter, she added. Housakos disagreed. “We have privileges here,” he told the chamber. “We are guardians of this institution, but an individual Canadian citizen who wants to come before a committee and is then attacked by two members of Parliament about lying and being a lobbyist — to the point where he felt compelled to go to the Commissioner of Lobbying to get a letter in order to justify, ‘Hey, I’m safe,’ is inexcusable. That in itself is the argument that there is something deeply nefarious going on here, and we need to get to the bottom of it.” Speaker George Furey took the matter under advisement and will deliver a ruling later. Tuesday also saw action on the subject in the House of Commons. Conservative Heritage critic John Nater had previously raised the issue as a question of privilege. House speaker Anthony Rota ruled no violation had occurred. –Reporting by Paul Park at ppark@thewirereport.ca and editing by Michael Lee-Murphy at mleemurphy@thewirereport.ca

Senator claims privilege over Digital First lobbying letter

Broadcast | October 5, 2022

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Senator claims privilege over Digital First lobbying letter

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