National Post (National Edition)
A Liberal contract,
A British academic says he is being made a scapegoat as a scandal involving Facebook refuses to die. Meanwhile, the Trudeau Liberals briefly employed the whistleblower at the centre of the data-mining affair. The latest revelations:
$100,000 CONTRACT
Federal Liberals are sharing details about a $100,000 pilot project undertaken for their caucus research bureau by the Canadian data scientist who triggered an international uproar over his allegations that Facebook users’ data was inappropriately harvested for political gain. After The Canadian Press revealed Chris Wylie was contracted by the Liberals in early 2016, the party released more information Wednesday about the short-lived agreement — and they insist that after seeing a sample of his services, they decided not to move forward. The issue emerged as a dominant theme during question period in the House of Commons, where political rivals repeatedly questioned the government on the contract and the issue of protecting Canadians’ online privacy. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer led off by demanding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explain Wylie’s exact role with the Liberal government. “Protecting the personal and privacy information of Canadians should be a top priority for government,” said Scheer, who noted how Wylie had also worked for previous Liberal leaders about a decade ago. Scott Brison, acting minister of democratic institutions, insisted all lawmakers in the House have a responsibility to protect the personal information of Canadians. Shortly before question period, the Liberals issued a statement saying Wylie’s company, Eunoia Technologies, conducted preliminary work for the caucus research bureau at a cost of $100,000 in a contract done in accordance with House of Commons procurement rules. They insisted that at no point did Wylie’s firm have access to any data from the research bureau. Brison said, “After seeing what was offered, Liberal caucus research bureau decided not to move forward.” A statement by the bureau’s managing director, Melissa Cotton, also said Wylie’s firm was contracted for several purposes, such as setting up social-media monitoring tools and the creation of samples of Canadians to help the party better understand the public’s opinions on government policies and other issues of national importance. The work also included recruiting constituents as a way to identify a range of local or regional issues not covered by national polls and assisting the bureau in monitoring the performance of Liberal MPs’ communications with their constituents.