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Staffer fired after lobbyists offered confidential report

Stormy clouds move in over the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Sunday Sept. 13, 2009. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)
Stormy clouds move in over the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Sunday Sept. 13, 2009. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

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Date: Tuesday Nov. 23, 2010 6:19 PM ET

OTTAWA — A Parliament Hill staffer has been fired after he attempted to give three Ottawa lobbyists a sneak peek at a confidential House of Commons report.

The trio were emailed a copy of the finance committee's draft report on budget consultations last week by a member of Tory MP Kelly Block's office.

Committee members had also received their copies of the report that day and were supposed to debate it before making its contents public to the entire House of Commons.

The Saskatchewan MP says she's since fired Russell Ullyatt and apologized for the breach, both to her committee colleagues and to the entire House.

But on Tuesday, some members of the finance committee said the matter shouldn't end there.

They're calling on the Speaker of the House to declare that parliamentary privilege may have been breached and send the matter to a House committee for further study.

The report includes suggestions from the four political parties as well as analysis of the budgetary and economic situation of Canada, said New Democrat Thomas Mulcair.

Its contents could give lobbyists an unfair edge, he said.

"If the party in power, with the three opposition parties, converges on unanimous opinion on important points, if someone else had notice of that convergence weeks ahead of time and drew a logical inference that this would become one of government's economic positions, the lobbyist would get a clear net advantage," he told the House.

Tim Egan, president of the Canadian Gas Association, was one of the lobbyists sent a copy of the report.

But a statement from his organization late Tuesday said he didn't ask for an advance copy.

"Neither Mr. Egan nor any employee of the Canadian Gas Association solicited, received or read a draft of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance pre-budget consultation report," said the statement, which was emailed to The Canadian Press.

"The CGA's external IT service provider has advised that the email containing the draft report went to the Association's spam filter and was not delivered to Mr. Egan."

Lynne Hamilton, a vice-president at GCI Group, was also sent a copy of the report.

Hamilton replied to the staffer "I heart you," according to documents brandished by Liberal MP Paul Szabo in the House.

But Hamilton's colleague Jamie Carroll said she didn't ask to receive the report nor did she circulate the documents once she received them.

"It was destroyed as soon as she realized what it was," said Carroll.

The third lobbyist, Tactix Group's Clarke Cross, did not return a call for comment.

Cross used to work for two current Tory MPs and Hamilton's bio trumpets her links with Conservative parties at the federal and provincial level.

Tom Lukiwski, the parliamentary secretary to the House leader, said there was no breach of parliamentary privilege.

He said the actions Block has already taken should suffice, considering that's what usually happens after a leak.

"When those unfortunate occurrences have taken place, the members in question who have breached confidentiality matters have risen in this place and delivered a heartfelt apology," he said.

"Those apologies every time have been accepted. There has been no breach of privilege found and the House and committees have moved on."

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