Government Operations committee  I will be happy to undertake to provide a full response in terms of both Gartner and within SSC. I have a principle today.... I understand that the question is looking for something more precise, so I will undertake to provide that.

Government Operations committee  I would have to consult with counsel on that. One of the things I was advised on was that, if I were to disclose this report, even in camera, it would be a disclosure and I would be in breach. There are some challenges there that I would have to consult further with counsel on.

Government Operations committee  I apologize. Somebody said this is not something that happens normally. We are dealing with sensitive information, sensitive systems, all the time. Every department works with some degree—

Government Operations committee  I want to be very clear that I have a sense that you have asked for precise numbers. I have these conversations with members of my direct management team, who have certain obligations and indoctrination that I am very clear on, and I trust that they have conversations relative to the functioning of their responsibility consistent with those delegations and their obligations.

Government Operations committee  To give you the short answer, this is not anything that I would want attributed to me, but there are those who have said that the COVID pandemic has accelerated the shift to digital right across all aspects of society. We have certainly seen that within the departments we serve and their level of ambition to provide services digitally to Canadians.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, the member's assumption is correct. We had, maybe on a busy day, 30,000 to 40,000 public servants working from home before the pandemic. In a snowstorm or ice storm it had gone up a little bit, but not much. We're at about 300,000. We don't call them “people” but “connections”, because people will connect and disconnect.

Government Operations committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. Is it January 22 of this year? I just want to confirm.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much. I think, Mr. Chair, rather than speculate I would appreciate the opportunity to investigate the specifics and to report—

Government Operations committee  I would very much appreciate the opportunity to investigate this properly and report back in writing. The details will help accelerate that.

Government Operations committee  I would just like to reassure the committee that my intention is not to withhold any information from this committee at all. It is to uphold my responsibilities with respect to my legal obligations to protect confidential business information and others. I definitely understand the—

Government Operations committee  There's a sense that this is precedent setting. I would point all committee members to the Access to Information Act, where it makes very clear that any vendor before or proposed to be before cabinet is a confidence. That was the interpretation used. My team, under my direction, was asked to consistently interpret and apply the access to information law.

Government Operations committee  My attempt, as I stated in my opening, was to try to be transparent, recognizing the important nature of the study you are undertaking. We wanted to be very clear and transparent with you about where we are going with respect to the nature of the network. There's a lot of talk about interoperability and the enterprise approach.

Government Operations committee  Again, Mr. Chair, I'm not sure there was a question for me in that last....

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the member's question—

Government Operations committee  What the witness is trying to convey is that, depending upon the data centre, the nature of the workloads in it, absolutely, we would consider that of national significance and security, and would not proactively disclose that. I would not perpetuate that if somebody else has.