VZCZCXRO2460
OO RUEHGA RUEHHA RUEHQU RUEHVC
DE RUEHOT #0703/01 1442038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 232038Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7913
INFO RUCNCAN/ALL CANADIAN POSTS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO PRIORITY 1819
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1000
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 000703 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAN, EEB/IFD/OIA, AND EEB/DCT 
USDOC 4320/OFFICE OF NAFTA/GWORD/TFOX; 3134/OIO/WESTERN 
HEMISPHERE 
STATE PSS USTR FOR MELLE AND SULLIVAN 
PARIS FOR USOECD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL ETRD CA
SUBJECT: PCO INVESTIGATION ON "NAFTAGATE" FAILS TO SOLVE 
MYSTERY 
 
REF: OTTAWA 378 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Following a two month investigation, the Privy 
Council Office released a May 22 report on "NAFTAGATE" 
related to alleged leaks by either or both Chief of Staff the 
Prime Minister Ian Brodie and Ambassador to the U.S. Michael 
Wilson regarding alleged comments from Democratic U.S. 
Presidential campaign staffs on possible renegotiation of the 
North American Free Trade Agreement.  The conclusions 
confirmed that both apparently did speak to reporters on this 
issue, but that neither had ever specifically claimed either 
Presidential campaign staff had suggested the candidates were 
only posturing for domestic political purposes.  The 
investigation failed entirely to determine how an 
unclassified report from the Canadian Consulate General in 
Chicago about a meeting between its staff and an economic 
advisor affiliated with one of the campaigns reached the 
media.  The report exonerated both Brodie and Wilson of 
leaking any classified information.  (The initial Consulate 
report was actually unclassified, and sent to 232 addressees, 
mostly in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International 
Trade, which then place the report on its information 
repository, to which all its employees have access.) 
Investigators found no email links between recipients and any 
media source related to this report, however. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  The PCO report included recommendations that all 
government departments and ministerial offices "should be 
reminded on a regular basis of the sensitivity of such 
documents and the need to protect them" and that DFAIT should 
expand its new protocols on sensitive reporting beyond only 
U.S. election-related messages. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  The Prime Minister's Office on May 23 released the 
following statement on the report: 
 
Begin text: 
 
Upon receipt of the Report on the Investigation into 
Unauthorized Disclosure of Sensitive Diplomatic Information, 
the following conclusions are noted: 
 
Any comments Mr. Brodie may have made during the lock-up did 
not reveal any information tied to the diplomatic report, of 
which he was made aware only on February 28.  There is no 
evidence that Mr. Brodie disclosed any classified information. 
 
Based on the findings of this investigation, there is no 
evidence that Ambassador Wilson revealed any information tied 
to the diplomatic report or to any U.S. presidential 
candidates position with respect to NAFTA, though his 
comments likely helped lead the reporter to the Senator Obama 
campaign.  There is no evidence that Ambassador Wilson 
disclosed any classified information. 
 
The original diplomatic report was incorrectly classified and 
had an inappropriately broad distribution list. 
 
The Prime Minister has accepted all the recommendations from 
the Report. 
End text 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  Separately on May 22, media reports -- which the 
government has not confirmed -- revealed that Brodie intends 
to step down as Chief of Staff o/a July 1.  His replacement 
is expected to be Guy Giorno, a one-time chief of staff to 
then-Ontario Premier Mike Harris, and who also worked in the 
last Conservative federal campaign.  Some reports linked this 
disclosure to the expected release of the PCO report, while 
others noted that new restrictions against lobbying for a 
five year period for former senior officials come into effect 
Qfive year period for former senior officials come into effect 
on July 1. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Comment:  The report has already provoked negative 
reaction from the opposition, and will likely be a prime 
topic during Question Period in the House of Commons during 
the week of May 26.  Prime Minister Harper will miss the 
brunt of it, since he will be on an official visit May 27-29 
to meet in succession in their capitals with French President 
Sarkozy, German Chancellor Merkel, Italian Prime Minister 
Berlusconi, and British Prime Minister Brown.  The 
Conservatives will continue to treat this as a tempest in a 
 
OTTAWA 00000703  002 OF 002 
 
 
teapot -- as it indeed seems to be -- but this latest furor 
will likely provide yet another incentive for them to allow 
the Commons to "rise" on the earliest possible date of June 6 
for the long summer recess. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
BREESE