Canada's Employment and Social Development Minister Pierre Poilievre speaks to journalists on Parliament Hill in Ottawa May 27, 2015.Chris Wattie/Reuters
Conservative Party officials – rather than public servants – were on hand Thursday to film Pierre Poilievre's latest public event, but the Employment Minister is not ruling out using taxpayer money again to fund future videos.
Mr. Poilievre held a news conference in the foyer of the House of Commons in which he focused his comments on criticizing Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau's support for a mandatory increase in Canada Pension Plan contributions.
His news conference was filmed by two men from the Conservative Party who lined up with reporters to record the minister's comments. It is not clear what the party officials will do with the video.
Mr. Poilievre has faced criticism for having public servants produce what the opposition dubs "vanity videos" because of the minister's starring role, including one filmed in his south Ottawa riding that required a team of public servants in his department to bill overtime for working on a Sunday.
Opposition critics, public-sector unions and former senior public servants have said Mr. Poilievre's videos cross the line into partisan politics and that public servants should not be involved in producing such material, especially on the eve of an election.
Some have suggested that if Mr. Poilievre is going to continue producing such videos, they should be paid for by the Conservative Party rather than taxpayers.
However, the minister would not say whether the presence of Conservative Party staffers Thursday was a sign that he is making that change.
Mr. Poilievre also said he welcomed all of the recent attention on his department's work. "We generated much interest in the video," he said. "We're going to continue to reach out to parents so that they all know about these increased benefits."
Bill Curry