Evidence of meeting #15 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was schreiber.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Had you met him while working on the Bear Head project?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
I believe I met him in the context of his engagement as our legal counsel.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
I'm sorry; Bear Head Industries was owned by Thyssen. I met him through the Bear Head project.
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
I knew that Mr. Lalonde was the lawyer for Bear Head Industries, which was a Thyssen company; yes, of course.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Did you know that Brian Mulroney also worked for Bear Head or for Thyssen?
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Yet you worked for Bear Head Industries from 1988 to 1996, when Mr. Mulroney said he was working for Thyssen.
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
The distinction that I think is important for you to understand is that my line of report in Bear Head Industries was from my area of responsibilities, which were domestic projects, Canadian projects. The chairman of Bear Head Industries, as appointed by our German parent company, was Mr. Schreiber. Mr. Schreiber had a greater involvement in international projects.
I might have been called upon in these areas from time to time--there certainly was a desire in the Bear Head project, as it was envisaged, to manufacture and export into accessible markets--but my primary focus was to the domestic market.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Yes, but if Mr. Mulroney had needed promotional materials, would he not have had to ask you for them because you were the vice-president of Bear Head Industries in Ottawa?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
Mr. Schreiber was actually involved. If Mr. Schreiber needed materials, of course, they were readily available in the firm's offices and would be available to him. We're happy to distribute our promotional material to anyone.
I'm sure, within our campaign to introduce and make known the name of Thyssen and Bear Head Industries and the capability of our vehicles, that on many occasions we readily sent our equipment descriptions and catalogues and corporate qualifications to each and every member of Parliament, including all of the prime ministers at the time of our office's existence.
4:30 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Schreiber said that sometime in the 1980s, Frank D. Moores told him that GCI would take care of Mr. Mulroney, who, when he was no longer Prime Minister, would work for GCI. That is what Mr. Schreiber told us on December 11, 2007. Is that true?
4:35 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
As far as you know, did GCI, its shareholders or its employees offer anything to Mr. Mulroney?
February 12th, 2008 / 4:35 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you, Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Alford. My name is Pat Martin. I'm a member of Parliament from Winnipeg, representing the NDP.
Welcome.
My questions, I suppose, will focus in and around Bear Head, as the others have.
What we do know is that at a certain stage, when a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Government of Nova Scotia and the federal government, a $4 million bonus was paid out. Did that money go to GCI?
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
We've been given copies of the memorandum of understanding on that basis. I suppose it was Mr. Schreiber who would have been the lead lobbyist for Bear Head at that time. Is that your understanding?
4:35 p.m.
As an Individual
Let me clarify my earlier response. I'm certainly familiar with the understanding, the agreement that you describe. I had no awareness of any payments that you've described.
