Evidence of meeting #48 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 campaign.
A recording is available from Parliament.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Did you at any point have control over the $40,000 that came in and out of your campaign to buy the signs and the buttons and the other paraphernalia you're referring to?
2:20 p.m.
As an Individual
At no time did I have control of one cent of the money in the campaign. In our campaign training, we were always strictly told that the actual candidate never, ever becomes involved with the finances in the riding campaign; that was a no-no. That would be handled totally by the chief financial officer or official agent.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
Did your campaign team or did the official agent have control over that $40,000 that came in and immediately went back out from the central Conservative Party?
2:20 p.m.
As an Individual
I don't know how long it actually sat in the account—you probably have that information—but there was a period of time, and I don't know how many days it may have been, that it sat in our account. She was the only one who had authority to draw funds from that account. I guess she could have bought a plane ticket to Mexico if she had wanted to, but she didn't.
2:20 p.m.
Liberal
Karen Redman Liberal Kitchener Centre, ON
My information, and it certainly confirms what you've told us, is that it was quite late in the campaign. The election date, I think, was January 23, and the wire transaction happened on January 16. Clearly, you've already underscored the real concerns that your official agent had about how appropriate, for lack of a better word, this system was. Were you aware of her conversations, or did you have any conversations with the Conservative Party of Canada voicing your concerns at whether or not this was within the rules of Elections Canada?
2:20 p.m.
As an Individual
No, I personally did not talk to anybody in any senior position about the business arrangement, but Barbro did that through her channels back to HQ.
I certainly wouldn't have participated in any kind of transaction until I felt comfortable about its true nature and understood it thoroughly. I expressed this also to Rom Cimaroli, who was our campaign manager, and Rom ended up receiving an e-mail, which Elections Canada has a copy of, from Suzanne.... The name just slips from me; she sits as a director on national council. She explained the mechanics fully. Suzanne I knew very well from previous campaigns and I trusted her. She laid out in black and white how it actually worked. Therefore, we were satisfied that what was happening here was all on the up-and-up.
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Good afternoon.
I would like to ask Darren Roberts a question. You were the official agent for Cynthia Downey in 2006. Is that correct?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Was that the first time you had performed that function?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Do you have training in administration or law? Do you have a certification in accounting?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
The official agent's job, as we have seen, is fairly complex and demanding. Did you receive training from the Conservative Party?
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Did the Conservative ever offer you an individual or group training session?
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Do you feel that you are familiar with the Elections Act?
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Right. Did you trust the party officials to help you apply the Act?
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
How much money did the party transfer to you for the regional advertising program?
2:25 p.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
That's a lot of money. Did they explain to you the reasons why that $7,700 was being given to you?
