Evidence of meeting #7 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 letter.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
How do you explain the fact that one letter you say is accurate and another letter you say you were forced to sign, or that you signed it willingly knowing that it wasn't true?
12:40 p.m.
As an Individual
No. All these blooming words in there...why don't you ask the witness about this? What would you have done if you had been in my position and the previous Prime Minister, who has done so much mess to me, came and said, “Karlheinz, I want to help you, but I can't do this, you did this horrible fifth estate program, so I cannot do this unless you give me this letter that I can show to the Prime Minister to show that we are on good terms”? If you were in my position, and you have a wife and you have children, what would you have done?
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
So you're willing to sign anything that's given to you—
12:40 p.m.
As an Individual
At that moment, when Brian Mulroney said he needed it for the Prime Minister to fix the whole thing and go to an inquiry, yes, I would sign anything.
12:40 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Up until 1994 it was legal to deduct bribes from your income tax in this country, and I presume—
12:45 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
In this country it was legal to deduct bribes as a business expense--in this country, on your income tax.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
And I guess in Europe it was common practice to have grease money to facilitate commerce in its various respects. So there was a $20 million fund that Airbus set aside for grease money. Am I correct in my reading of this?
12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
Sir, we have to make sure now what we speak about. The Airbus company is a French company; it's not a German company.
12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes, it was all over Europe.
And I would be pleased to tell the committee later on, whenever you have the time and are willing to listen, how the whole thing was done—from the political scenario, how it happened.
December 6th, 2007 / 12:45 p.m.
As an Individual
No, I know.
But the money was a commission. Sure.
12:45 p.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Yes, it was set aside.
But you had access to that money. One of your jobs was to help Airbus sell their product overseas—
