Evidence of meeting #8 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 money.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Karlheinz Schreiber  As an Individual

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Do you think Frank Moores and these guys were using GCI as some piggy bank to stockpile commissions in Mulroney's name so he could withdraw them at a later time?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

I cannot say this. On top of this, there was then at one time a real fallout between Mr. Mulroney and Mr. Moores. I can only guess it was after the Thyssen disaster.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Were there any other gifts or money or benefits that you helped arrange for other public office holders in any of these projects?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

You never tried to influence public office holders by offering them gifts or benefits or money so they would--

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

It depends. When you speak about fundraising dinners or something like that, yes.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

How about arranging airplanes full of delegates to go to the 1983 convention to interfere with Canadian politics with foreign money? Was that something you were involved in?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

That was the idea from Walter Wolf. I was asked to help, and--

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

How much did you help him with?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

I think the first time it was $25,000, and then, as I explained to you, I made this Port Atlantis deal with Mr. Moores to enable him to have more cash, but what the cash in detail was used for, I don't know. They only told me later on that they had to pay for Wardair and the people going to Winnipeg.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

So you helped buy the leadership race that created the next Prime Minister of Canada. Was it foreign money? Were you a Canadian citizen at the time?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

It was 1983 and I became a Canadian in 1982, so yes.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Where did the money come from?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

The money came from myself and from the Strauss family and probably from the Christlich-Soziale Union.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

What about another leadership race with the Conservative Party? Did you play a role in Peter MacKay's leadership aspirations to head that party?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

No. I told you this before, sir.

But, yes, Mr. Charest.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Yes, that's another leadership race.

Did you discuss with Mr. Mulroney at any time during his tenure as Prime Minister, or in the two years following, that the Prime Minister would give any advice, paid or unpaid, or make representations on your behalf, or in other words lobby on your behalf, to anyone within the Government of Canada, including Kim Campbell if she had won?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

He said that he thought he would be in a very favourable position when she was the Prime Minister and that he could help.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

That was the June 1993 meeting at Harrington Lake, where he said that he could in fact--

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

--help you influence the next government?

12:05 p.m.

As an Individual

Karlheinz Schreiber

Yes, that was his understanding.

12:05 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

I'm going to share my time with my colleague. I'll step away, then, and substitute in my colleague, Thomas Mulcair.

12:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo

I do have the papers, so I'll give the balance of the time to Mr. Mulcair.

December 11th, 2007 / 12:05 p.m.

NDP

Thomas Mulcair NDP Outremont, QC

Merci beaucoup, monsieur le président.

I'll continue in English to facilitate things.

Mr. Schreiber, in your testimony before this committee last week, you said the following. You said you nearly froze, and then you said you heard this: “I want you to make sure that GCI, through you, transfers certain amounts of money to an account in Geneva, to a lawyer in Geneva, which is Mr. Mulroney's lawyer.” Can you please give us the identity of that lawyer?