Evidence of meeting #68 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was foundation.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
No, not me, although I do recall one article that I saw, because there was a lot written about this. There was a call from the Prime Minister's Office to one of the staff in the foundation.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Ms. Fournier stated that she remembers reviewing emails between the executive director, Elise Comtois, and the PMO. Were you aware of these emails?
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
I don't recall, but I will say, just to go back, that if there were emails and there were documents that raised questions about this stuff, why didn't the foundation management call me to at least get my view on it so I could see the stuff and—
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Those are important questions.
There was testimony by Ms. Fournier that there was some disarray in the governance structure. As we saw when you left, board members did leave en masse. That's not typical—
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
I don't think they left en masse.
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
I'd have to go back and see. I know of two.
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
I don't know. Once I left, I left.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
I can appreciate that.
You're stating that you had no information. Would the executive director have informed you of email communication between the foundation and the PMO?
4:45 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
It's possible. I'm really sorry. I'm trying to answer your questions, but I also know enough to say when I don't recall that I don't recall.
4:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
That's fair.
Do you recall there being meetings hosted at the PMO with the foundation?
4:50 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
Absolutely not.
4:50 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
No, I mean there weren't.
4:50 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
As I answered earlier, we were independent and very sensitive to that independence from the government, and doubly sensitive, I think, when Mr. Trudeau became Prime Minister.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
Thank you, Mr. Green and Mr. Rosenberg.
To finish this round, I am going to allow two people to speak for five minutes each, one Conservative and one Liberal. Then we will go back to six minutes each, and I will be able to make adjustments to speaking times as we get to the end of the meeting.
Mr. Berthold, the floor is yours for five minutes.
May 2nd, 2023 / 4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Rosenberg, you were deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, is that right?
4:50 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
Yes.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
4:50 p.m.
Author of the Report on the assessment of the 2021 Critical Election Incident Public Protocol and former President and CEO of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, As an Individual
It was from 2010 to 2013.
4:50 p.m.
Conservative
Luc Berthold Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
So you are very familiar with all the influence networks and everything that may go on at the international level. Particularly at this time, we are even more sensitive to that.
Did you not find it bizarre that the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation would be receiving such a large amount of money right before an election?