Government Operations Committee on June 17th, 2010

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Keep lying. Your credibility won't get any better. Keep lying.

In your letter of June 15, you wrote: “At my last appearance before this committee, I was asked about my use of Helena's office for my personal business purposes. It is not true that I used her office for my personal business purposes.”

One of the reasons you mentioned for working in Ms. Guergis' office was that you had not had enough time, after your defeat, to pick up your personal files. Do you still agree with that statement?

[Rahim Jaffer]

If I could, Mr. Guimond, again, I don't recollect that there was a sign on her door saying that she was the secretary of state. If you can show me that proof, then I will be obviously proven wrong, but all she had on her door was her MP name. It wasn't a secretary of state plaque on that door in her office.

You asked about the office?

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

How much time did you have after your defeat to empty your member's office?

[Rahim Jaffer]

I think I was spending time immediately after the closure of my office here in Centre Block, so probably at the beginning of November, for a few weeks. Other than that, I'd helped her in November-December with some of the work on her Christmas cards and other things that she was doing, and then that was it. I think in January I maybe attended a couple of scheduling meetings at her request, but by March we had our own office in the downtown core and I was working out of that office.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Oh, I see.

Nevertheless, you acknowledge having met there with Mr. Wenger, Mr. Prentice's assistant. Farther down in the paragraph, you say: “I believe that every other person I may have met when at my wife's office would be registered on the visitor's log through security [...]” When you say “every other person I may have met”, how many people do you mean? Answer with a figure.

[Rahim Jaffer]

No, I understand. We went through this as there were these allegations that I was using my wife's office in an improper way, and as I've said, we've said that this is not true. I could recollect--

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

How many other people met you there?

[Rahim Jaffer]

I can recollect that maybe there were three or four people during the time that I would have met, and it would have been on a personal basis, to qualify either to meet for lunch at the cafeteria or to go off the Hill, but it was a central point because my office was close.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

You met those people at Minister Guergis's office because, in your capacity as an unregistered lobbyist, you were happy to meet people there so that they could see on the door that you were meeting with them in the office of a Conservative minister.

[Rahim Jaffer]

No, you're mistaken, Mr. Guimond--very mistaken, actually.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

That is the real reason.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Mr. Guimond, you have one minute left.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Fine.

Earlier, in response to a question by Mr. Calandra, you said...

I am going to ask two quick questions. In the current Conservative government, you don't recognize the Reform Party, where the platform was based on greater democracy. You don't recognize that party. You are bitter because your wife was fired, of course, is that accurate?

[Rahim Jaffer]

Yes.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Even if you don't recognize the party, led by Stephen Harper, you ran as a Conservative candidate in the 2008 election. Is that accurate?

[Rahim Jaffer]

Yes, I was.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

You just acknowledged that.

I will conclude with a direct question. Why did Stephen Harper fire your wife?

[Rahim Jaffer]

That's still a question that has to be answered. I think many things have happened since the 2008 election that lead me to believe, as I said, that the Conservative Party of today is not the same party that I worked so hard to develop. The treatment of my wife, disregarding grassroots democracy---this was the pillar of the Reform Party and subsequent parties to respect grassroots democracy and their choice as to who they choose as their candidate and who they send to Ottawa at a subsequent election.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Do you know why she was fired?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you, Mr. Guimond, your time is up.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Why was she fired?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Mr. Guimond, your time is up. Thank you.

Nathan--Mr. Cullen--for five minutes.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Thanks, Jasmin.

Hello, Rahim. So you used a diplomatic passport when you were no longer an MP--

[Rahim Jaffer]

It was a spousal passport.

[Nathan Cullen, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

You handed out your business card that said you were the Conservative caucus chair when you no longer were that. You used your wife's office intermittently to conduct business.