Government Operations Committee on Nov. 16th, 2010

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Ladies and gentlemen, we want to start this meeting.

Good morning, members.

Monsieur Fortier, welcome to the committee. You're an experienced parliamentarian so you know how this works. We'll invite you to an opening statement and then members will want to ask questions.

Colleagues, up until late yesterday afternoon we had all three witnesses for two hours, but the other two, Democracy Watch and Broccolini Construction, weren't able to come for the full two hours, so we're going to have Mr. Fortier for the full two hours, and Democracy Watch and Broccolini when they arrive. That's how we'll proceed.

First of all, Mr. Fortier, welcome, and we look forward to your opening statement.

[Michael Fortier, Former Minister of Public Works and Government Services, As an Individual]

Mr. Chair, thank you. I actually don't have an opening statement. You've asked me to come here to answer questions, so I will be happy to answer questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Okay.

Mr. Coderre, you have eight minutes.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Welcome, Mr. Fortier.

Were you previously given instructions on renovation contracts when you were minister?

[Michael Fortier]

Yes.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

What kind of information did you receive?

[Michael Fortier]

It concerned the scope of the work. There were a lot of works to coordinate and execute, as you know. It focused more on the macroproject of what there was to do: how members and senators were going to leave the precincts, move out and come back at some point.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Were you told about certain contracts in particular? For example, were you informed that, in the case of the West Block, they had to change contract criteria? Were you involved in that?

[Michael Fortier]

Not at all.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

I assume your political advisor at the time was Bernard Côté?

[Michael Fortier]

He was one of my advisors.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

What was his role with you?

[Michael Fortier]

Mr. Côté was settled in Montreal and mainly handled Montreal files. That was my political responsibility as regional minister responsible for Montreal; so that was his main occupation.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Is it possible that Mr. Côté received people at that time who wanted to do business with Ottawa, particularly with the Department of Public Works and Government Services?

[Michael Fortier]

No. That wasn't in fact the instruction. However, as you know, there are grey areas. Some people want to meet the minister responsible for the Montreal region because they have projects, and those may involve the machinery of government.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

To your knowledge, did Mr. Varin meet Mr. Côté?

[Michael Fortier]

I know now because I read it in the newspapers, but I had no knowledge of that at the time.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Did Mr. Côté meet Mr. Sauvé?

[Michael Fortier]

I don't know.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Côté didn't report to you on the people he met?

[Michael Fortier]

Look, that was a few years ago. I don't want to avoid the question, but if he met him, that didn't get back to me because that wasn't a file he considered important to submit to my attention.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

As minister responsible for Montreal, did you have to attend your party's cocktail fundraisers?

[Michael Fortier]

To tell you the truth, I went to some, but not a lot.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Was Mr. Varin at those fundraisers?

[Michael Fortier]

I absolutely don't know, Mr. Coderre. I didn't know Mr. Varin. As you know, I haven't been a Conservative Party supporter for very long, and Mr. Varin was active in the party at another time. He is not someone I saw or knew. He might have come to a fundraiser where I was the guest minister. However, I don't believe he attended the fundraisers that were organized for me, for my own fundraising drives.