Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Dec. 11th, 2023

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

You indicated that a staff member recorded the video in your office. Who was the staff member who recorded the video?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

Okay—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I asked a simple question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

You have asked a simple question. I'm taking from the response and the beep, beep, beep that we're not getting that answer, but it sounds—

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

No, I'd be happy to provide that answer.

I'm a little uncomfortable. Again, it's a tradition of this committee and this House that the member of Parliament is responsible for the actions of his or her staff. I can tell you that it was a staff member, and it was my staff member from my Hill office.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bardish Chagger]

I'm going to minimize.... That's kind of where I was getting to, but it does sound like you're agreeing to provide the documents.

Once again, we will get the committee to confirm that we would like those documents at a later time.

Thank you for that exchange.

Mr. Gerretsen, you have five minutes, through the chair.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Fergus, for providing your comments today.

You stated that you were given the assurances that the video would not be used in a public forum.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

That is correct.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

You were under the understanding that it would be played amongst intimate individuals within Mr. Fraser's team.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

That is correct.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

You stated in your introductory comments—and I think it's something that no question has really picked up on yet—that you've been friends with Mr. Fraser for a long time.

How long, approximately?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

I can tell you it's since 1989.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

You said that Mr. Fraser supported you quite a bit over the years. I think you even—correct me if I'm wrong, as this was in the translated part from the French—said he was very supportive of you when you were getting together with your wife.

Did I hear that correctly?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

You did indeed. My wife and I had started going out that summer. Mr. Fraser was a key person. He and his wife were slightly older. They had some young children. They were role models for us and, Mr. Gerretsen, one of the reasons why I'd say that I had no intention of this video being played publicly is that, for the last four or five years I rarely mention my wife's name. I don't mention my kids' names in public videos because of the climate we are in.

In this video I did mention my wife's name. He was—

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

I heard you say he was a role model to you.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It was more than that. Mr. Gerretsen, you might not know this or members might not know this, but I'm a practising Roman Catholic. I wasn't born Catholic. To marry my wife, I had to become Catholic. Mr. Fraser and his wife were part of the adult ritual for becoming Roman Catholic, the initiation process.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

My wife went through exactly the same thing.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

They were key parts of that. It was a role that he played in such an important part of my life.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

It's fair to say that your relationship with Mr. Fraser goes well beyond partisan activities or the Liberal Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Ontario or the Liberal Party “generally speaking.”

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It's a personal relationship.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

It's a very personal relationship.

Can you talk about the manner in which you have engaged with him outside of political or partisan activities throughout the three or four decades you have known him, whether at conventions or campaigning or whatnot?

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Since I was elected, I have not participated in his campaigns. I have a busy schedule being a member of Parliament in my province.

In the intervening years, since 1989, I've babysat his kids. He's babysat mine. I've been to his cottage. We've had a friendship since long before he got into politics.

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

Before Mr. Fraser was even in politics, you had a well-established relationship with him. Did I hear you correctly that you babysat his children and that he has babysat your children? You have spent a lot of time together personally outside of politics, and you have an extremely close friendship with Mr. Fraser.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

It was an extremely close friendship. We haven't spoken as much in recent years, but when we do see each other at—

[Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands, ON]

You said earlier that you considered him a role model.