Government Operations committee  No.

Government Operations committee  I appreciate the question, Mr. Lauzon. We did have a discussion, Patrick and I, about this. We were clear on the law that if we were to take any contract that would pay us to talk to any government official, we would then have to, by the law, register. We didn't know the nature of what our business was going to be.

Government Operations committee  Belize, when I was elected.

Government Operations committee  What I did was I asked this former chief of staff to my wife.... I didn't feel comfortable taking a diplomatic passport because I knew I would have personal travel. Who wouldn't on a passport that you're issued? So I told her that I was going to try to go through the process to get a normal passport because I didn't want to have any confusion.

Government Operations committee  I travelled to Cuba on a personal trip. It was like a stag. It was for a friend. I read reports of something about Castro. I think the closest we came to Castro was a picture in the hotel of the president. Other than that, I was surprised to hear that story. As I said, I qualified it with the chief of staff at the time and said, “I know that I won't only be travelling on this passport with my wife, so should I not obtain another passport?”

Government Operations committee  No, I never went to Panama.

Government Operations committee  I think the party I'm seeing before me, the Conservative Party, isn't the same party I joined when I was a Reformer back in 1997. We stood for democracy, we stood for freedom. The way my wife has been treated by your party and your government doesn't represent anything I've ever seen and that I worked for during the time I was an MP.

Government Operations committee  —called a process to say that she could clear her name, and then proceeds to kick her out of the party. You call that democracy? I don't understand. I don't even recognize this party anymore.

Government Operations committee  Usually it was personal. My cousin works as the advance for the Prime Minister, so she often contacts me on that e-mail address to ask how I'm doing.

Government Operations committee  That's because they knew that was one they could use in order to either get in touch with me through Helena's office or directly.

Government Operations committee  I have friends. I have a former assistant who worked in my office during the time I was elected. His name is Renze Nauta. I don't know his function now; I haven't been in touch with him recently. He would sometimes send me a note on that address.

Government Operations committee  If I understand your question correctly, you're addressing the issue of lobbying by the fact that I was talking to a minister.

Government Operations committee  Yes. First of all, I was never paid by GPG, being my own company, to do any lobbying. Secondly, when it came to the minister, when we approached his assistant about how we go about.... This is a brand new area. There's no information available on how to pay the government to put solar panels on rooftops.

Government Operations committee  I have never spoken to Minister Ambrose at all.

Government Operations committee  Yes.