Information & Ethics Committee on Dec. 13th, 2007

[Brian Mulroney]

No, I said I contacted--in 1999 I contacted Mr. Hladun, who is an excellent lawyer out in Edmonton representing Mr. Schreiber.

He says that the reason for the contact by me was, as he says, “I assumed”--with regard to Mr. Mulroney not being involved in any way--“as alleged in Letter of Request”.

He assumed that my call, quite properly, related to the allegations and the money that went through the system on the Airbus deal, from which I received not a cent.

But sir, in the interest of completeness and accuracy for your important question, from the same lawyer, in 2005, on the same issue, to the CBC:

I have learned that the CBC has referenced that they have evidence that the writer

--Mr. Hladun--

was asked to have Mr. Schreiber provide a letter to Mr. Mulroney that “at no time did Mr. Mulroney solicit or receive compensation of any kind from Mr. Karlheinz Schreiber”. First off, to my mind, there is no such evidence because I have never had a conversation with Brian Mulroney about compensation. The only conversations I had with anyone were in the context of and limited to the allegations of improper payments made as referenced in the September, 1995, Letter of Request delivered by the Canadian government to the Swiss authorities, in what became known as the “Airbus” case. My retainer was directed to the allegations stated in that Letter of Request.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

The suggestion here--and then I need to go on to another question--is that this would have been leading from the Thyssen money. It would have suggested the $300,000--and you argue it's $225,000, but that amount of money--and that two days subsequent to that conversation, you would have made your late declaration.

But we'll have a chance to explain that later.

[Brian Mulroney]

Sir, that's completely false. You can't throw that out as a prefatory remark, because it's completely false.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

I accept that as your comment and as your testimony.

In the summer of 2006, you met with Prime Minister Harper at Harrington Lake. Did you, through Elmer MacKay, solicit the letter from Mr. Schreiber for that meeting?

[Brian Mulroney]

Of course not.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Did you discuss the wireless spectrum issue with the Prime Minister at that time or at any other time?

[Brian Mulroney]

I think the Prime Minister has already responded in the House of Commons to that suggestion.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

I'm asking you.

[Brian Mulroney]

The answer of course is in the negative.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Mr. Mulroney, this whole thing, you admit, is an error. I suggest to you that what Canadians are asking--

[Brian Mulroney]

No, I don't admit the whole thing is an error.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Order.

[Brian Mulroney]

I admit that my decision--

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

To accept the money was an error.

[Brian Mulroney]

It was an error, yes, sir.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

To accept in cash.... And Canadians are asking that question.

[Brian Mulroney]

That's fair.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

They remember a great debater in Canadian politics suggesting, “Sir, you had an option.”

You chose at Harrington Lake--from your testimony--to suggest to Mr. Schreiber that he could go back to you with his dealings.

Then you exercised the option to accept money, in cash, in a hotel room in Montreal.

In a deposition, you said that you were having coffee every now and then.

[Brian Mulroney]

That is not right, sir.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Then you again accepted the option of accepting money at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel, and again accepting money, in cash, at Hotel Pierre in New York.

This question remains for Canada: Is this--and perhaps not by you, but in the whole dealing with Schreiber and these commissions--the tip of an iceberg of a lot of money that flowed?

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Thank you, Mr. Thibault.

I'm going to allow Mr. Mulroney to respond to the statements you've just made.

[Brian Mulroney]

Well, I hope, sir, we can come to some of your prefatory remarks. I think in the course of testimony, I'll be able to persuade you that you have been seriously misled in regard to some of your remarks.

The answer to your question is that I don't have a clue what Mr. Schreiber may or may not have done internationally with his money.

Mr. Schreiber came before you.

Ms. Lavallée from the Bloc Québécois asked him questions almost non-stop, without getting any answers. She did everything she could—she asked specific questions about the name of the lawyer, the amounts, the benefits, but she got no answers.

You are asking me to tell you how Mr. Schreiber conducted his business internationally.

I know no more than Ms. Lavallée did following her close questioning of Mr. Schreiber. I am sorry, but I cannot help you with that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Paul Szabo]

Thank you kindly.

I'm now going to give the floor to Madame Lavallée.

You have the floor.

[Carole Lavallée, Bloc, Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC]

I will turn the floor over to Mr. Ménard, and I will come back on the second round.

[Serge Ménard, Bloc, Marc-Aurèle-Fortin, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Mulroney. I hope I'll have more luck with you than Ms. Lavallée had. I have prepared some simple questions.

How much did you receive in the first payment?