Evidence of meeting #14 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was mulroney.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Martin, I'm satisfied that you really have no evidence to offer this committee concerning the Bear Head project, the Airbus purchase, or the consulting agreement between a former prime minister and Mr. Schreiber.
I'd like to remind the chair and members of the committee of the directive this committee agreed to, which is:
That in order to examine whether there were violations of ethical code of conduct standards by any office holder, the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics review matters relating to the Mulroney Airbus settlement, including any and all new evidence, testimony and information not available at the time of the settlement, and including allegations related to the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney made by Karlheinz Schreiber, and in particular the handling of allegations by the present government, including the circulation of relevant correspondence from the Privy Council Office and the Prime Minister's Office.
That is the direction of this committee.
Mr. Martin, I would like to apologize for bringing you before this committee and putting you through the ordeal you've had to go through. It was most unnecessary.
And I remind all of my colleagues that they should exercise due consideration when they are doing this to a witness. I think it was uncalled for.
I have nothing further.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Well, Mr. Del Mastro, thank you very much. I should at least remind you that the witness list was proposed to the committee on December 15, and it was approved by the committee. I understand that the Conservatives did not suggest any witnesses, for any purposes, for this entire study. I understand that. But still, we, as a committee, had a proposed witness list and it was approved by the committee. We're just following through.
Sometimes witnesses have been misquoted. I think Mr. Martin has told us that some of the things written in the newspapers were incorrect and he saw no reason to correct them.
Mr. Martin, have you ever met Karlheinz Schreiber?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
So up to the period when you were still there, up to 1989, you never saw Mr. Schreiber at 24 Sussex?
5:20 p.m.
As an Individual
As I told you earlier, I don't remember that gentlemen. His name might perhaps appear in my agenda and in the menus related to the guest lists. Otherwise, I was busy working in the kitchen and preparing to receive those people.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Martin, as the chef there, you were responsible for the kitchen and for looking after guests and so forth. You must have done a very good job because you worked there for a number of years, and people always speak very highly of you.
Did you have a budget to do that, so much a month, or how did you manage your activities?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
I think every chef would be very proud to have that kind of job.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
We had this guy, Mr. Spector, here. Do you watch this at all or are you so busy with your other things you don't bother with what happens in Ottawa any more? Do you read the newspapers, watch TV to see all the news that's going on about this Schreiber and Mulroney thing, or is it just passed—
5:20 p.m.
As an Individual
I watched the six o'clock news, where it concerned Mr. Spector.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
When Mr. Spector came, a Mr. Pratte had written Mr. Spector a letter telling him to be very careful before he came before the committee. Mr. Pratte is a high-priced lawyer who works for Mr. Mulroney.
Did you get any letter like that telling you to be very cautious about what you were going to say to the committee?
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
And you pick up your mail each day? It wouldn't be sitting in a box somewhere, a postal box?
It rather amused me that Mr. Spector got a warning before he came, to be very careful about what he said.
Like Mr. Del Mastro, we appreciate your coming. We had all sorts of evidence about money being transferred to 24 Sussex, and they alluded to the fact that somebody there was getting cheques from the Prime MInister's office, and they were taking them over. Mr. Spector even left accounts here showing where some of that money was spent. Lampshades were being broken nearly every week at 24 Sussex. The papers we got said nearly every week they bought a new lampshade. They bought a lot of covers and so forth. There's a long list of things that were happening there. It seems as if there was a lot of damage.
When you worked there did you have any evidence of wild parties and things being broken?
5:25 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Hubbard Liberal Miramichi, NB
No, it went very well for you.
I certainly want to thank you for coming. I hope you have a good job back where you are, and good luck with it.
Thank you very much.
5:25 p.m.
Bloc
