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.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
All of a sudden we hear in committee that the money Mr. Mulroney received in cash, as a retainer, for work done for Mr. Schreiber, was for Thyssen International. You're familiar with this? That's what you understand as Mr. Mulroney's current position?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
I heard the testimony here, so I heard the same thing you did.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
I remember discussing the fact that he was working on the light-armoured vehicle project. That's how he got involved with Mr. Schreiber. Further down the road, he did some work related to a pasta business project.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
Mr. Lavoie, there is something that's difficult for me to understand. You're not a kid out of public relations school who was hired by Mr. Mulroney. This was not your first job. You're recognized as one of the top people in your field, one of the absolute best.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
He's hired you. He has all these accusations and suggestions that started with the letter in 1995. I believe the terms of settlement that the Attorney General told us, because the letter was accusatory. Just to put the record straight, I think he said that he may not have settled at that time if he'd known about the $300,000, but he never said there wouldn't be a settlement.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
So you know about all these accusations. They're out there, the suggestions. You know that Harper has met with Mulroney at Harrington Lake.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
You have heard that Harper and Mulroney met at Harrington Lake, and that Schreiber provided a letter to Mr. Mulroney to go to visit Harper. You're aware of that. You've seen it in the media. You've seen it in the testimony of the committee.
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
Afterwards. I was not aware of the meeting at Harrington Lake between Prime Minister Harper and Mr. Mulroney. I found out afterwards, the way you did.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Robert Thibault Liberal West Nova, NS
But Mr. Mulroney is your client. You're doing his public relations. He has huge trouble with Schreiber. There's a lot in the problem, and he doesn't tell you these things?
I put one question to you. Is it plausible deniability that you're seeking or that he's affording you--
4:30 p.m.
Robert Thibeault
--or is he replacing that person as the biggest liar, the one you were suggesting earlier?
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Order.
Mr. Lavoie, one more time, you said that you were apprised of the money transaction in the spring of 2000 for the first time.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
I assume that somebody talked about how much, or at least, if I received an envelope with $1,000 bills, whether it be 75 or 100, it's so unusual, so off the wall.... Somebody must have said “$1,000 bills”. Is that correct?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
No, someone said to me, “retainer in cash in the tens of thousands of dollars” on three occasions. That's what I was told.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
This thing about $1,000 currency never came up in anybody's discussion?