Information & Ethics Committee on Feb. 12th, 2008

[Fred Doucet]

Totally by cheques. I would invoice and the cheques would come into the company. As the previous person giving testimony said, I wouldn't see these cheques, but they would come to the company. They were billed by the company and they would come to the company.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

When you were at the Pierre Hotel in New York, is that when you discovered that Mulroney was being paid by cash?

[Fred Doucet]

I didn't discover it on that occasion; I didn't know. The statement that he made, as I said in my statement, was, “In this envelope is included your payment”. There was no specification as to the type.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

When you left the Pierre, did you accompany Mr. Mulroney?

[Fred Doucet]

To the best of my knowledge, we said goodbye at the hotel and I went off to the airport. I'm not sure if he was coming back to Canada or going somewhere else in the States.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

So you didn't accompany him to the bank to deposit—

[Fred Doucet]

I have no recollection of that at all.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

So you saw Schreiber giving the money. You heard—

[Fred Doucet]

I'm sorry—

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

No, the envelope.

[Fred Doucet]

The envelope, yes.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

From Mulroney you heard a report, or you said that he gave a report.

You were intimately involved with the Bear Head project. Being a Cape Bretoner working in the Prime Minister's Office, you would have known about that project quite well.

[Fred Doucet]

I did not really know about that project quite well; I did not. I was aware it was ongoing, but my involvement in the PMO was really in the international area. I had no responsibility for domestic affairs.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

But your brother and your good friends Mr. Ouellet and Mr. Moores were intimately involved with Karlheinz Schreiber all through that period, but you weren't aware of what the dealings were or what they were discussing?

[Fred Doucet]

No.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Were you aware of any dealings that GCI would have had with Airbus through those years?

[Fred Doucet]

Not at all.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

When we look at the CBC website and places like that and see the distribution of funds from Karlheinz Schreiber and Giorgio Pelossi, who were managing the $20 million in funds—I think it came to $22 million to $24 million in total—that money was going through an account and then to some subaccounts, and some through GCI, or companies would suggest that GCI partners send them money. Are you aware of those facts?

[Fred Doucet]

Not at all. Not at all.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

You said that you did not organize that meeting at Harrington Lake?

[Fred Doucet]

I have no recollection of being involved in arranging that meeting, no.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

But there's a difference between no recollection and not having organized it.

[Fred Doucet]

Well, I can't tell you I didn't. I just don't remember that I did.

[Robert Thibault, Liberal, West Nova, NS]

Did you make any arrangements for the meeting at Mirabel?

[Fred Doucet]

I did.