Evidence of meeting #16 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 money.
A recording is available from Parliament.
As an Individual
Yes. I can tell you the exact date. It was the day Mr. George Bush Sr. was elected President of the United States. After the meeting, in the evening, we had a dinner party in Ottawa, and we waited for the results of the vote .
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
So according to judicial notice, it was November of 1988?
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
How much time do I have left?
Mr. Pelossi, you've talked about bank account 18679. What do you know about a bank account in the name of IAL235972027? Have you ever heard of that account?
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
On October 25, 1988, Thyssen Industries deposited $2 million into that account. Do you have any knowledge of that?
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Who was that account for? That's my final question.
As an Individual
It was a normal account of IAL to receive money from Airbus or from anybody. It was the first payment they received.
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
Thank you.
Mr. Pelossi, I want to go back to the Swiss bank accounts. There are still some unanswered questions here.
On one hand we have you saying that the accounts belonged to Frank Moores and Mr. Mulroney, yet at the same time we have information that was obtained by The Financial Post in the mid-nineties, actual bank statements from these accounts, indicating that when the account was opened, $500 was deposited, and then within four years the account was closed without any major transactions having occurred.
The original application also states that the power of attorney was given to Mr. Frank Moores' wife, Beth Moores. So that lends some credibility to his statement that the account was actually for his wife, since she had power of attorney.
Do you have any evidence to dispute this information that these accounts were never used?
As an Individual
No. I was present when the account was set up, and I never heard anything about the account since that date. What I know is what you know, which is what was in the media.
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
So perhaps some of this information—
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
So perhaps our source of this information is the same. It's the media.
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
So there's not a lot of first-hand knowledge here.
Do you know if Brian Mulroney ever knew about this account?
Conservative
Russ Hiebert Conservative South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale, BC
Okay.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I pass the balance of my time to my colleagues.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Thank you.
Mr. Pelossi, relax just for a second. You may want to fill up your water.
I would like to address the matter raised earlier by Mr. Tilson, which has come up often, about the chair's role and his authority. I would like to provide the committee with the references from Marleau and Montpetit. On pages 827 and 828 on the role of chairs, they say that chairs assume a leadership role in planning and coordinating the committee's work and in conducting its investigations.
The coordinating aspect includes the set-up of the meetings as well as the introduction of witnesses and setting the tone for the witness before the committee. This is what I attempted to do in trying to get an idea of the relationship between Mr. Pelossi and Mr. Schreiber.
The final item is more related to Mr. Tilson's point, and I want to give him a specific reference. Marleau and Montpetit'sHouse of Commons Procedure and Practice states on page 282 under “Authority of the Chair” that in addition to presiding over the deliberations, recognizing speakers, and establishing or adhering to the established rules and practices, the chair may also participate in the questioning of witnesses. I know that the member was an active member of the legislative committee on Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act, where as the chair he often asked questions. So I think he was aware of his authority.
So with respect to what the chair can do, I consider the matter closed. However, I'd be happy to discuss this further with any member at a later time.
So now we're going to move to Mr. Thibault.
I recognize Mr. Tilson on a point of privilege.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Mr. Chairman, you said that I asked questions in another forum, the legislative committee. I can tell you that I never asked questions there. You obviously didn't watch those proceedings. Whoever told you that I asked questions, it's not true.