Evidence of meeting #18 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 schreiber.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
There is one question about the other meeting in Montreal that Mr. Doucet said he never had anything to do with. My wife by chance found a telephone slip, which was given to my secretary in 1993 from Mr. Doucet, on which he provided the telephone number, the address, and everything for Mr. Mulroney to meet with him. My secretary is still around. She lives here and knows the whole thing.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Let's not do that. Let's just get the document and move on.
In 1991, if I could continue, Mr. Schreiber, your daytimer has a number of entries about work and meetings that were undertaken with Mr. Mulroney and a number of other people regarding a project known as Bear Head. Is that correct?
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
There are many meetings outlined in your daytimer. I don't have time to go through them all.
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
Okay, you speak because you have my daytimer. Otherwise I would say from 1998 to...[Inaudible--Editor]...I had constant meetings with him on the project.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
In 1991 there were a number of meetings, and I can get to them.
But were you aware that at this committee a very credible witness, Mr. Norman Spector, gave evidence that in December of 1990 he told the Prime Minister that the project would cost a certain amount of money, and the Prime Minister told Mr. Spector that the project was dead? Did you know that Mr. Mulroney had said that to Mr. Spector?
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Did he say it to anyone else, to your knowledge, besides Mr. Spector?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
No, I've no idea. I learned it the first time when the letter of request went to Switzerland. I saw this, that Mr. Mulroney told somebody, the RCMP, that the project was cancelled. I couldn't believe it. I thought it might have been some kind of defence he used, and I forgot about it. It was completely out of my mind. In 1992 he attended meetings with Fred Doucet and Paul Tellier and me on the project, and nobody had the smallest clue.
If I had known in 1993 at Harrington Lake--I told you before, I was born ugly, not stupid--do you think I would have given him one nickel?
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Why were all the meetings held in 1991 and 1992? Why would Mr. Mulroney continue to breathe life into a project that he said was dead unless it was for some gain? Can you answer that?
4:30 p.m.
As an Individual
Well, the problem with the whole thing was a little bit earlier, in the year 1988. In 1988, just in front of the election, suddenly the whole thing got enormous speed. We had the agreement with Nova Scotia in 1987, and now 1988 was the agreement with the federal government. Nothing went forward until, I would guess, somewhere in October, close to the election.
Now suddenly everything became hectic. When Mr. Doucet finally showed up, everybody knew that when he entered a room Mr. Mulroney was with him, and he got that final signature, we got the invoices out, Thyssen paid $2 million for that contract--for that signature, more or less--and they immediately sent all their bills, which were paid from my company--
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Very briefly, Mr. Schreiber, very briefly, the money you gave Mr. Mulroney was to lobby the intended Kim Campbell government for the Bear Head project in Canada. Is that correct?
4:35 p.m.
As an Individual
I have to be careful for a moment, because here we have a language problem. Support and lobbying and consulting: once in a while I mix those up.
The question is what he told me, what he offered me: Kim Campbell is going to have the next majority government, I will be in Montreal, in Montreal East, and I can be of great help finally then to get the project done.
