Evidence of meeting #46 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 witnesses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Neither your official agent nor, to your knowledge, anyone from your campaign?
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Did you have any apprehensions about how the arrangement being suggested to you was going to work?
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
I trusted Mr. Rivard, whom I had known since the 2004 election. He is a very reasonable man and a gentleman. I had confidence in him. We were in the heat of the action. I therefore agreed to what he suggested.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
If I have correctly understood what you have just told me, money was deposited into your election campaign account, and almost immediately afterwards, it was withdrawn.
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
Yes, within two to three days. There were a few technical difficulties, but I think it took six days.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Caldwell, at any time, did your campaign have any control whatsoever over the money that was deposited into your account? We are speaking of a bank account.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
There was no control. Did your campaign have any influence over how this money was going to be spent?
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
To your knowledge, could your campaign have used this money as it saw fit? Could you have decided to do whatever you wanted with the money that had been deposited into your campaign account by the Conservative Party of Canada?
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
Yes, of course we could have spent it locally, but we did not ask to do so.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
You could have quickly spent this money before the Conservative Party of Canada withdrew it from your account.
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
No, but we had agreed, before accepting the money, to return it.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Did the Conservative Party of Canada ever assure your campaign that the transactions it was being asked to do, namely the ins and outs for advertising purposes throughout Quebec, were fully in keeping with the act that governs the way in which elections are run?
10:40 a.m.
As an Individual
I asked Mr. Rivard some questions, and he was my only contact on this. He told me that it was for local advertising. As I said, I trusted Mr. Rivard because I knew him.
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Was it ever implied that these transactions could be serious, or were there any suspicions that there might be anything fraudulent or illegal about them?
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
10:40 a.m.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Caldwell, once everything became public, did the Conservative Party of Canada ever contact you to ask you not to talk about it with Elections Canada, the media or this committee?
