Information & Ethics Committee on Aug. 11th, 2008

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.

On the agenda

Activities of the Conservative Party of Canada during the 2006 Election Campaign in relation to certain Election Campaign Expenses and the Ethical Standards of Public Office Holders

Committee Business

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Gary Caldwell As an Individual

Réjean Fauteux As an Individual

Ann Fortier As an Individual

Joe Goudie As an Individual

Louise O'Sullivan As an Individual

Liberato Martelli As an Individual

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

And did anybody from the party contact you about whether or not you should come to this committee hearing?

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

No, sir. Nobody from the party talked to me.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

How do you feel about what they asked you to do?

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

Do you mean prior to that $14,000 in and out, sir?

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

No. From a moral and ethical point of view, how do you feel about the election finance—

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

I feel pretty disappointed in them, sir, because I believed in their vision. I believed what Stephen Harper had to say. Many people believed. But unfortunately, it's not the case.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

In terms of transparency and accountability?

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

Exactly.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

Yes. Well, I appreciate your candour.

You say the money was electronically transferred into your account and electronically transferred out. You never wrote a cheque for the $14,000.

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

Never, sir.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

So there's no paper trail in your financial statements or records.

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

All the papers, sir, Mr. Michel Rivard has in Quebec City. Elections Canada, too, has a copy of these transcripts, sir.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

And the $8,000 rebate, 60% of $14,000, came directly to your campaign?

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

We never saw it, sir, in our account.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

No. So it would have gone to the Conservative fund, I suppose.

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

Exactly.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

It seems like a licence to print money, doesn't it? You dangle this money into an account and pull it right back out, and then file a claim and get $8,000 for it.

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

That's what they did, sir.

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

It's like walking a chicken past a pot of hot water and calling it chicken soup.

2:50 p.m.

Some hon. members

Oh, oh!

2:50 p.m.

NDP

Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB

I have no further questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

2:50 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo

Mr. Del Mastro.

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON

I'll give my first couple of minutes to Mr. Goodyear.

2:50 p.m.

Conservative

Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

And, thank you, Mr. Martelli.

I guess I just want to ask a question of you. Your agent obviously signed a document authorizing the money to go into your account and out of your account. Is it normal to accept, or have you ever accepted before, money without asking questions about what it's for? Is that a normal practice for you?

2:50 p.m.

As an Individual

Liberato Martelli

Well, to tell you the truth, it was my first election, sir.