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.
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
The $37,000 amount, but the reimbursement would have been "transacted" by the Conservative Fund.
10:45 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
The $25,000 amount would have ended up in the party account, of the national headquarters. Is that what you call it?
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
Following the normal procedure, it would have been transferred into the account of our official agent, and we would have transferred our surplus to the riding association.
10:45 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
If I understand things correctly, the $25,000 reimbursement from the CEO—we will be asking this question of other candidates who will be coming to see us—would have been paid to the National Conservative Party, which would have given it to you, and you would have then returned it.
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
At the local association, it was ambiguous. To begin with, we did not expect to receive this $25,000. That is what we understood, but I don't have this documented. Later, we were told that the local association would be receiving the surplus from the official agent's account, which would be receiving it. But to begin with, the money would remain in the Conservative Fund.
10:45 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
To the national party, the party itself would have kept the $25,000.
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
The organization we dealt with for the money, such as the $37,000, and the money we returned, was always the Conservative Fund.
10:45 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
However, you chose not to claim the $37,000. Is that correct?
10:45 a.m.
As an Individual
Precisely.
I congratulate my official agent for having spoken to me about this matter before we received a letter from Mr. Mayrand, from whom I had received a copy, in which he was questioning the legitimacy of this $33,000. We afterwards looked into the matter and decided that the Elections Canada interpretation was consistent with the act. We therefore redid our expense return and refiled it.
10:50 a.m.
Bloc
10:50 a.m.
As an Individual
At the time, I was no longer a member of the Conservative Party. I had decided to stop being a member, and not to contest the nomination. However, I notified Mr. Rivard, when he told me that the party lawyers were available to us, that we would prefer to deal with this matter ourselves because I had been the candidate.
10:50 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Fauteux, did you have any idea what the Conservative Party reaction would be when you decided to prepare your return yourself?
August 11th, 2008 / 10:50 a.m.
Réjean Fauteux As an Individual
Mr. Rivard contacted us to tell us about what Mr. Caldwell has just explained, but I did not hear any more than that.
10:50 a.m.
Bloc
10:50 a.m.
An hon. member
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
10:50 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
I'm going to allow Madame Lavallée to complete her questions, and then I'll hear your point of order.
10:50 a.m.
An hon. member
Okay. I've heard that before, but--
10:50 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Mr. Fauteux, are you still a member of the Conservative Party?
10:50 a.m.
As an Individual
No. When the official agent's account was closed, I remained as the financial officer of the association until December 2007.
10:50 a.m.
Bloc
Carole Lavallée Bloc Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I have a few questions for Ms. Fortier. Do I have any time left, Mr. Chairman? Will this be taken from the time allotted to me? Ms. Fortier would like to give her presentation.
Go ahead.
10:50 a.m.
Ann Fortier As an Individual
Mr. Chairman, thank you for your invitation. I must say, however, that I feel somewhat uncomfortable here, although I was a candidate in 2004 for the Conservative Party, given that Mr. Jean Landry and the nine Conservatives who were elected in Quebec—including five members of this committee—were directly involved in the 2006 campaign, but were not invited. I thus do not see why my presence is needed here, given that the notification I received has to do with the activities of the Conservative Party of Canada during the 2006 campaign with respect to election spending.
Contrary to the democratic choice of the Conservative association of Berthier-Maskinongé, I was ousted during the very first week of the elections in December 2005 by the party organizers. Moreover, none of the expenses I used to prepare the campaign were ever reimbursed to me in any way.
After I was ousted, several candidates telephone me about it. I told them what had happened to me and advised them to contact Elections Canada for anything to do with matters related to the Elections Act.
That is when Jean Landry and Liberato Martelli informed me of what was going on. I simply told them to contact Elections Canada as soon as possible.
After that, I thought it would be a good idea to contact Senator Nolin's assistant, Mr. Hubert Pichet, the Hon. Michael Fortier's assistant, Ms. Ginette Tremblay, as well as Karine Leroux in the Prime Minister's Office to tell them about it. Following consultation, according to what Ms. Tremblay told me, they felt that everything was legal. I told her that that was not what I thought. That is what happened in 2006 with respect to myself.
I am now prepared to answer your questions.
10:50 a.m.
An hon. member
On a point of order, Chair—
10:50 a.m.
An hon. member
We're not allowed to have points of order here.