Evidence of meeting #6 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.
As an Individual
I think I was picked up in the morning around 11 o'clock or so.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
So you spoke to Mr. Mulroney sometime after 11 o'clock in the morning, and you're sure it was June 23, 1993.
Conservative
David Tilson Conservative Dufferin—Caledon, ON
Until your affidavit of November 7, 2007—this year—where you state that you met with Prime Minister Mulroney on June 23, 1993, you had consistently indicated that the meeting with Mr. Mulroney occurred after Mr. Mulroney was no longer Prime Minister of Canada. He stepped down June 25, 1993.
So my question to you is, sir, was he or was he not Prime Minister at the time?
As an Individual
On June 23, 1993, Mr. Mulroney was still in office as Prime Minister. This is in my affidavit. I don't know what you're referring to.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Paul Szabo
Thank you, Mr. Tilson. I must apologize; we're going to move to the second round.
Mr. Dhaliwal, s'il vous plaît.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Schreiber, for coming here again.
You have said today that you struck an oral agreement in principle with Mr. Brian Mulroney while he was still Prime Minister, and later agreed the amount would be $500,000, including the actual payment of a first installment of $100,000 in cash, while Mr. Mulroney was still a member of Parliament. Did you not realize this could be a conflict for Mr. Mulroney, given that he worked on the Bear Head file while he was still the Prime Minister?
As an Individual
I never thought about this and I didn't even think about his still being a member of Parliament; it didn't come to my mind. When we were there, we spoke about it, and he then spoke about this nice picture or photo he wanted to give to me, and what he could do—that is, Montreal badly needs jobs, and stuff like that. This was what I was interested in.
The $500,000, sir, was...when I spoke with him in Mirabel, I told him, this is the money that is available, which I have still left for the project. That meant to make it clear to him that this was all that was left.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Schreiber, you probably did not realize at the time that Mr. Mulroney was still Prime Minister when you had this oral agreement in principle and you paid $100,000 in cash. Now you realize that he was the Prime Minister at the time, because you said it was June 23, 1993, but Mr. Mulroney stepped down as Prime Minister on June 25, 1993.
Just to freshen your memory, do you agree that he was still Prime Minister?
As an Individual
Yes. But as I said to you, the first time we spoke about money or anything was at Mirabel, because at that time, and as is easy to understand, I had to find out first what was available.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
Mr. Schreiber, I'm going to go back to the question I put to you the other day. Your letters that were tabled with this committee last week indicate that you wrote to Mr. Harper on June 16, 2006, and asked for an inquiry into the issues surrounding you and Mr. Mulroney. Is that correct?
As an Individual
Can you help me? What page was that? I have this transcript from you now. Can you tell me where that question was?
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
It is from June 16. We do not have that letter here, but we are trying to ask you to confirm if you had written it on June 16, 2006.
As an Individual
I can confirm to you I sent a letter to him on June 16, 2006, sir, and you should have it there.
Liberal
Sukh Dhaliwal Liberal Newton—North Delta, BC
You wrote to Mr. Harper on January 24, 2007. What was the purpose of that letter, and did you include that letter with the documents that you tabled today?
As an Individual
Sir, you understand that I will have to see the letter, what it is.