Evidence of meeting #26 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was know.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I just want to thank my colleagues for their extremely hard work and the professional work they've been doing, and all of you, actually, for the work you're doing on behalf of Canadians. Thank you.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Chris Warkentin
Thank you.
We'll turn to Mr. Poilievre for the next five minutes.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Did the Prime Minister's cabinet director who recommended this program, Rick Theis, know that in March 2020, the WE organization paid for the Prime Minister's wife to go on a trip to London, yes or no?
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
If I may, Mr. Chair, I want to go back to Mr. Poilievre's question, because he's picking documents here and there. The critical part—
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
—he's referring to was after the cabinet decision, so I don't know why he wanted to go there.
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Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
The question was, did Rick Theis know that the Prime Minister's wife had her expenses covered by the WE organization to go to London, yes or no?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Okay. She went, with her expenses covered by the WE organization, to London, England in early March of 2020. Two months later, the Prime Minister's Office was approving a half-billion dollar grant to the WE organization, and you're saying that Mr. Theis, who is Trudeau's top adviser on this, didn't know.
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Liberal
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Conservative
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Liberal
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Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Based on what I know, I don't know. I don't think so, but again—
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Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
I'm sorry. You don't know or you don't think so? You've gone from no, you don't know, to you don't think so. Which is it? Pick your right—your favourite—answer.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
Pick one? The answer's no, Mr. Poilievre. You know it. I said it—
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Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
I have to say that I've never had that happen, where the witness gives multiple contradictory answers and says “you can pick your favourite one”. It's like Liberal principles—if you don't like my principles, I've got others.
Anyway, we'll move on. We'll move on.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
The thing is, Mr. Poilievre, I answered your question right from the start, right?
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
You're saying that Mr. Theis didn't know that his boss's wife had had an all-expenses paid trip to London two months before his boss gave that same group that paid for her trip a half-billion dollar grant. That's what you're saying.