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.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
What I'm saying is that you seem to be insinuating that Mr. Theis should be aware of all kinds of stuff when you don't—
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Well, I'll tell you why he would know: because it was in the news.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
It was actually in the news that his boss's wife had taken a trip with the WE organization only two months before Mr. Theis was allegedly recommending that Trudeau hand a half-billion dollars to the same group. That's why he would know.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
What does this have to do with his interaction with WE? I've told you that it was one interaction of 25 minutes.
Conservative
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
You asked me a question, and I'll answer it. I'll show you how to answer a question.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
If the Prime Minister's wife is getting all expenses paid trips from a group, then he shouldn't be giving that same group a half-billion dollars of our money. That's a conflict of interest. That's why.
Once again, for clarification, this is something that was submitted to the Prime Minister's Office. It was from the WE organization and it highlights that Sophie Grégoire and Margaret Trudeau were called “celebrity ambassadors” to the WE organization. Are you telling me that Mr. Theis, who received the document in which this promotion was contained, did not know that the Prime Minister's wife and mother were being paid by the WE organization? Yes or no.
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
All right.
Right, so he assumed that the trip for London was free. He assumed that their work as celebrity ambassadors was free. Right....
Okay. Let me ask this very quickly. The contract says here that the half-billion dollar grant began being spent on May 5.
On what day did Rick Theis talk to the WE organization over the phone. On what date?
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
Well, what a coinkydink.
Is that what it is? A coincidence that the same day the Prime Minister's adviser spoke to the WE organization, they started spending money...?
Conservative
Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON
It's not a coincidence? It's not a coincidence. There you go.
Liberal
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
I think you should sometimes listen to the answers, Mr. Poilievre.
Liberal
Pablo Rodriguez Liberal Honoré-Mercier, QC
No, you didn't.... You're trying to go around the simple fact that there was only one conversation. You're trying to put things on Mr. Theis—