Evidence of meeting #127 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was business.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you been kept up to date since being elected regarding who the employees of GHI are, or who may have been hired or quit or are in the active workforce, etc.?
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
No, I haven't, and I'm not aware of GHI's new businesses or any contracts they would have pursued or any legal activities. It would not be appropriate or compliant with the act to do so. I took my disclosure process seriously, and when I stopped being involved in the operations of GHI, I stopped being involved in the operations of GHI. Since that time I have unilaterally surrendered my shares for no compensation.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
So you're not a shareholder of GHI. Did you receive any compensation for your shares when you surrendered them? You just said you didn't.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I did not receive any compensation, and—this might also answer one of Mr. Green's questions—I also did not receive any dividends from the company as a shareholder at any time.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you ever met Carla Rodych, president of Canada Medical?
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you ever met Ian Stedman, assistant professor of ethics in governance at York University?
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you ever met Curtis James, who ran a warehouse next door to GHI's warehouse?
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you ever been contacted by the Edmonton Police Service in relation to GHI?
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Have you ever been involved in any business dealings with Francheska Leblond?
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Okay, well, those are my questions. I consider this matter closed for the fourth time.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Brassard
Well, we certainly appreciate that, Mr. Bains, but we'll carry on with Mr. Villemure.
Mr. Villemure, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
René Villemure Bloc Trois-Rivières, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to give my time to my colleague, Matthew Green.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Boissonnault, you've stated many times that the Ethics Commissioner cleared you three times—not once, not twice, but three times. You would also acknowledge that in order to open up an investigation, the Ethics Commissioner would have to have some kind of reasonable grounds to even embark on something so as not to be frivolous or vexatious. Would you not agree?
Liberal
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In that process, while you say you've been cleared and it's been closed three times, it's also true that every time something's closed, new information comes out, and you're back under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner.
Liberal
Randy Boissonnault Liberal Edmonton Centre, AB
I'm not sure that it's called an investigation at this stage. He asked me for information.
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
You can save the semantics. The point is that a case was opened, it was closed, another case was opened, and it was closed. It's because the Ethics Commissioner has no real legal authority, investigative authority, to take warrants, subpoena or use anything that could get beyond voluntary disclosure. Is that not true?