Thank you, Madam Chair.
I would like to thank all the members of this committee for the opportunity to be here today as witnesses.
We've been invited here today to participate in a study being undertaken by the committee that relates to renewable energy project funding by the Government of Canada, and lobbying activities associated with that funding.
Madam Chair, when I was elected to Parliament in 1997 as the first Muslim MP, many people, including my family, were very excited about this achievement, especially because of where we came from and the circumstances around our arrival to Canada. As you are aware, Madam Chair, we share the same cultural background. Many of our families escaped persecution in Uganda and we were fortunate to come here as refugees.
Starting our lives as proud Canadians, we left behind the murderous regime of Idi Amin, where people were killed on the basis of allegations without any ability to defend themselves. We embraced the idea of becoming Canadians and we were proud to make this our home. The ideals of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law are ideals many take for granted. These were things that meant so much to us starting our new lives here in Canada.
I remember my family teaching me that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. They were right. Who would have imagined that a poor refugee family, 24 years later, would have their son sitting in the national legislature as a federal member of Parliament? I was proud of that achievement and honoured to have had the opportunity to serve in this capacity.
After the last election, my life changed. After nearly a dozen years of serving as an MP, it was time to shift gears and start a new direction. I got married and I hoped to start a new family. Having just finished my executive MBA, I joined with my university friend on work to start a new business, Green Power Generation, GPG, specializing in helping to commercialize innovative technology solutions that are profitable and good for the environment. The strength I bring to this company as a director is my ability to communicate with various stakeholders and mainly to develop new opportunities in emerging markets such as India and China.
Initially, when our names appeared as witnesses, I found it unusual that the committee wanted to speak to us, as our business does not conduct any lobbying activities, nor do we attempt to secure any public funding for our work. Then it became clear, from the vicious attacks from media sources and in particular the opposition parties, that the reason we were being hauled in front of this committee was due to second-hand allegations, rumour, and innuendo, all based on political agendas that have been playing fast and furious with people's reputations, destroying their lives without any basis in fact and not allowing them to defend themselves appropriately.
In regard to the subject matter being studied at this committee, for the record, the facts of this case are as follows. One, GPG and its directors have not received any money from any grant, contribution, or other financial benefit, or on behalf of the Government of Canada. GPG and its directors, number two, have not received any compensation or payments on behalf of any person or organization to undertake any lobbying activities.
It is my understanding that the matter I have been called upon to appear before this committee as a witness has been referred to an officer of Parliament, the commissioner of lobbying. Her office is the appropriate venue under the Lobbying Act to establish whether any of these allegations are founded or not. I find it passing strange that the Liberal Party of Canada, which demanded that the office of the commissioner investigate this matter, is not prepared to follow due process and wait for her findings. Instead, for short-term political gain, they are undermining any appearance of fairness by requesting witnesses to testify in front of this committee on the same matter.
With that being said, many of you have known me personally over the years I served this country. I have held in high regard the friendships I have developed on both sides of the House. After the devastating result of my last election loss, there is no doubt that many of those friends, be they MPs, ministers, or senators, would naturally inquire about me. If we had the opportunity to meet, it would be socially to catch up. Obviously, people would be curious as to the type of career I was embarking upon, and I would update them on the work we were doing in trying to build a new business. That would be the extent of the conversation as it related to my business affairs. In fact, over the past eight months I have had no interaction with anyone, due to the challenges I faced last fall.
I would like to take a moment to say a couple of things about those challenges, Madam Chair.
As most people know, I exercised poor judgment when I decided to drive home on the night of September 10, 2009. I was careless. I had a few drinks, and I should never have taken the risk of operating a motor vehicle. I want to apologize to those communities for being irresponsible, and I assure them that I have learned my lesson. I do want to state for the record, however, that I have never partaken of any illegal substance, nor have I ever endorsed this type of behaviour. This is why I believe the charges were dropped against me. But with that being said, I should have taken more care not to be put into this compromising situation.
I want to take this opportunity to publicly apologize to my former colleagues for the trouble this whole episode has caused them. I believe they know me well enough to agree that this was very out of character and not my usual behaviour.
I also want to apologize to my family, both immediate and new. The pain and suffering they have had to endure because of my actions have been immeasurable. If it were not for their unconditional love and support, I don't know how we would have made it through this incredibly difficult time.
Finally, I want to apologize to my wife, Helena. I've always tried to support her in her work, and I know the error of this judgment created significant problems for her politically. She's been a good minister, a great MP for her constituents, and I want to thank the people of Simcoe—Grey for their continued support of her hard work and dedication. She is the most important person in my life and I love her dearly. It is very unfortunate that her good name has been dragged into my problems so unfairly.
To conclude, Madam Chair, I would like to ask all members of this committee, and by extension all members of the House, to take a step back and take a look at the precedent they are setting. Instead of setting the bar at a record low, where people's lives are being destroyed on the basis of rumour and unsubstantiated allegations for short-term political benefit, set the bar at a higher standard. Base your arguments on fact and allow people to defend themselves fairly, not hide behind parliamentary privilege to level these personal attacks.
The foundation of our system is based on the rule of law and the presumption of innocence, something completely absent in the treatment of me, my partner, and particularly my wife. All Canadians deserve no less from their political representatives. If this were the standard, I am certain that I would not have had to be here today.
Thank you.