Evidence of meeting #17 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 40th Parliament, 3rd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was gillani.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
--their application to fit the criteria of this green investment fund.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
That's interesting. Okay, thank you.
You took your story to the Liberals and the Conservatives. You didn't bring it to the NDP. I'm feeling a little hurt.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
I'm interested in knowing a little bit more about the cellphone pictures. I believe you said in an interview that when Gillani said Mr. Jaffer would be taking a substantial portion of one of these public ventures, you asked him, “How are you going to control him?”
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
He said, “Not to worry, I partied with Mr. Jaffer and his wife”, and he waggled his cellphone at you. You took that to mean that he had something he could use against Mr. Jaffer.
As an Individual
Two weeks later, we took it at that. I originally thought he was going to call him. They're social; maybe they were going to party. It wasn't until I knew about the cellphone photos that were used to intimidate and blackmail the other principal that it became clear: okay, it's the cellphone, the camera. Then we found out a couple of days later that indeed he had been using the cellphone to photograph people regularly--and not just that particular individual--at Club Paradise while they received lap dances and other backroom favours, so there was a—
NDP
As an Individual
So it was all piece by piece by piece as it went through. That's exactly, to be clear, the type of discussion I had with Arthur Hamilton.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Why do you think the Prime Minister acted so swiftly to fire Helena Guergis?
As an Individual
Perhaps it was for the same reason that we had some concern. The concern here is optics. Bluntly put, sir, on March 31 the leader of your party and the leader of the Liberal Party were calling for this woman's head on a platter, and had been doing so quite regularly.
Now, as the story broke.... I think it's very important here to understand that I was contacted by the Toronto Star, which was already working a story with respect to this. I consulted with the clients, and they allowed me to speak on certain topics. I had spoken to the Star at the beginning of March. When that story came out on April 8, weeks later, I was already scheduled to leave on a business trip on Sunday morning. The first calls I got were saying, “We didn't want to talk about this.” I said, “Well, I have news for you: I didn't. This is Mr. Donovan's investigation. He's done a hell of a job. He has own sources--”
Liberal
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Maybe we can get to that on the next round.
In the bit of time that I have, your primary client, then, was a Mr. Dennis Garces at HD Retail, and that's really why you went undercover: to try to find out more about Mr. Gillani, because Gillani wasn't coming through with promises he made to HD Retail.
As an Individual
The initial proposition Mr. Gillani made did not fit with traditional venture capitalist presentations. Having previously been involved in investigating these types of schemes in other cases, I was well aware there was a dark side to this and that it was not on the up and up.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Martin.
We'll go to the second round of questions.
Go ahead, Mrs. Mendes, for five minutes.
Liberal
Alexandra Mendes Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Snowdy.
Since April 9, have you had any other dealings with the Conservative Party or members of the Conservative Party?
As an Individual
Other than speaking with Arthur Hamilton a few times, I have not spoken to any Conservative member of Parliament or any.... Sorry, I did speak with my riding executive, exchanging some cursory pleasantries, but the only person I've spoken to is Arthur Hamilton.
Liberal
Alexandra Mendes Liberal Brossard—La Prairie, QC
Going back to Mr. Hamilton, could you perhaps give us more examples of the discussions you had with him, or specific examples of what you discussed with him in that first phone conversation?