Evidence of meeting #18 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.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Wright.
Mr. Wright, we want to establish the link between Mr. Gillani, the Glémaud-Jaffer tag team and Minister Guergis. We want to see whether all these people have been involved in some scheme or other, to help your company, Wright Tech Systems, to get federal funding.
You told us that you had never received federal funding and that you found the way the Glémauds and Jaffers of the world went about it was lame.
However, Ms. Guergis wrote a letter, with no connection to her ministerial role, in order to introduce your company to municipalities or politicians.
Could you tell us more about Ms. Guergis, the federal member of Parliament in your riding, and her efforts to make your company known?
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
I asked her because she was my MP. It was said earlier that I wasn't in her riding. I am in Collingwood. I've had a place in Collingwood for 32 years. That's her riding. I have one over in Midland that's not, but that's the MPP, the Conservative, Garfield Dunlop. I also went into his office with my brochure, with the stuff you're reading here, all that stuff. I showed him what I could do.
Site 41 is very important to me, because I love Georgian Bay. It's a very special place, and we were going to destroy the water. If they put that landfill in there, it would destroy the finest water in the world. There was a band of people up there who didn't want it. In fact, they won the day, because it was decided that it will never be done. They'll never put a dump there.
I would ask any MP or MPP to help me. I hope I have a right to do that.
Her secretary said she'd talk to her, because she was in Vancouver or somewhere, but she did give me a two-minute call, and I got a letter.
Bloc
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
I do have a copy. I didn't bring it, unless my son has one. I didn't bring it because I knew you had a copy of it.
It went to her cousin, Tony Guergis, who was the warden. He was the one who was promoting the dump. He probably wouldn't want to know about what I had, because I had the opposite to that. I had it so you don't need a dump any more; you can end the dump. They're dinosaurs, those things. They have 40 dumps in Simcoe, and most of them are leaking. In fact, PCBs are now leaking into the well water in Penetang, so why put another one in? It's nuts.
I thought that was the right thing to do.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Okay. Did these letters make a difference in the municipalities for example? Did stakeholders call you to tell you they had received a letter from the minister and that they wanted to follow up with you about your company, in order to get to know you better?
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
The letter might as well have gone to the moon, because there was absolutely not a whisper or even a whimper--nothing, zero.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
So your efforts were completely honest, and, in return, there was no response. Perhaps today, with your appearance here, you will become a star and you will be better known. We wish that for you, in the best sense of the word, of course.
Do you know a little more about Mr. Gillani? People described him to us as a crook. Could you tell us more about the way this man did business?
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
No, only what I said. He's not the first man to move the goalpost when you try to do a deal.
VC means venture capital, and in our business we call it vulture capital.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you.
We go to the last combination of questions from Monsieur Gourde and Mr. Holder.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Thank you for being here, Mr. Wright.
I am impressed by Jim Wright, the man. I have a question, but, in order for it to be better understood, could you first give me a brief two-minute history of your career and life as a businessman?
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
Where do you want me to start? Remember, I'm here 53 years.
The reason I came to Canada--I was 20 years old from Northern Ireland--I wanted to play hockey and I wanted to ski. I became a hockey player and a coach and a ski instructor. I loved it. This is God's country and I love it. That's why I'm here. I think I live in the best country in the world. I have two children and five grandchildren. My wife is from Ireland also, and we couldn't live in a better place. We have lived in the United States. We have a home in Florida. This is the place. I love the winter. I love to ski.
I got into this business because a long, long time ago I looked at the environment, which I love. I'm an outdoors person. I love the outdoors. I've taught scuba diving, sailing, boxing, everything. I have done it all. I love to be outdoors. I didn't want my grandchildren to grow up in a sewer. The way we've been treating our waste for many, many years, that's where we're going. That's why we've got wells with PCBs, because these online dumps are a nuisance. They should be finished. We shouldn't ever have a dump again. There's enough technology in the world never to have a dump again, but it's getting it through to the politician to understand that you don't have to have a dump any more.
A friend of mine who grew up with me in Ireland lives in Powell River, B.C., where I was married. Some of you may not know where Powell River is, but it's in B.C. He was a mushroom grower who discovered a way to grow mushrooms without straw and manure. He was the first guy to do it in the world. Very clever. I made him a machine that took alder and stripped it in like straw so you could grow mushrooms. Powell River used to be the largest pulp mill in the world at one time, and they had a lot of pulp sludge, which they dumped in the ocean. He said he could grow it in pulp sludge, and he did. Then he said he could grow it in garbage. Do it, I said. When he did it, I said we must mechanize it.
That's our story.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Thank you, Mr. Wright. You are a patient man, of great credibility and with a tremendous amount of experience.
As to Mr. Gillani and Mr. Jaffer, you said earlier—
Conservative
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
We see you are a very experienced man. You said that, in your relationship with Mr. Gillani and Mr. Jaffer, they did not have much credibility. In your opinion, did they really not have the skills to help you?
Chairman, Wright Tech Systems
Sorry. If I said that, it's not what I meant. When I met them, it was my understanding it was the first time Gillani and he had met. Gillani's cousin--I think his name is Aleem—is in Ottawa and has a reputable business here. He brought Jaffer to the table that day, and that's when I met the two of them.
But that day I had no idea what Jaffer could do, or was, or anything. That was the first time I ever met him. Our meeting was very short--maybe 40 to 45 minutes. We had started lunch and then they came in. He was late and we left. Another party came in to meet as we were leaving. They were talking about going downtown to the club they go to, which maybe they did or didn't—I guess they did.
But I wouldn't say “disreputable”, because, to be honest, Rahim Jaffer and his partner, Patrick Glémaud, seemed to be decent people. I don't think there's anything wrong with them. I don't know if they are crooks.
As I said before, Gillani moves in a different world. There are VCs and there are VCs, and I've met them all. I've been around a long time. If you live as long as me you meet a lot of worms.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Wright. I will continue—
Conservative
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
But I would still like to thank him, Madam Chair. We have a great man before us. Thank you very much.