Evidence of meeting #26 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 know.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Green Power Generation Corporation
Well, it wasn't a fulsome statement, because I couldn't recall that this happened on one occasion.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
It wasn't fulsome.
Okay. Well, I have before me here a photocopy of the cards you handed out on August 25, 2009, at La Castile restaurant in Mississauga, Ontario. Is that the occasion you're talking about, when you inadvertently—
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I have two questions here. Do I hear testimony correctly? You just testified that after your election you had business suits and you had left cards in your business suits, which happened to be there. Is that what you said?
Green Power Generation Corporation
Obviously when you serve as an MP, as you do, you have a number of business suits that you use. I stopped using business suits; I wasn't doing much business right after the election. I didn't even go through my suits. I just hung them up.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Sorry, I just want to make sure I have your evidence correct. What I heard you say just a few minutes ago was that the reason you had cards was that you had business suits and that there were cards left over in your business suit. Is that what you said?
Green Power Generation Corporation
There was an old card—a couple of old cards—when I showed up at this meeting. Unfortunately, I didn't have my current business cards—
Green Power Generation Corporation
Yes. There were a number of suits that I wore when I was an MP.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Here is my question then. This card was handed out on August 25, 2009, sir, and you lost your election on October 14, 2008. So you're telling me that this was a suit that you had cards in from the previous year. What's that—November, December, January, February, March, April, May, June, July, and August—10 months earlier?
Green Power Generation Corporation
Absolutely. I told you. I don't wear suits. I'm sure, right now, if I tried to go through all of them after this whole incident.... I still did find old cards, even from days when I was in the Reform Party. I had cards in some suits that I'd stopped wearing. The point is that I showed up at this particular meeting. I was embarrassed. I made a joke about how--
Green Power Generation Corporation
--this is a collector's item.
Just to qualify, I never met Mr. Harvey ever again. I've never had any discussions with him or—
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I didn't ask you that, sir. Follow my questions.
Why do you think someone who is actually the principal of a company would use a parliamentary business card 10 months after he has lost office? Why would anyone pull that card out? Even if they pulled it out of their suit and noticed that it was a card from the office of the national Conservative caucus chair, why would anybody put that card across the table to someone 10 months after he left office?
Green Power Generation Corporation
As I continue to say, it was done more in a joking manner. Everyone around the table knew I was a defeated MP. That was no secret. I was one of the more recognizable MPs after my almost 12 years of being here. It was big news when I lost the election; I was one of the few government MPs who lost the election. It was no secret that I was a defeated MP.
Pulling out this card and saying it's a collector's item and being embarrassed...I think you had a couple of witnesses who said I crossed out information. I said I qualified it by saying that.... Not this particular one—
Green Power Generation Corporation
Not this particular one, but I understand Mr. Wright, who was at the same set of the meetings, said I crossed out information. I know that if this had happened, as you demonstrated that it had, it was qualified, because it was very unusual that I would ever hand out something—
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Mr. Jaffer, you're saying that there were multiple occasions that you used your—
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Sir, let me ask the question. You're saying there were multiple occasions after you were defeated that you used your government business card.
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
Well, you just said there were times when you took it out and crossed out information, and here is one where you didn't.
Green Power Generation Corporation
At this meeting, you have testimony from people who were there. I know you haven't been following this committee closely. There was a fellow, Mr. Wright, who appeared. He was at this same set of meetings. He made it clear that I qualified it, that I crossed out the information on that card. With this particular gentleman, as I have said, I know I would have qualified it. Everyone knew I was a defeated MP, so why I would be handing out an invalid card for any purpose of influence is beyond me—
NDP
Don Davies NDP Vancouver Kingsway, BC
I have been following it closely.
Mr. Jaffer, let me go on. I have other things to talk about here.
Now, you said that your access to the government was no different from any other Canadian's. Is that right? Is that what you said?