Government Operations Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Thank you, Mr. Lemay. Your time is up.

Monsieur Gourde, and then Mr. Calandra.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Like any good association president, you held cocktail party fundraisers to keep your association going. Today, we have virtually put the Conservatives on trial for the way they raised money to finance their activities in the riding of Bourassa.

What is of most interest to me, Mr. Prud'Homme, is the famous Liberal card. How did you buy your spaghetti dinner card? Where did you get it, and how?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

It was prominent Italian restaurant owner in Montreal North who made his contribution by buying tickets to have a table at the spaghetti dinner. Then he invited one of my acquaintances and myself. So we went to the event, and at his table he asked me to sign to show I had been at the event.

A few weeks later, I received, at my address at 10,185 rue de la Roche, a card from the Liberal Party welcoming me.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I want to understand. One of your friends received two cards, and invited you...

[Gilles Prud'homme]

We were invited to go there. This man had tickets for th event. He had bought 10 places at $20. It was a cheap, $20 dinner. So he bought tickets for a whole table, one that was in fact fairly close to centre stage. We went and we took part in...

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

The 10 people who were at the table undoubtedly all received their cards as gifts.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I don't know. I'm speaking for myself, I can't speak for the others.

I know that others told me that when they went for dinner, they became members of the Liberal Party, and they were happy with that.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

And everyone is invited to sign their name to show they were present at the dinner and maybe to receive a membership card.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I'm telling you what I was asked to do, myself. I don't know what others were asked to do.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

In the Conservative Party, under the Elections Act, we have to buy our membership card. We aren't entitled to receive it.

Are the rules the same for the Liberal Party of Canada? Is there a loophole I don't know about?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

You undoubtedly know the law better than I do.

I am only telling you what happened to me when I went to this event at the Renaissance buffet in Anjou.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I'm really intrigued to know how it works. I think we will have to ask more questions, not necessarily from the president of the Conservative Party riding association, but maybe from the president of the Liberal Party of Canada riding association.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

This was an event for the big Liberal family and the mayor of the borough and the minister and MP for Bourassa—Sauvé were there. In fact, if there were candidates who weren't on the Tremblay team, at the municipal level, they were pointed out and they said not to vote for them.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Point of order, Mr. Chairman.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

One moment, please.

Mr. Regan.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chairman, I don't see the relevance of this line of questioning. The question of whether or not Mr. Prud'Homme recognized that what he was signing was a membership form, etc., and when he paid for it, is all very nice and interesting, but what does it have to do with the question of Mr. Sauvé's cocktail fundraiser and the construction projects around the West Block? I don't see that it has anything to do with it.

It appears that Mr. Gourde is short of real, substantial questions. If he is, we certainly have lots on this side that we'd be prepared to ask.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

I think there's been a fishing expedition with regard to this hearing from its onset, so I suspect that members have been given significant leeway to ask questions with—

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

You're not in your usual role. Your role is chair at the moment--

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Absolutely, Mr. Regan. I'm going to rule on this.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

You aren't here as the PS. At the moment, you're acting as chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

I'm going to rule on this, Mr. Regan, if you want me to do that. I know that you're defending your colleague's honour, and I appreciate that.

Mr. Regan, what I'm going to say is that while there has been a significant parameter of questions undertaken by all sides, in the entire hearing, I encourage all members to consider the witness we have before us and ask questions that are relevant to our study. It's the responsibility of committee members to determine what is relevant to the study, as it has been thus far. I'd encourage members to ask questions that are relevant to the study.

Continue, Mr. Gourde.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Chair, how much time do I have left?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

You have about two minutes.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Mr. Chair, I would like to say that my opposition colleagues asked Mr. Prud'Homme to testify here to get an explanation about how political fundraising works in the Conservative riding association in Bourassa. Mr. Prud'Homme has come to the committee and answered our questions. However, those questions led to questioning about fundraising by the Liberal Party in Bourassa. I think it is just as legitimate for the members on this side to ask Mr. Prud'Homme about what happened to him.

Mr. Prud'Homme received a Liberal Party membership card. He told us he had not agreed to sign the membership form. I have as many questions as the opposition party members have about party fundraising in Bourassa.

I thank Mr. Prud'Homme for the work he has done for the Conservative Party and I thank him for answering all the parties' questions in good faith. Maybe, on this side, we will need to call the president of the federal Liberal Party riding association in Bourassa so we can continue this study.

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Chris Warkentin]

Well, that is the danger with a fishing expedition: you often end up in places that you didn't expect to.

Are you finished, Mr. Gourde? You have about 40 seconds left if you have additional questions.