Evidence of meeting #42 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 sauvé.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:15 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
It was in 1985-1986.
10:15 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
I want to understand—and that is why you are here this morning: we want to understand what happened.
10:15 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
I am pleased to be here, madam. Ask me all the questions you want.
I have never considered hiding, as some people have tried to suggest.
10:15 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
You told us earlier that it was Mr. Sauvé who contacted most of the guests and invited them.
10:15 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
Yes.
10:15 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
But you are the president of an executive. Ordinarily, is it not the executive that should be in charge of a cocktail party fundraiser?
10:15 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
We organized the cocktail party, and then he sold the tickets. Mr. Padulo sold some too. I contacted a few people who didn't come. It was done quickly. We may have neglected to make lists.
I have attended so many cocktail parties. Nothing happens at them. People think that in 10 minutes, because they have paid $500 or $1,000 or even more, sometimes... Previously, when Mr. Charest went to events for the LaFontaine riding association with Mr. Tomassi, there were about 800 people. There were 10 or so ministers, a dozen MPs, and him. Do you think that because he went around to the tables, people got a contract the next day?
We may have been negligent in that regard. Mr. Sauvé told me he wanted to help me. If he had told the Minister he wanted to do such and such, I think the Minister... In any event, when Mr. Mailhot arrived, a half-hour before the Minister, he said he was the only person coming with the Minister and they would not discuss anything important at that place.
When you are a political assistant, the Minister belongs to you. It's like me when I accompanied Jean Doré, the former mayor, when he was a candidate, or even Mr. Bourque after that. I was in charge, people put me in charge.
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
I want to be sure I understand correctly.
Mr. Sauvé came to this committee. Like you, he swore on the Bible to tell the truth. He told us that you were the one who had strongly suggested to him that he set up a cocktail party. Then Mr. Paradis came and told us as well that he received an email from Mr. Prud'Homme, a few days before the event, saying that everything was going well, that they had about 30 guests and things were taking their course.
Who is telling the truth in all this? I want to determine the truth.
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
The email exists. I sent it with the intention of saying ... We had told the Minister there would be at least 20 people who would be paying. We weren't wanting to have the Minister travel just to come and meet four or five people.
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
So the Minister knew from the outset that there was a cocktail party fundraiser.
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
He knew that the riding association was doing rather well financially. That was the objective of the email to one of his assistants.
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
If you sent the email, how is it that the invitations were issued by Mr. Sauvé, when you were the president of the executive? An executive is responsible for inviting a minister or an MP, it is also responsible for the people who are in the room.
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
Because Mr. Sauvé told me there were 10 or so people. Mr. Padulo had said 10 or so people. That is why I...
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
You invited all these people to the Da Enrico restaurant. The Da Enrico restaurant is Mr. Padulo's restaurant.
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
Yes.
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Mr. Padulo comes up several times in different cocktail party fundraisers. Mr. Padulo is very close to you, if I'm not mistaken.
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
He is a close acquaintance, but he is not someone that...
10:20 a.m.
Bloc
Diane Bourgeois Bloc Terrebonne—Blainville, QC
Did you know he was a close friend of the Rizzuto clan?
10:20 a.m.
Gilles Prud'homme
The first time I knew that was when Rizzuto's son died and the young one, who was at the church, made a comment that he was a good person.
You know, the members of the Italian community all know each other. If you make easy connections, you could say that so-and-so knows so-and-so, and tarnish a lot of reputations. These people came with their families. Italians lived next door to me. There were 20 of them in a five-unit building. They all lived together. They knew each other. I don't know what they do among themselves.
10:20 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Thank you, Mr. Prud'Homme.
We'll go to Mr. Martin for five minutes, please.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I guess I'm still interested, Mr. Prud'Homme, in some of the testimony. In answer to some questions, you said that you're not a paid operative for the Conservative Party. You didn't accept a salary for your work as a riding association president.
10:20 a.m.
As an Individual
I was not paid as president of the association. For some electoral campaigns, I may have been paid, but it's on the record.
10:20 a.m.
As an Individual
My name is there as an organizer, with the amount of money I received, and an invoice is there.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
During the period of 2007 to 2010, though, you say that you dropped out of the workforce. You had no visible means of support.