Government Operations Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Did you work on Jacques Duchesneau's campaign?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

Yes, I was an organizer for his fellow candidate and I had some responsibilities for communications for five or six candidates in Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Coderre and Mr. Prud'Homme.

Ms. Bourgeois, you have eight minutes.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, Mr. Prud'Homme.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

It's a pleasure, madam.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Tell me how long you were president of the Conservative riding association in Bourassa.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I would say from June 2007 to October 31, 2010, or until the date the association was deregistered. But in June 2010 I had warned the regional organizers that I did not intend to continue, that the association had no debt and the candidate foreseen could bring in their own team.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Right.

You left of your own accord because of dissatisfaction...

[Gilles Prud'homme]

After three years... I am still a Conservative, but when I realized that the Montreal region was not a priority for the party, I decided to put my energy elsewhere, particularly because in the last six years I looked after my mother, who had dementia, for 20 or 30 hours a week, until she died. So I had dropped a lot of my professional activities and decided to do something else. I have been in politics for quite a few years and I may want to do something else, although there is one who is asking me to stay on and fight.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Mr. Sauvé told us that he had invited several people who were present at the famous cocktail party that was referred to. Did you give Mr. Sauvé a list?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

No, he invited the people he chose to invite.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

He was the one who invited those people?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

The ones he acknowledged inviting. I can't distinguish all the people whose names are on the list. For the list of people who were there before the evening event, apart from Mr. Sauvé, whom I had met a few months before, I knew who Mr. Varin was because he had been involved in some activities, but I only knew Roger Plamondon, who is in charge of the BIXI project in Montreal and was at that time part of Paul Martin's federal Liberal team. He was with Mr. Broccolini.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Tell me, Mr. Prud'Homme, how did things work? Before inviting people, did you check with the Minister's office to see whether he was available, whether he could be there?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

Yes. I don't remember the exact date, but it was in December. Some Conservative groups were demonstrating in front of Stéphane Dion's offices. It may have been to protest the coalition. I don't really remember. Mr. Dion was then the member for Saint-Laurent—Cartierville riding and leader of the Liberal Party. Mr. Paradis and some other MPs came. I think Mr. Gourde was there too, but I'm not sure. At that time, Mr. Padulo and I asked Mr. Paradis whether he would agree to hold a fundraising activity at his restaurant in the new year, for the Conservative association in Bourassa riding. He said that would be no problem for him and asked us to come to his office after the holidays because he had just been appointed minister and he didn't know yet what was on his schedule. There was also the volatility in what was going on at the time.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

You are saying that the people in Mr. Paradis' office knew that Mr. Sauvé was going to invite people who were from a very specific field?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I didn't know who was going to be there. I think I said to... I don't remember who I was talking to, at that point. I don't know whether it was Ms. Houde or Mr. Quinlan. But a woman called me. I think I mentioned that the main people working with the association, apart from the members of it, were Mr. Sauvé and Mr. Padulo. However, the list of people there wasn't known to the Minister before he arrived.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Right. Their field of business was not known either?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

Not known either.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

You organized a fundraising activity at the Il Ritrovo restaurant for the Conservative riding association in Bourassa. Two hundred people were there.

On what date did you organize that cocktail party? Do you remember that cocktail party?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

What is the date?

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

I don't have the date, but it involved Conservative fundraising. That information was found in an Italian-Quebec newspaper.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

During the election campaign there was a spaghetti dinner activity in the basement of the Notre-Dame-de-Pompei church.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Excuse me, it was with Michelle Allaire.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

Yes, she was the Conservative Party candidate.