Government Operations Committee on Dec. 7th, 2010

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I know Léo Housakos. I am not a close friend of Léo Housakos, but I know him because he is involved in politics. He ran for the Canadian Alliance and he was the treasurer for Mayor Tremblay's team and for Mario Dumont. He is now an activist for the Conservative Party.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Ms. Bourgeois.

Thank you, Mr. Prud'Homme.

Mr. Gourde, you have eight minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for being here this morning to testify in spite of the bad weather, Mr. Prud'Homme.

Let's put this in context. You were in fact the president of the Bourassa Conservative riding association from 2007 to 2010. Like any good president, you did political work, promoting the party in Bourassa riding, including fundraising cocktail parties so the Conservative riding association could run candidates against the other parties in the election that might have been coming. You were a good Conservative activist. In fact, you said you had been for a long time.

How did you find yourself with a Liberal card in your pocket?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

When Mr. Coderre organized a spaghetti dinner, about 1,000 people came, and sometimes more. As for a number of people who attended, at least this was the case for me, I was asked to sign a document saying I had been there. So I found myself with a card. I had got two tickets from an Italian barber whom the person I was with knew. I don't know why, but I was included as a member without my permission. I think there were a lot of others who attended activities like that and agreed to become members of a party for $20.

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

What was the price of the spaghetti dinner?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

It was $20. With 1,000 people, that made $20,000 for the event. That's more than for our event, at $500.

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

The card you signed is a membership card in the Liberal Party of Canada.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I signed a form that I was at the event.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

A point of order, Mr. Chair.

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

Well...

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Excuse me, Mr. Gourde.

Mr. Coderre, you have the floor.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Mr. Chair, to be clear, I want to point out that the people are told that if they want to be members, they should sign the ticket.

It was spelled out in black and white. I don't know whether it's because you don't know how to read, Mr. Prud'Homme, but it was clearly indicated on the ticket.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you for that point of clarification, but it's not a point of order.

Mr. Gourde.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I was never informed of it. It was not written. If there is something that I have never been in my life, it's a federal Liberal.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Mr. Gourde, you may continue.

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

So your signature appeared on a document that was transferred or appended to the form for the Liberal Party membership card.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

That's right. I became a member without knowing it.

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

I am pleased to understand the practice of the champion seller of Liberal party cards in Quebec. Essentially, he exchanges a membership card for a spaghetti dinner, and that works.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

There's a reason why he himself is kind of the head of the Liberal family in Montreal North. It is Liberal at the federal, provincial, municipal and school board levels. The presidents of the senior citizens club and the main organizations are almost all Liberals. It's red everywhere.

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

Do you think people are really aware they are becoming members of the Liberal Party? If 1,000 to 1,500 people attend in the course of the day, the forms get filled out quickly.

[Gilles Prud'homme]

Seniors make up about 75% of the people who attend the dinner. They are very happy to be invited. There is music with big Italian singers from Montreal. Often there are ministers or even the leader. Senator Jean Lapointe came one time. So people are happy to attend and spend a nice evening. They are even brought in by bus from their homes. It works well.

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

You say that people are invited to go to the spaghetti dinner. Are they are invited free of charge? Does someone pay for their card?

[Gilles Prud'homme]

I can't speak for everybody. Some people buy tickets and invite other people, and they fill a table.

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

Logically, under the elections act, you have to pay for your card. If the ticket is free and the card is given indirectly...