Government Operations Committee on Dec. 9th, 2010

[Bernard Côté]

Mr. Varin had approached us, as a member of the Yacht Club of the Old Port of Montreal. If I remember correctly, he needed something in order to complete the construction of the Yacht Club of the Old Port of Montreal.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

He asked you to intervene on his behalf for the Montreal Yacht Club.

[Bernard Côté]

The idea was to see whether something could be done so the yacht club could obtain financial support from the federal government to complete its facilities.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Did he meet with you as a Conservative or as a lobbyist?

[Bernard Côté]

He's a member of the Yacht Club of the Old Port of Montreal.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

Did you sense that he was engaging in lobbying?

[Bernard Côté]

No, he approached us as a member of the Yacht Club of the Old Port of Montreal.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

You know that you hold public office. You know that your role is to record the facts every time people ask you for things, if that's an act of lobbying.

[Bernard Côté]

Yes, but that—

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

That wasn't lobbying, in your mind?

[Bernard Côté]

If he's a member of an association and he approaches us—

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

How did you meet Mr. Sauvé? You told me you were in real estate for a long time. You're still in it.

Are you still in it?

[Bernard Côté]

Partly, yes.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

How did you meet Mr. Sauvé?

[Bernard Côté]

I met him on the day I met him.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

You knew the company, but you didn't know him. Is that it?

[Bernard Côté]

We knew the company because if you moved around Montreal a little and saw building renovation works, you also saw that the LM Sauvé sign quite regularly appeared on those buildings.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

What did you do after your lunch with Mr. Sauvé? You just listened to him and you said to yourself that he should feel all right after that?

[Bernard Côté]

I listened—

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

That's all?

[Bernard Côté]

—and as it wasn't my responsibility, it was—

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

That's it?

Nothing else happened?

Did you report that to your minister? Mr. Fortier says he's a longstanding friend, that you've known him for more than 10 years Is that correct?

[Bernard Côté]

Yes.

[Denis Coderre, Liberal, Bourassa, QC]

So when you had a relationship... Especially when he was minister responsible for greater Montreal... You had a prominent role because you were the person who was the go-between.

I imagine you reported to him?

[Bernard Côté]

You sometimes report on subjects that are important. This one, on the other hand, wasn't a subject of concern for greater Montreal.