Evidence of meeting #43 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 summit.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
That feels fair to me, but let's get to the thing that probably matters most to all of us. Did any of the people you sought to speak with prior to this counsel you to tell untruths?
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Did any of them counsel you to change the facts as you know them?
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
So when you came back today and said that you met one time with Mr. Sauvé, was it two times or was it one time, sir?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
And in all of that, as a result of your meeting with him, was there any connection that you are absolutely aware of between that meeting with him and his getting that contract?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Then I come back to you, Chair, and I say that these are the relevant kinds of questions that I think need to be asked, not how many meals necessarily....
And by the way, have you eaten at the parliamentary restaurant before?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Chairman, I think it's an insult to the witness for Mr. Holder to ask him directly, “Are you lying right now?”, because it comes from the supposition that he may be lying, and we know that the man was sworn in, in front of this committee.
So I would like Mr. Holder to withdraw that question. It's insulting to our witness.
10:30 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal John McKay
Insults to the witnesses are not points of order; however, there is an issue of witness credibility here. It has been brought up by other members, and I think Mr. Holder is well within his rights to try to reassert the credibility of the witness. Once you put credibility in play, it's in play for everyone.
Mr. Holder, you have two minutes and 20 seconds.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Ed Holder Conservative London West, ON
Thank you very much, Chair, and thank you for your response to that. I think this really is about that. What we're all trying to search for, as committee members on all sides, is to understand exactly what happened when, what is true, and what isn't true.
The fact that you've come here and have given your testimony, the fact that some of these things happened years ago and you don't remember...well, perhaps that's like life.
But let me ask you what you might well remember, and that is, any other communications. It's interesting that you had one meeting with Mr. Sauvé. Did you have any other communications with Mr. Sauvé after that luncheon?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative