Evidence of meeting #109 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was company.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
It was against my doctor's wishes for me to be working. I have not been working since the start of December.
We sent our doctor's notes. He's advised us not to work.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Your doctor advised you not to read the Auditor General's report?
12:40 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
No, he advised me not to work, in order to lower my stress.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Sir, in the couple of hours you spent preparing, you didn't read the Auditor General's report and you came here and you disputed its findings based on what Kristian Firth had told you.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Mr. Anthony, I don't believe you, first of all.
Second, I have a hard time making sense of your motivations. Mr. Firth is under a serious cloud of suspicion—suspicion involving events that you claim you don't have any knowledge about. With that in mind, are you committed to standing by Mr. Firth, to believing everything he tells you, regardless of what this investigation reveals?
12:40 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I've known Kristian Firth since 2007. We've been business partners since 2015. He's an honest, trustworthy, hard-working man and parent. I've no doubt he's done nothing wrong and I'm confident that all independent investigations will establish that.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Were you reading what you just said, sir, or were you speaking from the heart?
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Sir, I don't even know what to say.
This is so ridiculous. Is it not obviously ridiculous to you? You've come before this committee. You've been summoned here. You would have been arrested by the Sergeant-at-Arms if you hadn't shown up. You're telling us that you did two hours of preparation, that you didn't read the Auditor General's report, and that you're committed to standing by everything Mr. Firth tells you, even though you had allegedly no involvement in the events that could lead to criminal charges.
Is that what is happening?
Mr. Anthony, I have one other question in the time I have left.
What is your relationship with David Yeo? Do you know him? Do you have conversations with him?
12:40 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I've never had a conversation with him. I don't know him.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay.
You are supposed to manage security processes for the company.
Have you ever, in the course of your time working for Kristian Firth, provided any push-back or raised concerns about things he's suggested in terms of contracts, contractors or processes, or have you not?
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
You affirm, approve and rubber-stamp the things that Mr. Firth provides to you.
12:40 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I don't approve things that he.... I'm not sure where you're...what the question is.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
That is our time, Mr. Genuis.
Mr. Sousa, go ahead, please, sir.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Anthony, you're a 50% owner of this company. Is that correct?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You've made that clear.
You share 50% of the profits generated from the contracts as well. Is that correct?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
In those costs associated with a particular contract, if Mr. Firth has sourced the contract for ArriveCAN, does he charge himself a salary or a fee prior to sharing the profits with you?
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Therefore when he does a $10-million deal or $20-million deal and you do a $1-million deal, you share in the $20-million deal equally with Mr. Firth and he shares in the $1-million deal that you do on your own. Is that how it works?