Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Brennan. There are a couple of loose threads that I want to continue discussing with you, based on questions you've received from colleagues.
I get the overall impression that you wish to distance yourself from any formal or informal relationship with Mr. Kristian Firth. I can probably understand your motivation to do that, given that he's testified twice at this committee. His credibility is certainly an issue. He's been caught in a number of lies, and he's under investigation by the RCMP.
I am going to give you an opportunity, sir, to reflect on my comments as I ask you further questions about your relationship with Mr. Firth, but before I do that I want to go back to the original Bill Curry article in The Globe and Mail from early October. It really sets out, towards the latter end of the article, your involvement in the Botler controversy and scandal with the government.
Specifically, the reporter reached out to you. You indicated to the reporter that your reference to having inside knowledge was a fabrication. You clarified that and said you had “'fibbed' in an effort to put pressure on Ms. Dutt to take more action on the file”.
We're all adults in the room. The last time I heard the word “fibbed” was in relation to my five-year-old twins. They're 14 now, and they certainly don't use the word “fibbed”. I use the word “lied”.
Do you admit, sir, that you definitely lied to Ms. Dutt to take so-called action on the file? Is that correct? Am I reading that correctly?
