Evidence of meeting #39 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was block.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Thank you.
I want to start with Mr. Gibbons. Mr. Gibbons, we have received from your company, from Mr. Graham Green, vice-president and group leader, public affairs, correspondence telling us that you lied to this committee when you said that you had never shared or had never forwarded the e-mail that you got. We are told that you sent a one-paragraph extract dealing solely with a synopsis of testimony to one of Hill and Knowlton's clients. What client was that, sir?
As an Individual
Thank you for the question.
Mr. Chair, this is the reason I asked for two minutes of opening remarks to address that issue specifically. The answer to the question is that I have, in fact, done two proactive disclosures to the members of the finance committee. The first disclosure was on November 23, which was to indicate to the finance committee that in fact I was in possession of that report. That was after three individuals were named in the House; I was not one of those three. I wanted to indicate very clearly that I was in possession of the report, that I had deleted the report, and that no other individual had copies of the report in full and it was not distributed.
The second communication to the clerk of the finance committee—again, proactive—was to indicate that I had indeed shared a paragraph of the report with a client. I believed that paragraph to be a summary of public testimony given at the committee. I would like permission to read that paragraph into the record for committee members.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
We don't need it.
Why did you not declare at the first opportunity that you had done that, sir?
As an Individual
Again, the first communication on November 23.... There were concerns and questions as to who had the report and who didn't have the report.
As an Individual
Indeed, I proactively indicated to the finance committee that I was in possession of the report.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Okay.
So why did you not, right off the bat—the first time—admit that you forwarded a section of the report? Were you trying to hide something?
As an Individual
Both of my communications to the finance committee have been proactive. I did not wait to be named in the House; I did not wait to be called to committee. I proactively communicated two sets of facts to the finance committee out of respect for that committee and the work they do.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Sir, what's the sense of being proactive if you don't tell the truth?
As an Individual
Mr. Chair, both of my communications to the finance committee were out of respect for the committee and designed to provide them with the facts with relation to the report and what I did with the report once I received it. That's also the purpose of my testimony and my appearance today.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Gibbons, did you have any contact with anyone in the Conservative Party, aside from those proactive statements or communications with the finance committee? Did you have any contact with anyone in the Conservative Party, either elected or not, concerning your receipt of this report?
Liberal
As an Individual
When it was clear to me that this was a serious issue for the members of the finance committee, I contacted the chair of the committee, who informed me that I should immediately notify the clerk, which is the action I took on November 23 to indicate that I was also in possession of the report, that I deleted the report, and that no other individual had a copy of the report on my account. Again, this was done in a proactive manner, when I was not named in the House.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Mr. Gibbons, how long did it take you, from the time you got the e-mail to the time that you contacted the chair of the finance committee, to discuss this with him?
As an Individual
I think the record is clear, based on the previous hour, that I received the report at 8:36 or 8:37 a.m. from Mr. Ullyatt. My communication to the clerk of the finance committee—this is the first one that you're referring to—occurred on November 23 at around 6:30 p.m.
Liberal
As an Individual
November 18 was when I received the report, and November 23 was the day that I communicated to the clerk of the finance committee.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Thank you.
Mr. Ullyatt told us that he had applied for a job at your company. Were you considering hiring him?
As an Individual
I'm not the individual at Hill & Knowlton who makes personnel decisions. Mr. Ullyatt had articulated interest in the lobbying industry and working in the lobbying industry, and I gave him some advice on how to best go about that. When he expressed interest, I did what I do with any individual who expresses an interest in Hill & Knowlton. I refer them to an individual higher up than me.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Did you share the report with anybody else except that client of yours, Mr. Gibbons?
As an Individual
I want to be very clear about what I did and did not do with the report, because I know that's an issue of concern to members.
Liberal