Procedure and House Affairs Committee on May 15th, 2014

[Thomas Mulcair]

I think that we all do the same sort of thing. We boast about our bons coups and our mauvais coups, and some of that work involves, as it says right here in the statute—it says and it applies to you and it applies to us—that we're allowed to work wherever we want, whether that work is partisan in nature or not. That is the definition in the very first section of the most important regulation under the House of Commons act, and there's no problem with that.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

So you're comfortable with an employee being paid by the taxpayer sending out a press release with respect to NDP party membership numbers.

Do you also find it acceptable that Mr. Patry wrote a letter to the editor in Sherbrooke using his parliamentary title that was strictly related to the NDP leadership race?

[Thomas Mulcair]

I'm unaware of that and I don't know that anyone did that, so you're making that affirmation and I don't know about it.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Would you like a copy?

[Thomas Mulcair]

Sure.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Mulcair, can you confirm that several NDP riding associations in Quebec publicly list the Montreal satellite office as their address?

[Thomas Mulcair]

I'm sorry, I was trying to read the document you just gave me, which you were trying to reference and that I hadn't had occasion to see. It's just a simple explanation of the fact that 59,000 New Democrats across the country took part in the election of a new leader, including 4,600 here in Toronto, blah, blah, blah, strengthened by the election of the new leader, New Democrats, blah, blah, blah.

That's the type of work that you do, we do, everybody does. I don't see what the big deal is, but anyway keep going. What's your next question?

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Can you confirm that several NDP riding associations in Quebec publicly list the Montreal office as their address?

[Thomas Mulcair]

I wouldn't be surprised. There are people working there who are from the party and it's an office paid for by the party. Sometimes, when you don't have a fully set up and structured riding association yet, you give the party address; no big deal there.

Charles Bussières is the agent financier. He is in the other bargaining unit. He does work that is quite different. There's not the slightest problem with that. Sorry to destroy your Perry Mason moment, Mr. Casey.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Mulcair, you're a recent participant to this shared employee program, just as a couple of months ago. When you decided to participate, you would have signed an employment form on which you would have checked a box as to whether the employee was working in the Ottawa office or the constituency office. Is that right?

[Thomas Mulcair]

I haven't got the document in front of me, so I won't be able to respond.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

You've seen the documents. All of the employees who are in the Montreal satellite office and paid for through parliamentary resources would have had a form signed by their employer, indicating that they were either in the Ottawa office or in the constituency office.

[Thomas Mulcair]

One of the reasons, even though this was set up for the 58 new MPs, and I wasn't one of them.... I already had a full contingent of staff. One of the reasons that I am signing them now and taking them on is for the reason I gave before.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Is there anything unclear about the form in terms of being in the Ottawa office or the constituency office?

[Thomas Mulcair]

As I've said since the beginning of our discussion today, what we call le port d'attache, pothere are only two options that are offered on the current form. As I referenced earlier, this is a much better way of using taxpayers' resources. We're grouping people in Montreal. It was legal, completely within the rules until April 8, 2014. The rules have changed as of April 14, 2014, and as of April 15, 2014, we're following the new rules the same way we followed the old rules.

[Sean Casey, Liberal, Charlottetown, PE]

Mr. Mulcair, I'm from Prince Edward Island, and we're very familiar with the “there was something wrong with the forms” defence. It didn't work out very well for the last guy who did it.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Casey, your time is complete. Thank you.

Mr. Woodworth, please, you have four minutes.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Mulcair, is or was Daniel Quinn one of the House of Commons-paid staff on Saint-Laurent Boulevard?

[Thomas Mulcair]

No, Dan Quinn is a party worker.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

All right. So you're aware, of course, that he has advertised a big recruiting day at that office in Quebec. Correct?

[Thomas Mulcair]

I haven't seen it. But as I've mentioned many times before, it's an office paid for 100% by the party.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

So there are partisan activities that are occurring all the time at that office, correct?

[Thomas Mulcair]

No—very rare.

[Stephen Woodworth, Conservative, Kitchener Centre, ON]

I see, but certainly partisan recruiting days, correct?