Public Accounts Committee on June 11th, 2007

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

We've heard that the investigation found that there were three companies you received benefits from, 3M and a couple of other companies. That didn't worry you? It worried you that perhaps someone else but not yourself...?

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

First of all, at that time, this was a habit in the early 1970s—

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Just a yes or no. Did it worry you that you'd received—

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

Well, I don't think you—

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Yes or no, did it worry you—

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

I don't think you can say a yes or no answer. For one of those occasions, actually I was asked to represent the RCMP and go and donate a cheque for $6,000 and give a speech to the Canadian Cancer Society. At that time, they asked me to play with the president of the Canadian Cancer Society for the Ottawa region. I thought it was a social thing to do.

After that, I got reprimanded for it.

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Well, I assume the 3M was a different set of circumstances.

We talked about golf. Now that you've mentioned golf, Mr. Gauvin, back to St. Andrew's-by-the-Sea and your chummy golf games with Mr. Crupi and Mr. Ewanovich—Mr. Crupi who just keeps on going there, doing his contracting under your watch—you had committed to repaying the money that was inappropriately taken from the pension fund to pay for your golf games with Mr. Crupi. Has that been done, finally?

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

First of all, I didn't have anything to do with 3M. I never had anything to do with 3M.

In terms of Algonquin, yes. What I've done is written every member who was there and asked them to remit.

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Have you remitted?

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

Yes, I have remitted, and I've got at least six other people who have, and there are other letters still outstanding that they're remitting. That money is being credited to the pension fund.

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Now, you had instructed Mr. Joyal to use a summary that I guess your employees had created to replace an ATIP request. That summary was generated out of your office?

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

I'm glad you gave me the opportunity.

First of all, that request was outstanding for a long time. There is really nothing that we can do to stop the release of the commissioner's—

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

No, but you tried to stop it and you tried to replace it.

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

No, I did not try to stop it. You said that, and other people have said that.

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

I know Mr. Joyal said it.

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

I've written to Mr. Picard, and that was not truthful. What we tried to do—

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Okay. Hold on. You've written to Mr. Picard.

Mr. Picard, you wrote to the former commissioner. Is that correct?

[Supt Christian Picard]

Yes, sir.

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

But you got a response from Mr. Gauvin as a result of a letter to the former commissioner? Is that correct?

[Supt Christian Picard]

As the result of an e-mail, yes, sir. That is correct.

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

And what happened—

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

So you had a concern that a report was being covered up. You sent those concerns through to former commissioner Zaccardelli, and the very person who's attempting to generate a report to cover up an expense report contacts you. Is that what happened? And Mr. Gauvin--

[D/Commr Paul Gauvin]

Could I reply to that?

[Borys Wrzesnewskyj, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre, ON]

Well, I'm asking Mr. Picard.

[Supt Christian Picard]

Yes, he responded because I did a cc; I gave him a copy of the e-mail I sent to Commissioner Zaccardelli.