Evidence of meeting #65 for Public Accounts in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was gauvin.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Michel Joyal  As an Individual
Keith Estabrooks  As an Individual
Ian Cowan  Inspector, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Louis Alberti  Legal Services, Department of Justice, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Paul Gauvin  Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Christian Picard  Superintendent, former Officer in charge of the Access to information and Privacy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Pierre Lavoie  Superintendent (Retired), Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Paul McConnell  Inspector, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

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...?

5:15 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

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

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

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

5:15 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

Well, I don't think you—

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

Yes or no, did it worry you—

5:15 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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.

5:15 p.m.

Liberal

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?

5:15 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

Have you remitted?

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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.

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

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?

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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—

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

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

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

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

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

I know Mr. Joyal said it.

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

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

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

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?

5:20 p.m.

Superintendent, former Officer in charge of the Access to information and Privacy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

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?

5:20 p.m.

Superintendent, former Officer in charge of the Access to information and Privacy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Supt Christian Picard

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

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

And what happened—

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

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--

5:20 p.m.

Deputy Commissioner, Corporate Management and Comptrollership, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

D/Commr Paul Gauvin

Could I reply to that?

5:20 p.m.

Liberal

Borys Wrzesnewskyj Liberal Etobicoke Centre, ON

Well, I'm asking Mr. Picard.

5:20 p.m.

Superintendent, former Officer in charge of the Access to information and Privacy, Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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.