Public Accounts Committee on June 12th, 2007

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Okay. And you accepted that responsibility?

[Dominic Crupi]

I tried my best, sir.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

You were issuing these contracts to Consulting and Audit Canada in the amounts of $2.5 million, $3 million, and $4 million. You approved those contracts?

[Dominic Crupi]

No. As Mr. Frizzell suggested here, they were signed off by the procurement people. They issued the contracts.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Yours was the first signature on the sheet.

[Dominic Crupi]

In terms of the type of work that needed to be done--yes.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Okay. But you didn't have authority to do that.

[Dominic Crupi]

I don't know why I wouldn't have authority to say that was the type of work that needed to be done.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

But Mr. Gauvin testified that you exceeded your contracting authority.

Mr. Frizzell, did you find that he exceeded his contracting authority?

[S/Sgt Mike Frizzell]

In the document you just tabled, Mr. Crupi signed for $2.5 million.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

That was the contract authorization.

[S/Sgt Mike Frizzell]

It was.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Okay.

You signed a contract. Yours was the first signature.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Last question, Mr. Williams.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Okay.

Yours was the first signature on a contract authorization that totalled about $2.5 million. Do you accept that?

[Dominic Crupi]

I accept that I was signing that this was the work to be done. From a financial perspective, I was not aware that I was signing anything--

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

You approved the work.

[Dominic Crupi]

I approved the work.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Mr. Frizzell, was he approving the contract in that document I tabled earlier?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Was the person who did the work named on that contract?

[Dominic Crupi]

I don't know.

[John Williams, Conservative, Edmonton—St. Albert, AB]

Let's just find out what Staff Sergeant Frizzell has to say.

Was he approving a contract for $2.5 million?

[S/Sgt Mike Frizzell]

The way the document was captioned, it appears he was approving the contract.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Brian Fitzpatrick]

Would the contractor be named on the contract?

[S/Sgt Mike Frizzell]

Is the photocopy back yet?