Evidence of meeting #66 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 rcmp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
I'm always anxious, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Foley, I understand Great-West Life had three people on the payroll at Great-West Life who lodged over at the RCMP offices to do the work over there. Is this a normal practice for Great-West Life to have their employees on the premises of their clients?
Great-West Life Assurance Company
We have a number of situations where we have that.
Great-West Life Assurance Company
It is unusual, but it happens. We have staff on site of other employers.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Staff Sargeant Frizzell had indicated to us that this arrangement was to prevent Great-West Life writing cheques to the RCMP and then somebody would ask questions on why this was being done. Therefore, to alleviate the show of cheques being issued and cashed, they would just put these people on the payroll.
Would you agree with that assessment?
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
You didn't see anything immoral or unethical about having these people on staff.
Great-West Life Assurance Company
We were asked by the officer in charge of the compensation branch to provide these people. It was with the full knowledge of the insurance committee. Again, we were providing support. We have letters requesting this from Superintendent Mole and Superintendent Fortin.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Staff Sargeant Frizzell, did you feel this was unethical?
S/Sgt Mike Frizzell
There wasn't much about this that I didn't think was unethical, but not necessarily on Great-West Life's part.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
Mr. Gork, when you were restricting the criminal investigation, did you receive any instruction, or did you communicate with anybody, or did anybody give you any advice about restricting it so that it would not include the contracts to Morneau Sobeco?
A/Commr David Gork
Mr. Williams, I didn't restrict any investigation. The restrictions were controlled by Paul Roy as to when the investigation ended and where it was going, not by me.
Conservative
Conservative
A/Commr David Gork
No, any discussions that I had with regard to the investigation were with Paul Roy. Paul Roy had the final shot, or called the shots on the investigation, not me, and you've had Paul Roy here to testify to that, and also the chief of Ottawa Police Service.
Conservative
S/Sgt Mike Frizzell
Not at all. In fact, Mr. Gork and I had an argument over it when I stated that the original mandate of the investigation was to examine how the pension money was spent and whether there was anything criminal, and at that point he told me no, that our job was to investigate Mr. Crupi and Mr. Ewanovich, which was not--
Conservative
A/Commr David Gork
Excuse me, if I may respond, that is totally incorrect.
As I said, if you would like, call in Paul Roy again and question him if there was any involvement whatsoever of my controlling that investigation. And that's the first time we've even heard that allegation, that this was a criminal investigation on these two people.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
It's a strange situation. We have two senior members of the RCMP disagreeing with each other under oath. We have all kinds of disputations, disagreements, and denials everywhere around this table. It is really a serious issue that we have these kinds of things.
Mr. Crupi, I'm going to come back to you. You seem to deny everything, yet you were the manager of the NCPC. You've basically passed the puck on to everybody.
Do you accept responsibility for what went on in your office--as a manager?
As an Individual
As a director I was responsible. But I couldn't keep my finger on everything, as I explained.
Conservative
John Williams Conservative Edmonton—St. Albert, AB
No. I just asked you if, as the manager of the office, you were responsible for the management of that office and the actions of the people underneath you. Were you?