Mr. Speaker, it is understandable why the former Prime Minister would not return to the committee on invitation. It is because he could not clarify his comments. He could not contradict people who had stated that his comments were not factual.
Under oath he stated that it was that he had killed the Thiessen project in 1990. He told his chief of staff that, I believe, it was in 1990 or 1991 that he had killed the Thiessen project. Then we learned that there were meetings organized that Mulroney was aware of, with his top aides and the Clerk of the Privy Council, all dealing with the Thiessen project until 1993. He said under oath that he had no dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber.
We know he had been working with Karlheinz Schreiber throughout this time and that he had been meeting with him. He even brought him to Harrington Lake in 1993 just prior to leaving office. He sent him all sorts of correspondence and accepted money from him in 1993 and 1994.
He said in committee that he was working for Thiessen internationally selling tanks to China. I am sure that the Chinese government was encouraging the German military and defence corporations. That is exactly what China wanted to do. Thiessen told us it was not true. All his close associates who testified told us they could not confirm that he was doing that and they had no knowledge of him doing that.
More importantly, Mr. Lavoie, on behalf of Brian Mulroney, had called Karlheinz Schreiber “the biggest f”--and I will not finish the word--“liar we have ever met”. When I asked him if he still believed that, he said that he was in the top five. I believe I know the other ones he is referring to because he has heard all the mistruths and misstatements of his former boss.