Government Operations committee  No. My cousin introduced me to Mr. Jaffer and said he was very impressed by him and had known him for at least 10 years. I think he met him at the time he came into Parliament. So he had a long-standing relationship with him. It was purely based on the fact that we're all of the same religion.

Government Operations committee  Yes.

Government Operations committee  A month.

Government Operations committee  Sure, but if you have a deal that doesn't cost you any money to put into play, then as a businessman it makes sense.

Government Operations committee  Sure.

Government Operations committee  One of the things I did do was that I had a conversation with Patrick Glémaud, when he called me specifically about this contract that I had not seen. I'm referencing back to a timeframe before September 21. One of the things he brought up was that once he got some feedback on Green Rite, which was one of the federal government applications that they had put in, he would go out and come up with some sort of document that he would want to put in front of us so that it would explain in more detail what compensation was going to be provided and to whom.

Government Operations committee  It's the truth, though. It's not an excuse. It's just an honest answer.

Government Operations committee  Yes, I do. One hundred per cent, I do. I saw no access to the Prime Minister's Office. That's something I said on my own, and again, I take responsibility for it. But I don't believe Mr. Jaffer was doing anything offside in any way. That's my honest opinion. Certainly, from here on, if I ever deal with government again, it will definitely be on the basis of dealing with a lobbyist who's registered.

Government Operations committee  Absolutely, and maybe there's a lesson in that. Maybe more CEOs in Canada need to be aware of what the rules are. I think perhaps you might be surprised at the number of CEOs who don't know about....

Government Operations committee  Absolutely. One hundred per cent. I would definitely take a stand on that, and I will never make this mistake again.

Government Operations committee  It's been a cancer.

Government Operations committee  No, not at all.

Government Operations committee  It's been a cancer. Every significant party that I have dealt with has stepped away from me, for obvious reasons. My business has been wiped out. There's not a lot I can say besides the fact that I lost my business overnight and I didn't think I was doing anything wrong, and I didn't think Rahim Jaffer was doing anything wrong.

Government Operations committee  My father applied on behalf of his company himself. He didn't use a lobbyist or an intermediary at all. I got to see how he applied and what sort of packages he put together, etc., but again, the honest truth is that I didn't know about it. I certainly, in retrospect and hindsight, should have known about it, and I will know about it before I approach government ever again.

Government Operations committee  Yes.