Information & Ethics committee  We never saw it, sir, in our account.

Information & Ethics committee  Exactly.

Information & Ethics committee  That's what they did, sir.

Information & Ethics committee  Well, to tell you the truth, it was my first election, sir.

Information & Ethics committee  I can't say it was carte blanche, because I trusted you guys. I figured that since we were new candidates, we would be guided properly.

Information & Ethics committee  No, because one of your comrades, Benoît Larocque, told me that everything would be fine and dandy.

Information & Ethics committee  Monsieur, I'm assuming nothing. I'm just taking this from the words of one of your other co-workers, Mr. Benoît Larocque, who each time we talk to him doesn't know anything, but who told me that it was normal procedure, the in and out, and that for the other nine the accountants had done it too, so there was nothing to worry about, that everything was fine and dandy.

Information & Ethics committee  Monsieur, if it were perfectly legal, why would Elections Canada be calling me and asking me certain questions?

Information & Ethics committee  Definitely not. I can say that it lost quite a few people.

Information & Ethics committee  Not at all.

Information & Ethics committee  When I was serving that party, I believed in its vision, but I found that it did not exercise as much integrity as it claimed. I was very disappointed about that.

Information & Ethics committee  I know a woman who worked for the party; she's a good friend of mine. During the 2006 election, the Conservative Party did everything it could to oust me. No one wanted to come forward and run against Mr. Coderre because everyone knew that they would be defeated. But after people became aware of the number of votes I had received, which was quite a bit higher than the numbers for my former colleagues, the decision was made to withdraw me.

Information & Ethics committee  As I said, sir, I was disappointed because I was lied to, and that, sir, is something I really do not take lightly.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, exactly. It was a common thing that was happening.

Information & Ethics committee  It never was, sir. I'll tell you something, sir, if I had $14,000 to spend during that election, I think my publicity would have been a lot more than having one little article in the Guide de Montréal-Nord once a week that was given to us.