INDEPTH: SPONSORSHIP SCANDAL
Alain Renaud testimony
CBC News Online | April 11, 2005
Alain Renaud testifies at the Gomery commission Monday, April 11, 2005 in Montreal. (CP PHOTO/Ryan Remiorz)
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Alain Renaud, a lobbyist hired by Groupaction to drum up business with the federal government, says Jean Chrétien's chief-of-staff, Jean Pelletier, was one of the people who had the final say in approving sponsorship projects.
Renaud also revealed that he met with former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano in 1996 and 1997 to lobby for Groupaction. He said Gagliano was "influential" but he doubted the minister had the final say in approving sponsorship contracts.
"I never concluded that the minister was directly involved in awarding the contracts, " Renaud told the inquiry.
During meetings with Gagliano, Jean Brault and others, Renaud said the minister never promised to give the go-ahead to a specific project. The man who ran the sponsorship program, Chuck Guité, played a pivotal role, he explained.
And the whole thing had to be vetted by the prime minister's office.
"Going from experience, it went through the Prime minister's office and Mr. Guité."
"Who made the decisions at the PMO?" asked lead counsel Bernard Roy.
"Mostly Jean Pelletier," answered Renaud.
Renaud, a well-connected Liberal who also worked in the party's Montréal offices, also implicated Jacques Corriveau, personal friend and key organizer for former prime minister Jean Chrétien. Renaud says he overheard Corriveau promoting the virtues of specific projects to Jean Chrétien.
"I heard 'it's a good project, it has to work' and I know at the other end of the line was Mr. Chrétien," Renaud said. "So I concluded that he was well connected, thank you."
Renaud said an aide to Prime Minister Paul Martin asked him to make sure the sponsorship contracts awarded to Groupe Everest would go elsewhere because he "wasn't happy about what was happening there". After much lobbying, Renaud said the contracts for events in the Sherbrooke area went to Groupaction. He gave few details, prompting the Liberal Party of Canada's lawyer, Doug Mitchell, to conclude that Renaud was participating in the "character assassination" of Martin.
Renaud also revealed that he worked on Brian Tobin's leadership campaign after he left Groupaction in 2000. Joe Morselli, a friend and organizer for former public works minister Alfonso Gagliano and Benoît Corbeil, a former director general of the party, were also on Tobin's campaign team.
Renaud also denied allegations that he made repeated phone calls to Brault to sollicit him for money for the cash-strapped party.
Renaud says he never acted as a messenger to transfer cash donations to the Liberal Party of Canada's Montréal offices.
Contradicting Jean Brault's testimony, he said he only transferred cheques for official donations to the party, not cash payments.
"I want to dissociate myself from that statement because my credibility is affected," he told the inquiry. "I have never asked anyone for cash payments, it was always cheques."
Brault claimed he was asked by Benoît Corbeil, to make cash donations to the party through Renaud.
But Renaud adamantly denied the allegations. "I have never received any cash payment from Mr. Brault to be transferred to the party. ..That is my testimony."
Renaud admitted that he did receive two cheques totalling $63,500 from Jean Brault as a contribution to the Liberal Party. This "emergency fund" was used to pay election workers because the party had no cash on hand, he admitted after much probing.
Renaud was not able to provide any written documents to support his claims. His agendas for the period 1993-2000 were destroyed by a flood, he said.
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Gilles Duceppe's response (RealVideo runs 5:59)
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