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OTTAWA — The damage inflicted by the Couillard affair spread further into the Harper government Wednesday, after a second senior Conservative official resigned because of his relationship with a woman with past ties to members of the Hell's Angels.
Bernard Côté, a senior staffer in the office of Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, was forced to quit after it emerged that he dated Julie Couillard last year, at which time he discussed a federal real estate project in Quebec City with her.
Mr. Côté did not recuse himself from the file at the time, and he agreed to leave after the matter came to the attention of his minister yesterday.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Fortier said the rules are clear at Public Works and that people in his office must not have an undisclosed relationship with a potential bidder on a contract. Mr. Fortier said the process was not changed in favour of any contractor, but that he had a responsibility to accept Mr. Côté's resignation.
Maxime Bernier arrives to be sworn in as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs accompanied by Julie Couillard during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on in this Aug 14, 2007 file photo. (The Canadian Press)
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“There is an appearance of conflict, and I can't accept that,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier resigned last month after acknowledging he left confidential documents at Ms. Couillard's home for five to seven weeks starting in April. A report in Montreal newspaper La Presse Wednesday said Ms. Couillard also had a discussion with Mr. Bernier about Ottawa's plans to build a major building in Quebec City, which is north of Mr. Bernier's riding of Beauce.
According to La Presse, Ms. Couillard was pushing for a project handled by Groupe Kevlar Inc., a firm with which she had an association as a real estate agent.
There is no listing for Ms. Couillard in the federal government's registry of lobbyists.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his senior ministers have always argued that the relationship between Mr. Bernier and Ms. Couillard was a question related to their respective private lives and was “nobody's business.”
But Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe told reporters after a caucus meeting the Harper government seriously mishandled the Couillard affair, and that Mr. Harper must now appear before a parliamentary committee probing the matter.
“What is most worrying is the irresponsibility that has been displayed by Mr. Harper,” Mr. Duceppe said.
Senior RCMP officers confirmed for the first time yesterday that Julie Couillard was known to the force before her past biker ties emerged in the media in May.
Speaking at the public safety committee of the House, the officers said they would look into organized-crime ties of a minister's spouse or girlfriend if they became aware of them – and report it to the government if what they found raised concerns.
“If such a situation comes to our attention, and it causes us worry, absolutely we would inform the Privy Council,” said Raf Souccar, the RCMP's assistant commissioner for federal and international operations.
