Sponsorship

On this page

• Recovery of funds
• Agent of the Attorney General for the Recovery of Funds
• Claims for the recovery of funds (Statement of Claim and Settlement Agreements)
• Summary of recoveries

Recovery of funds

On March 11, 2005, the Government of Canada filed a Statement of Claim (Claim for the Recovery of Funds) in the Quebec Superior Court, relating to the now cancelled Sponsorship Program.

Since filing the Claim, the Government has recovered $8.09M and settled with 27 defendants through settlement agreements ($6.75M), the $1.1M remitted voluntarily by the Liberal Party of Canada as a result of the findings of the Gomery Report and the execution of an Order ($248,000).

Agent of the Attorney General for the Recovery of Funds

In March 2005, the Government retained Mr. Sylvain Lussier's services to manage the civil litigation filed before the Quebec Superior Court to recover the funds associated with the Sponsorship Program. In August 2018, Mr. Lussier was appointed to the Bench. The Attorney General of Canada has appointed Mr. Lussier's colleague, Mr. Fabrice Benoît, also from the law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt, to pursue Mr. Lussier's mandate. A team of lawyers from the Department of Justice is assisting Mr. Benoît.

Mr. Benoît has been mandated to continue Mr. Lussier's efforts to:

• pursue the recovery of funds illegitimately received under the Sponsorship Program
• litigate the Attorney General of Canada's lawsuit to recover sponsorship funds
• add further allegations and claims to the lawsuit that seeks to recover funds which may have been received illegitimately under the Sponsorship Program as facts come to light in other contexts (for example, Gomery Commission)
• explore avenues to recover funds from the defendants prior to trial

Claims for the recovery of funds (Statement of Claim and Settlement Agreements)

The statement of claim was filed on March 11, 2005 and amended subsequently. Copies may be consulted at the Quebec Superior Court or, alternatively, you may submit a request through the contact us.

• Statement of Claim – Amendment #8 [2008-09-10] (translated document)
• Withdrawal of Claim (Jacques Paradis) [2008-03-19] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #7 [2008-01-29] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #6 [2007-07-09] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #5 [2007-06-18] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #4 [2006-05-26] (translated document)
  • Amended Motion to Institute Proceedings #4 (Jacques Paradis et Publicité Martin Inc.) [2006-05-26]
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #3 [2005-11-01] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #2 [2005-09-30] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim – Amendment #1 [2005-03-11] (translated document)
• Statement of Claim [2005-03-11] (translated document)

Summary of recoveries