FAQ 4i. When did Harper learn about the negotiations and what did he do?

Grewal began negotiating with the Liberals about changing parties on May 15th (when he and Kalia first made contact) and met with them on the 16th, 17th, and 18th (see here for an overview). When did Harper learn of these negotiations?

In a press scrum at the beginning of June (here), Harper said:

Harper: Gurmant approached me at our caucus meeting on Monday, May the 16th*, and told me—it was just the end of the meeting--he had something important to tell me about his discussions with the Liberals. I didn’t have time to talk to him then because I was on the way to the airport. I said I’d call him the next morning. And at that point he told me that, uh, he had the option of meeting that evening with—he and Nina--of meeting that evening with the Prime Minister to discuss Liberal offers. Mr. Grewal, Gurmant, said to me in his conversation, when he told me that he taped these, uh, conversations, he said to me that, uh, he had the option of meeting that evening with the Prime Minister. … Gurmant did ask me if I wanted him to meet with the Prime Minister and I said no. Thanks.

[*This is a mistake for the 17th: for a full discussion of the details, see here]

According to this, Harper learned about the negotations on the evening of the 17th, and on the morning of the 18th about the possibility of Grewal's meeting with the Prime Minister.

What did he do? Here Harper says only he told Grewal not to meet with Martin and to stop the tapings. (See Grewal's description of Harper's directions, here.)


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