Natural Resources committee  No.

Natural Resources committee  No, I'm a nutritionist.

Natural Resources committee  No.

Natural Resources committee  No. What's your question?

Natural Resources committee  I said I believe so, but that's what I believe. I'm not giving you an opinion as a legal expert.

Natural Resources committee  Sir, I was asked to come to this committee and provide answers to your questions. I'm doing my best.

Natural Resources committee  I believe I've answered your question.

Natural Resources committee  Nothing, no. If I may, I would just like to mention one thing. Looking at my notes in response to Mr. Hawn's question earlier, I think it's an important point for the committee. I mentioned that the Oak Foundation had made several grants to Tides Canada. In fact it was four grants since 2005, for almost $900,000.

Natural Resources committee  I think what I've seen is that the target is to influence politicians indirectly by shaping public opinion and by getting media coverage that puts pressure on politicians to make certain decisions. I think I have seen grants specifically to influence regulation. One that comes to mind, and I testified about it last time I was before the committee, is that the Bullitt Foundation funded the Dogwood Initiative and other projects supported by Tides Canada, and I quote, “to mobilize urban voters for a federal ban on coastal tanker traffic”.

Natural Resources committee  I can show you—in fact, it's posted on my blog—the excerpts of U.S. tax returns showing that the U.S. Tides Foundation has paid Tides Canada over $4 million. You can also go to the website of Bullitt Foundation and you can see for yourself that the Bullitt Foundation has paid Tides U.S. over half a million dollars for projects of Tides Canada.

Natural Resources committee  The second question you asked me was how does the money get into Canada. What I see happening is that some Canadian charities, including Tides Canada, have equivalency status in the U.S., so essentially they're like American charities. What happens is, the American foundations make grants to Tides Canada to its U.S. side.

Natural Resources committee  I see two things happening. One, the vice-president of Tides Canada did an interview with CBC As it Happens a couple of weeks ago, and she said that Tides Canada does not have a position against the Alberta oil sands. I regret to say that doesn't ring true for me, because I look at the projects that Tides Canada is funding, and I also look at the places it accepted donations from.

Natural Resources committee  To answer your first question, in what are called 990 tax returns of 501(c)(3) charitable foundations, they're required to report a couple of things. One is the grants that they make—the recipient, the stated purpose, the amount, and the date. If that information were publicly available from Canadian foundations then, for example, we'd know what Tides Canada has done with the $60 million that it got from American foundations.

Natural Resources committee  Oh, I remember your question now.

Natural Resources committee  Yes.