Evidence of meeting #21 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
Ms. Varma described the current prospective business activities of three companies, Spartan Bioscience Inc., Exova Group Limited, and Climate Check Corporation.
When I learned of the public questions regarding the activities of some lobbyists, I asked my staff to look into the meetings we had had, and we found two meetings wherein it appeared that three individuals might not have properly registered those meetings. These individuals included Ms. Varma, Monsieur Glémaud, and, as I mentioned earlier, a Mr. Gordon Shields, a registered lobbyist and president of the Liberal riding association for Nepean-Carleton.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
—of these probable meetings and we shared all relevant documentations with her.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Christian Paradis Conservative Mégantic—L'Érable, QC
Yes, Madam Chair. I am here precisely to testify in my capacity of minister.
I'd like to read an excerpt from House of Commons Procedure and Practice. O'Brien and Bosc state the following, and I quote:
In terms of ministerial responsibility, Ministers have both individual and collective responsibilities to Parliament. [...] The principle of individual ministerial responsibility holds that Ministers are accountable not only for their own actions as department heads, but also for the actions of their subordinates; individual ministerial responsibility provides the basis for accountability throughout the system. Virtually all departmental activity is carried out in the name of a Minister who, in turn, is responsible to Parliament for those acts. Ministers exercise power and are constitutionally responsible for the provision and conduct of government; Parliament holds them personally responsible for it.
It's true, Madam Chair, that I declined an invitation to appear before this committee on May 4 last. I had been invited to testify in my capacity of Minister, as had my predecessor at Natural Resources Canada. I provided all of the necessary documents to the committee. I also forwarded the same documents to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. All of the documents were duly turned over to the committee.
Further to an access to information request, on May 10 of this year, I also confirmed that Natural Resources Canada had no record of any activities that might have been carried out by Mr. Glémaud or Mr. Jaffer in connection with their company, Green Power Generation.
Finally, Madam Chair, since Sébastien Togneri, a member of my staff, was called to testify before this committee, I am here to answer questions as the responsible minister.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi
Thank you very much.
We'll go with the rules of the committee: eight minutes, first to Ms. Coady.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Thank you very much.
Thank you to Mr. Morin and Mr. Maley for both being here this afternoon and for having the patience to deal with this.
Thank you, ministers. I have very serious questions to ask.
The time is late because we didn't get started on time, so I'd appreciate yes-or-no answers to all my questions--very simple questions, because we need to get to the bottom of this. Thank you.
First of all, to the three ministers—I'd like to go one by one, if I could, please—does every Canadian have the same privileged access that Mr. Jaffer had and his company had in your departments to review their proposals, to fast-track their proposals? Just a yes or no would suffice, thank you.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
That wasn't the question. I asked it to your department. As you know, your department actually moved forward very quickly on the proposal.
Yes or no: can they actually call your office and have your parliamentary secretary and his staff actually review their proposals?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
John Baird Conservative Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Every Canadian has equal access to government programs.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
Great. Well, we'll make sure that...because this is being televised. I'm sure that every Canadian will call your office and make sure that in terms of their proposals, the same benefits are accrued to them.
Minister Goodyear?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
Every applicant that was submitted to our office does go through the department. None of the applicants from the meetings that you're concerned about received any funding from FedDev.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
I didn't ask about funding. I asked about privileged access--the fact that Mr. Jaffer's companies actually were fast-tracked.
Mr. Paradis...?
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
Actually, that's not true, Madam Chair.
The fact is that Gordon Shields was able to get into our--
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
That's irrelevant. I did not ask about Mr. Shields.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
I know you don't want to hear that. I know you don't want to hear that.
5:15 p.m.
Liberal
Siobhan Coady Liberal St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL
I'd like to ask Minister Paradis the question.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Gary Goodyear Conservative Cambridge, ON
Three days it took to get Mr. Shields in. It was almost two weeks to get the other client--