Does that mean yes, Ms. Méthot?
Evidence of meeting #147 for Public Accounts in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.)
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #147 for Public Accounts in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.)
A video is available from Parliament.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
I think that it's necessary to find a way to continue to provide support. The politicians must make the relevant political decisions. I'm not a politician.
Bloc
Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné Bloc Terrebonne, QC
In your opinion, did the Auditor General's findings—which gave Minister Champagne sufficient reason to eliminate SDTC—and the reports that he saw earlier prove to be wrong? Could there have been some bias?
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
I can't say whether any incorrect information or bias came to light. It has been over three years since I left the board of directors.
I can tell you that, while I was there, I saw some good things.
There's always room for improvement, Ms. Sinclair‑Desgagné.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
I don't know of any organization that never had anything to improve.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Thank you.
Up next is Ms. Blaney.
You have the floor for two and a half minutes, please.
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Thank you for remembering me this time. I deeply appreciate it.
I also want to put on the record that I do apologize for some of the behaviour we've seen in this committee today and also for the reality of being a citizen who becomes part of the public gaze.
We are trying to figure out what happened here and get some clarity. One of the things that I always fall back on with these very contentious political issues is process and what we need to fix in the long term to make sure that we have systems that Canadians can understand and respond to in a positive way.
It does concern me hearing, largely, the Conservatives ripping apart public servants and process. I think it's very important that we talk about the process problems and the accountability we need to have as Canadians without ripping apart the people who work for the government.
In the time that you were on the board, did you review the processes that you had and the issues that might arise from that? Can you clearly denote for the committee what mechanisms you had that would have allowed you to flag any serious concerns that you had, and how easy it was to use the mechanisms?
If we could get a little clarity on that, I think that would help us understand what we need to see more effective change in in the future.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
Thank you for your questions and your support, Ms. Sinclair‑Desgagné and Ms. Blaney. I appreciate it.
It's a bit far back in my mind, but every year or so, an annual review took place. This is standard practice for all boards of directors. A business plan or strategic plan is always drawn up. It's an opportunity to discuss these things.
A detailed process review is often carried out in subcommittees. I sat on one committee—the program review committee—solely because of my technical skills. I was invited because of my technical skills, meaning my skills in engineering, physics and finance.
A governance committee was set up to look at governance issues, but I never sat on it as a member. That would be a good question to ask the people who sat on that committee. However, I can tell you that the processes implemented for the annual report or the business plan provide an opportunity for a board member to put forward ideas. This happened a number of times, for example to get an update on program changes. The Auditor General referred to this in her report.
To answer your question, I would say that this was done in part. However, perhaps it wasn't done as clearly as you're describing today, after the fact. There were processes, but the approach certainly wasn't perfect. No organization is perfect.
I would like to give some advice or make an observation. One thing that I really appreciated at the Canada Infrastructure Bank was the creation of a perfect registry to record real and potential conflicts of interest. Each member also had a detailed record. We didn't have this type of registry at SDTC. It would have helped us a great deal. I think that the infrastructure bank did a good job in this area.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Ms. Méthot, I'll stop you there. However, another committee member will certainly be asking questions on this topic.
We have two more members, Mr. McCauley and Mr. Erskine-Smith.
Mr. McCauley, you have the floor for five minutes, please.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thanks, Mr. Chair.
I want to follow up on a question from Mr. Cooper that I don't think was answered. It was on whether you have read the SDTC act that lays out rules and guidance regarding conflict.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
I don't understand the question, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Mr. McCauley, I paused the clock for you to ask your question.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
Sorry, but I really don't understand the question.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Mr. Cooper asked you very specifically if you had read the SDTC foundation act that very clearly prohibits board members from receiving any financial gain or other gains.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
I was told that I had to recuse myself and state my conflicts of interest. I did that.
Conservative
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
It has been a long time since I read this legislation. I usually read these documents. I have enough experience to know that I must read the board documents. If I hadn't been an eligible candidate as a board member, I imagine that the governance committee, the chair and ultimately the minister would have said so.
Conservative
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
Yes. I read it.
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
Some points are valid, and others warrant a review. For example, with regard to the list of conflicts of interest—
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Are you implying that there are points that are not valid, then? If you say there are points that are valid, do you believe there are invalid points?
Founder and managing partner, Cycle Capital Management, As an Individual
No. I said that certain points are valid. However, when it comes to the list of conflicts of interest attributed to me, I'm saying that this analysis wasn't done at the time of the vote. That's why I sent you a table, which you'll receive later. The information in this table settles the matter.