Public Accounts Committee on Oct. 28th, 2024

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

Thank you, Ms. Blaney.

Ms. Sinclair‑Desgagnés, I left the board of directors in 2021 because I was asked to extend my mandate by one year, and I did not intend to stay. I therefore did not step down in the wake of revelations and reports. I had already been gone for several years by that time.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you for that.

We saw in the report from the Auditor General that there are some very significant concerns about what happened. I'm wondering whether you could talk me through what your experience was, how you feel and what your response is to those accusations.

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

First, my response to those accusations is in the table you will receive. It sheds light on the conflict of interest issue. The Auditor General looked into situations that occurred in the past, but not at the time of the vote. My primary responsibility, above all, is to shed light on this issue.

Second, it is my responsibility to tell you that, based on what I saw as a member of the board of directors, it was relatively well disciplined, even if it wasn’t perfect, like every other board of directors. In fact, the SDTC team worked very hard to prepare files. I rarely saw files as well prepared as those were. SDTC showed a great deal of professionalism.

That said, I think the disappointment comes from changes proposed by the board of directors in the revised business plans sent to the minister. Those changes were supported by the executive officer. However, there was a disconnect between the foundation’s fundamentals and its evolution, because there had not been any updates. That led to a lack of alignment. You can feel it in the report. Personally, I find the situation very sad.

As for the rest of the allegations, I was not there. I therefore cannot say anything about allegations made by the whistle-blower or the human resources reports. I never heard them, and I was no longer a member of the board of directors.

Ms. Blaney, I hope I gave a good answer to your question.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

That was very helpful, and I appreciate it. I agree that this is very concerning.

I have one last question.

You talked a little bit in your response to me about some of the things that were happening during that period of your transition. Were there any warning signs for you as you were leaving that there might be concerns that would come out in the future?

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

When I left my position, there wasn’t one.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you.

Again, I apologize for missing you inadvertently.

Mr. Cooper, you have the floor for five minutes, please.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Méthot, you have tabled with this committee a number of documents, which we haven't had the opportunity to review, that appear to contradict aspects of the findings in the Auditor General's report. Will you agree, in addition to tabling those documents with this committee, to also turn those documents over to the RCMP?

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

I have nothing to hide.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

I don’t know how to respond to that question.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

There is a point of order.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Again, Mr. Chair, we're conflicting two powers that are very well known in the Constitution. We're mixing judicial.... If the RCMP wants documents from Andrée-Lise Méthot, I know they can just get a search warrant very quickly if they feel the need to do so, but this tactic....

It’s a smear campaign, yet again.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Mr. Cooper, I'm going to turn the floor back to you for four and a half minutes.

The documents will be publicly available. Whether the witness wants to turn them over or not, the RCMP is going to be able to review them through our committee. They are being tabled. They'll be distributed to all of you, and they'll be publicly available, I hope, this afternoon.

You have the floor, Mr. Cooper, for four and a half minutes.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I invite the witness to answer my question.

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

I think I put everything on the table. I had nothing to do with that. I do not understand your question. I don’t know why you—

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I simply said that you managed to table a bunch of documents with this committee, so will you also just hand them over to the RCMP, yes or no?

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

If the RCMP has questions, it will be my pleasure to answer them. There is no problem. I have nothing to hide from anyone, not you and not them.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

Will you turn them over to the RCMP, yes or no?

[Andrée-Lise Méthot]

If the RCMP has questions, it will be my pleasure to answer them.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I take it the answer is no.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

There is another point of order.

Go ahead, Ms. Khalid.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have sat here and have watched the Conservatives go after our very esteemed witness.

[Michael Cooper, Conservative, St. Albert—Edmonton, AB]

I asked the witness a simple question, Mr. Chair.