Public Accounts Committee on Nov. 20th, 2024

[Valerie Bradford, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

They're not overseeing operations.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you. I'm afraid that is the time, Ms. Bradford.

Beginning our fourth and final round, we have six members and various times.

Mr. Brock, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Ms. Verschuren, I'm going back to the appointment process. When you finally made the decision to make an application after you spoke a number of times with former Liberal minister Bains, did you actually reach out to him personally to confirm you had made the decision and you would be applying?

[Annette Verschuren]

I'm not sure whether I confirmed with him or one of his colleagues.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Okay, but at least when you say “colleagues”, you mean a member of his office. Is that correct?

[Annette Verschuren]

Yes.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Okay, so there was a confirmation to his office before you made a formal application. Is that correct?

[Annette Verschuren]

That's correct.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Right. Unlike other worthy candidates, your appointment as chair of SDTC was definitely initiated through the PMO.

Who in the Prime Minister's Office did you speak with prior to your interview with the PCO?

[Annette Verschuren]

I do not recall talking to anybody in the Prime Minister’s Office.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Ever...during the process?

[Annette Verschuren]

I do not recall, no.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Okay. Do you recall the actual interview with the PCO?

[Annette Verschuren]

I do recall—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Who interviewed you?

[Annette Verschuren]

I don't recall, but I can get back to you.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Prior to your resignation as chair in December 2023, did anyone from the PCO, the PMO, the current minister's office or any other department official advise you against resigning?

[Annette Verschuren]

No one advised me against resigning.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

I had the privilege of meeting with you for the first time at one of the other committee meetings, and I recall how strongly against you were in terms of any sort of push-back from members to impugn your character or to impugn your integrity. You were very defiant that there would be absolutely no grounds on which you would resign.

Ultimately, you did make that decision to resign. On the allegations out there, you claimed that they were simply allegations. Now they have been proven by the Ethics Commissioner. You have been found guilty by the Ethics Commissioner on two occasions, so why did you resign?

[Annette Verschuren]

There was a lot of stress in the organization, a lot of stress with respect to what was happening there at the time, and I was putting perhaps undue pressure on that. The CEO—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Thank you.

Since your resignation, have you had any discussions with the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office or Industry Canada about which documents related to your tenure at SDTC would be withheld from Parliament?

[Annette Verschuren]

I have not had any conversations on that matter.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Have you had any input from current board members at SDTC about your tenure and which documents would either not be released, fully redacted or partially redacted from the view of parliamentarians?

[Annette Verschuren]

I had no conversation with anybody about withholding any documents.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

You are clearly keeping abreast of what's happening here in Parliament. Parliament has been literally shut down because of the government's refusal to hand over unredacted documents, all unredacted documents, pursuant to the order of the Speaker of the House.

The evidence has clearly shown that the government has chosen to supply us with thousands and thousands of pages of full redactions. Do you, as former chair of the SDTC, believe that the redactions are an effort to shield the former and current ministers from being held accountable?