Evidence of meeting #49 for Public Accounts in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funds.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Welcome to the public portion of meeting number 49 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
We'll now begin the consideration of matters related to committee business.
Mr. Hallan, you have the floor.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'd like to move a motion that I had tabled. I move:
That the committee report to the House that it is of the view that recovering the $34 million in taxpayer funds paid out to ineligible projects through Sustainable Development Technology Canada is in the public interest.
I think everyone's very well aware of the Liberals' green slush fund scandal that took place. It is the one that Conservatives exposed, the one that Conservatives investigated, in which it was revealed that about $34 million of ineligible funds were given out. These funds could have been given out to a lot of the Liberal-connected insider companies or people who are connected to the Liberals, which we've seen a track record of under these guys. These projects should not—
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
I'm newish to the committee. I wasn't here through the historical debate on this, but I'm not aware of any evidence suggesting that any particular party benefited from—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
That's actually not a point of order, Ms. Tesser Derksen.
Points of order are points of order. Thank you.
You may have the floor again, Mr. Hallan.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The fact is that these projects should not have received those funds. Instead of fighting to recover this taxpayer money, recently the industry minister, Mélanie Joly, said it's not in the public interest to recover taxpayer money. She called this “sound stewardship of public funds”; $34 million of taxpayer money went out to ineligible projects, and taxpayers are left with the bill. Conservatives want the money recuperated. We want to know who got those funds, why they got those funds. It might reveal why the Liberal government doesn't want to recover the $34 million that was given out to ineligible projects for a green slush fund that they created just to give this money out.
Canadians worked very hard for that money. There are more and more very concerning reports that come out about how much Canadians are struggling. There are food bank lineups in record numbers, with over 2.2 million people visiting a food bank in a single month. More and more of people's incomes are going towards food, shelter and clothing.
Liberal
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Just one second, Mr. Hallan.
Yes, Mr. McKinnon, what is your point of order?
Liberal
Ron McKinnon Liberal Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam, BC
Mr. Chair, I'm desperately interested in hearing the case Mr. Hallan would like to make regarding the recovery of these funds, but I would appreciate not hearing about things for which there is no evidence, for instance, the so-called green slush fund.
It's a slander. That's all it is, a slander.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
These are points of debate, not points of order.
Mr. Hallan, you have the floor
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Thank you.
The issue is that the facts are there, that Canadians are struggling after 11 years of the current government. There's an affordability crisis happening under them. That's why food bank usage has gone up, and people are not doing well.
The problem is that there are always two sets of rules under the Liberals. They will fleece everyday Canadians for every single dollar and get the CRA after hard-working Canadians if they miss a payment. However, if you're a Liberal-connected insider who's attached to this green slush fund, they will write off $34 million for you. It's a very cushy deal that those people get.
Everyday Canadians who work hard for that money want results. We want answers for why they will not recuperate the $34 million of taxpayer dollars that went out to supposedly Liberal-connected insiders who got money through the green slush fund scandal that took place.
Our motion is very clear. We want the money recuperated. In fact, we want those names released. Canadians deserve that much for answers. More and more we see different examples of how much mismanagement is going on.
With CRA when the Liberals gave out—
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
Is CRA the subject of the motion, or are we expanding this to other departments?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
As you know, Mr. Hallan has the floor. He's presenting his case and is entitled to do so with a lot of latitude, as all members have when they appear at committee to discuss a motion.
It's over to you, Mr. Hallan.
Conservative
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary East, AB
Thank you, Chair.
I'm going to give a clear example of how, under the Liberal government, there are differences when it comes to regular, everyday Canadians and Liberal-connected insiders.
When the CRA gave money out for CERB and CEBA, they gave it out without auditing people. They gave money to people who are dead and to criminal organizations. They gave it to people who were in the public service. They gave it to people who were overseas. These people should not have gotten it. These are facts in the Auditor General's report.
Then they hired a bunch of new CRA agents. They blew up the department trying to recover the money from literal dead people they could never get the money back from. They wasted more taxpayer money when they could have done the right thing in the first place.
Let's bring this to the green slush fund they created. They gave tens of millions of dollars to people, companies and organizations that should not have gotten it. Now the minister is saying that it's “not in the public interest” to recover the money. Once again, Conservatives want to know why they won't recover that money. We want to know who got the money. Make it very clear. In fact, it was in the last Parliament that my colleague Adam Chambers got a bill passed. Liberal support helped to pass his bill, which said that anyone who gets tax writeoffs of over $1 million should have their name made public. We're following in the same vein. Have the names released, as well, of the people who got this money. Taxpayers deserve to know.
I really hope the Liberals will vote for this motion so that Canadians can get the answers they deserve. If they don't agree with this, Canadians will want to know why they don't want this record to be made public, why they won't recuperate $34 million of ineligible money that went to people who should not have gotten it and why they won't give that taxpayer money back. I hope they'll support this motion.
Conservatives will continue to fight to put more money back into Canadians' pockets.
Thank you, Chair.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Thank you.
I have a speaker list with several names on it.
Mr. Cooper, you are next.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I speak in support of the motion put forward by Mr. Hallan—that this committee call on the government, the Liberals, to recover $34 million in tax dollars funnelled to ineligible projects at Sustainable Development Technology Canada, better known as the green slush fund.
This motion arises from—
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.
Liberal
Kristina Tesser Derksen Liberal Milton East—Halton Hills South, ON
I'm not sure to whom the term “green slush fund” would be better known.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
Okay.
I would argue that, in fact, “green slush fund” is how this program is known among the wider public.
Having said this, that was not a point of order. If you would like to be on the speaking list, I could add you.
Clerk, would you add Ms. Tesser Derksen, please?
You'll be able to make all those rebuttal points.
Points of order—I'm now equating them with you—are matters of procedure when a member feels rules should be impressed upon or when the chair needs a little nudge in a certain direction.
Mr. Cooper, you have the floor.
October 8th, 2026 / 12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Sturgeon River, AB
Mr. Chair, it seems as if some of the Liberals across the way need a bit of a refresher.
We had the benefit of hearing from the Auditor General moments ago. It was the Auditor General who found that $400 million went out the door improperly at SDTC, including $330 million involving conflicts of interest among board members. There are 90 cases in which board members sat in, deliberated and voted on funnelling monies out the door into companies they had an interest in. That was $76 million. The Auditor General found other instances in which members technically recused themselves by stepping out the door. The board then voted to funnel money to companies they had an interest in.