Debates of Dec. 2nd, 2024

Auditor General of Canada

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

It is my duty to lay upon the table, pursuant to subsection 7(3) of the Auditor General Act, the fall 2024 reports of the Auditor General of Canada.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(g), these documents are deemed to have been permanently referred to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

[Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington, ON]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. In light of the fact that the Leader of the Opposition has given notice of a motion for debate on the Conservative opposition day scheduled for today, I would like to give him an opportunity to debate that motion. As such, I seek unanimous consent of the House for the following motion: That notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House that: (a) at noon today the proceedings in relation to the debate on the motion in relation to the question of privilege standing in the name of the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and the question of privilege standing in the name of the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes shall be deemed adjourned until Wednesday, December 4, and (b) if proceedings in relation to the debate on the motion in relation to the question of privilege standing in the name of the member for Regina—Qu'Appelle and the question of privilege standing in the name of the member for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes are not disposed of at the ordinary hour of daily adjournment on Wednesday, December 4, these proceedings shall be deemed adjourned until Friday, December 6.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

All those opposed to the hon. minister moving the motion will please say nay.

[Some hon. members]

Nay.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I do not know why the Conservatives would deny leave in order to debate the motion that they said they wanted to debate today.

[The Speaker, Liberal, Greg Fergus]

That is sounding a lot like debate.

The House resumed from November 29 consideration of the motion, of the amendment as amended and of the amendment to the amendment.

Reference to Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, obviously, the government has not taken me up on my offer of Friday, that I would give up the last six minutes of my speech if it just decided to do a Friday document dump with this information being handed over.

At the end of my speech on Friday, I was talking about the gravy train that had to come to an end at some point for SDTC when whistle-blowers in 2022, and more so in 2023, came forward with very concerning allegations. The Auditor General rightfully announced that there would be an audit of SDTC, which was released in June 2024, and only a sample of those contracts were actually investigated by the AG. She found that $390 million of funds was inappropriately awarded. Even worse, there were 186 conflicts of interest, not one, not two, not that this would be acceptable, and this was only a quarter of all the projects. We can all assume that the damage is much worse for taxpayers.

In light of this damning evidence provided by the AG, the House of Commons of duly elected members passed a motion directing the government to hand over those documents. It was stipulated that they could also be handed to the RCMP, which could investigate whether criminal offences were committed by the government.

What have the Liberals done? They did their best work in delaying and distracting, forcing the Speaker to rule that the government had violated the privilege of the House and all of its members. As representatives of Canadians, wherever we may come from and whatever party we may be a part of, it is our duty to defend and uphold our democratic institutions, especially in light of the overwhelming disrespect being shown by the Liberal government for not just taxpayers but for all Canadians who we represent here.

It is surprising to me that I see a continued silence from the government side, those who are more or less willingly aiding and abetting the government in this. It is objectively wrong, and we all know that. To not stand up against it is simply wrong. This is not a technical disagreement or a procedural matter. It is a direct and deliberate defiance of the authority of Parliament and the fundamental bedrock of our democracy. In turn, the government itself has sabotaged the work of Parliament, preventing anything from moving forward.

The question of course has to be: What are the Liberals hiding? Why are they so concerned about handing over these documents? What are the consequences that they fear so much? Their refusal to release these documents speaks volumes, and Canadians are sick and tired of it.

I would like to narrow in on one specific piece of this plot line, which is on our radical environment minister, whose behaviour epitomises what is wrong with the Liberal government. Before he came to Ottawa to enact his lazy and failed environmental policies, he was a strategic adviser at Cycle Capital, an environmental venture firm owned and operated by an individual who was miraculously on the SDTC board, where millions of dollars were given to this firm. The minister owns shares in Cycle Capital, a business that has profited handsomely during this time. In fact, its valuation skyrocketed roughly 600% since he entered cabinet and, of course, another $17 million were handed over during his tenure.

This is not a lapse in judgment; this is a blatant conflict of interest. It is really a slap in the face to Canadians who expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely, not used to make oneself and one's friends rich. The minister has ignored the law. He has made a mockery of his position and the public trust that he holds.

To summarize in my last two minutes, the Auditor General looked at five years of transactions, 226 deals that were approved, and found 186 conflicts of interest. In different terms, 82% of all the transactions had a conflict of interest. Again, it was not 1%, not 2%, not that this would be acceptable, but this is so far beyond acceptable. The fact that we have seen a government refuse to hand over documents and that members on the government side have not stood up and said that this is something they should probably take a serious look at, that maybe the RCMP should too is why it is so vital that these documents be handed over. At the time, the conflicts of interest were deemed “manageable” by the chair of the board, the Liberal-appointed chair, who has seen this rot and corruption run rampant throughout her time in leading this board.

What is worse is that when we think about the volume of $400 million, it is very difficult to understand what that made-up amount of money seems like. People should think about the taxes they pay with respect to income tax. They should think of their neighbours down the street and all those in their communities, the well over 20,000 people, at the average salary, paying all their taxes just for the government to waste it to make itself richer. At the end of the day, it is vital for the government to be honest, to show a little humility for the first time in these long, miserable last nine years of its tenure.

I hope that some of my Liberal colleagues, after hearing me and many of our colleagues discuss this egregious process that has been taken, will stand up and say that it is time to cut the cover-up, to hand over the documents and face whatever consequences may be entailed. This simply cannot stand. Canadians are watching. They are waiting patiently for a carbon tax election. Let us have that election.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, the member said that “it is our duty to defend and uphold our democratic institutions.” Today there is breaking news from the CBC with regard to the Conservative leadership. I would like to quote from the story. It says, “campaign workers were told by representatives of the government of India to stop supporting Brown, not to sell membership cards for him and not to invite him to certain events.”

There is a strong connection between the corruption within the Conservative Party and its leadership and the current leader. This is a very serious issue, yet we have the leader of the Conservative Party today refusing to get the security clearance, the only leader in the House of Commons who has refused. I have been accusing him for weeks now of hiding something. I believe this is one of the issues that he has been hiding behind.

When the member talks about defending and upholding our democratic institutions, does he not believe that the leader of the official opposition has a responsibility to Canadians to stop hiding, come clean and get the security clearance?

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I said earlier that the government's best attribute is to distract and deflect. That question was a great way of showing that. This is about the $400 million of corrupt lining of the pockets of Liberals and their insiders. To try to spin this into anything else is just simply absurd.

I am not going to take any lessons from that member who has been part of the corrupt nine-year-long government that has failed Canadians and driven up the cost of housing, of rent and everything else in life. Meanwhile the Liberals have been making themselves and their Liberal insiders rich.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Mr. Speaker, it is shocking to me how much of a scandal this is and how much money we are talking about. I thought it was very collegial of my colleague to have offered the government to give up his time if it simply released the documents.

When I talk to people in Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, they are astounded by the fact that the government is so afraid of what these documents contain that it refuses to release them. Is that something he hears about in Portage—Lisgar?

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, absolutely, it is a topic of conversation when folks turn on CPAC and wonder why we are still debating this. Logical people like the common-sense folks who I represent ask why the government would not just hand over these documents. They say that there has to be something to hide. Most definitely they ask me what I think is in the documents. I tell them I do not know because the government has a great track record, whenever they do hand over any documents, of heavily blacking out and redacting documents so we can barely read them. We have been seeing this at our environment committee about a second new green slush fund, which I suspect we may be having a similar debate about in the not-too-distant future.

The other question I am often asked about is when can we have the carbon tax election. I hope to answer that very soon.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I came up yesterday with great anticipation that we would get some work done this week in the House of Commons for Canadians. Obviously, I am very disappointed. I am here to work on behalf of my constituents of Saint John—Rothesay. I am here to continue to advocate for stuff like our wonderful housing programs, our child care benefits, so on and so forth. However, we cannot get that work done for Canadians.

My first question for the member opposite is whether he is ready to get to work on behalf of Canadians. Second, we know that the Leader of the Opposition will not get a security clearance. Could the member talk to his leader and please encourage him to get that security clearance? More and more Canadians week in, week out are wondering what is up with the Leader of the Opposition.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I will happily talk to my leader, as will all my colleagues, because we actually like our leader, something we on this side of the House are awfully proud of.

Only a Liberal would stand here and say they want to get to work but not talk about the $400-million corruption the Liberals are caught up in. I can tell my colleague this is work: holding a government to account for what the Auditor General has found to be an egregious 186 conflicts of interest, lining the pockets of itself and its insiders. Canadians ask me where the money is, where it has gone. We have borrowed, we have spent and now we see more Liberal corruption. If the member does not call this work, I do not know what they would call it.

[Glen Motz, Conservative, Medicine Hat—Cardston—Warner, AB]

Mr. Speaker, one thing that really grabbed my attention was that 82% of the files the Auditor General went through were found to have some corruption potential. I am also concerned that these are just the documents the Auditor General reviewed.

I would like to ask my colleague whether he suspects, as I do, that if the Auditor General were to do a review of all the contracts at SDTC, the $400 million may pale in comparison to what we might find is the actual corruption that went on in that particular fund.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, that is a great point. Like in any other sampling, polling or anything like that, a sample is picked, and that is what the Auditor General obviously did. This is the level of corruption that was found during that investigation. It is only reasonable to assume the percentage would continue and, worse, the dollar value of the nearly $400 million of misspent funds is going to continue on that same trajectory, too.

We do not yet know the total cost to taxpayers of the Liberal corruption, which is obviously of deep concern. That is why it is so vital that, despite the deflection and distraction attempts by Liberals across the way, we get to the bottom of this and, more importantly, give the RCMP the opportunity to view these documents to find out if, in fact, anything criminal took place with the $390 million that we know of, and probably a heck of a lot more.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Mr. Speaker, it is very important that the leader of the official opposition continues to hide his past because he is scared to get the security clearance. He is playing a multi-million dollar game at great cost to Canadians because he wants to give the documents to the RCMP, which has said it does not want to receive them in the form of an instruction from the leader of the Conservative Party, but rather that the issue should be sent to the procedure and House affairs committee.

The leader of the Conservative Party is a destructive force to democracy in Canada today. On those two policies alone, will the member talk to his leader, explain to his leader that what he is doing is politically good for his self-interest but not in the best interests of Canadians, and that the Leader of the Opposition needs to get the security clearance and stop this multi-million dollar game?

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it is obvious that getting to the bottom of $400 million of Liberal corruption is not in the best interests of the Liberal Party. It is in the best interests of Canadians. While the member might find it astounding that Parliament has a role to play in checks and balances on the corrupt Liberal government, I do not.

I was not sent here by my constituents to be a guy who says, “It is fine; it is only $400 million and since the Liberals have spent so much more than that, it is really just a drop in the bucket.” While he may not care about the taxpayers' money that is brought in by the government, and the additional amounts borrowed to pay for its tax-and-spend policies that are driving up the cost of everything, my constituents do. Every day, I will consider this not a waste of time and money but a proud role that opposition members must and will continue to play until the government hands over the documents.

[Denis Trudel, Bloc, Longueuil—Saint-Hubert, QC]

That is outrageous, Mr. Speaker. My colleague is talking about spending and Liberal corruption, but Parliament has been paralyzed for a month and a half now. How many millions of dollars has it cost our constituents and taxpayers in Quebec and Canada for the Conservatives to do what they have doing for the past month and a half?

We are not talking about things that are important to Canadians right now. We are not talking about inflation or the fight against climate change. We are not talking about the housing crisis or the language crisis. The Conservatives have been wasting our time for the past month and a half. My colleague should be embarrassed about what he is saying.

[Branden Leslie, Conservative, Portage—Lisgar, MB]

First of all, Mr. Speaker, Parliament functions whether we are debating this or anything else, as it should, and this is an important function of Parliament. That is why members of the House voted with a majority, supported by the Speaker, to continue this investigation, and I happily will do that because this is important. Anybody who thinks $400 million can just be swept under the rug probably should not be in this place spending any money at all.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly six months since the order was given by the House demanding the Liberal government provide documents regarding conflicts with Sustainable Development Technology Canada's board of directors. For the last two and a half months, the chamber has been in the midst of the longest privilege debate this place has ever seen. Why is that? The reason is not complicated: The Liberal government has refused to honour its obligation, as affirmed by the House, to produce unredacted documents related to the $400-million green slush fund scandal.

It can be tempting to look at this issue from only a procedural lens, but that would be a mistake. This is not just a procedural issue; it strikes at the very core of the democratic accountability of this country. Government transparency is paramount to the functioning of our democracy. This principle is not just a matter of political theory but the foundation upon which trust between Canadians and their elected officials is built. Without it, confidence in public institutions erodes, governance fails and the needs of everyday Canadians are ignored.

The ruling of the Speaker was clear: the government must produce these documents. The House has the authority to compel the production of documents, persons or papers, yet for two and a half months, the Liberal government has defied this directive by withholding critical information. That is just the time we have been speaking about this in the House. It disrespects not only the will of the members of the House but also every single Canadian we have the honour of representing. In this place, we are their voices. When we ask for transparency and accountability from the government on their behalf, the government should recognize the full weight of responsibility it has, not only to the House but also to the Canadians we represent.

In response to the order from the Speaker, the Liberal government provided heavily redacted documents, which is not in the spirit of what was requested and is not enough. What we need, and what Canadians deserve, are the full, unredacted records so they can be handed over to the appropriate authorities for thorough investigation.

This scandal is staggering in its scope. We are talking about $400 million of taxpayers' money funnelled into a so-called green initiative that enriched Liberal-appointed board members. There were 186 documented conflicts of interest, where individuals on this board voted on decisions that directly benefited their own financial interests. That is almost equivalent to one conflict every other day last year.

The situation surrounding Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC, is a clear example of the need for greater government accountability. SDTC was a Crown corporation funded entirely by taxpayers. Its mandate was to promote the development and commercialization of clean technologies and contribute to environmental sustainability. In theory, SDTC was an organization that should have been helping to build a greener, more sustainable future for Canada. Instead, we see an organization where the scale of corruption is mind-boggling.

To put $400 million into perspective, it is the annual federal income tax paid by around 22,000 hard-working Canadian families. These families sacrifice their time and energy to pay their dues, believing their money will be used to improve their lives and communities. Instead, it went to enrich a select few Liberal insiders. That is not just mismanagement; it is a betrayal of public trust and we should not turn a blind eye to it. However, the most troubling part of this scandal is not the misallocation of taxpayers' dollars; it is the fact that despite these findings, the Liberal government has failed to act. The House issued an order for the production of documents related to this scandal that could help uncover the full extent of the wrongdoing and hold those responsible to account, yet the government has refused to comply.

The Auditor General is an essential part of our system of checks and balances. This independent officer of Parliament is tasked with reviewing government operations and ensuring that public funds are spent wisely and ethically. The Auditor General's office gives Canadians an impartial, thorough examination of government activities, often uncovering serious issues of mismanagement, waste or misconduct that would otherwise remain hidden. It is the job of the House to take those findings seriously, to examine them and to demand accountability from those who are entrusted with managing public resources.

The Auditor General's work is not only about finding faults but also about protecting Canadians. When the Auditor General raises a red flag, it is the responsibility of the government to respond with transparency, to take corrective action and to ensure public funds are being spent appropriately.

The Auditor General looked at the operations of Sustainable Development Technology Canada after a whistle-blower came forward. She conducted a thorough investigation and ultimately highlighted some troubling findings. She determined that the whistle-blower complaints were rooted in serious issues within SDTC; shockingly, her investigation uncovered nearly 400 million dollars' worth of contracts that were inappropriately awarded to members of the board of directors, all of whom had multiple conflicts of interest.

Despite the Auditor General's finding and the grave nature of the issues uncovered, we see a government that continues to ignore its responsibility. The Liberal government has failed to comply with House orders, obstructed investigations and protected insiders who have violated public trust. This cannot continue. In recent months, Canadians have witnessed a troubling pattern of obfuscation and avoidance from the government. Time and again, legitimate requests for accountability have been met with redacted documents, shifting narratives and outright refusals. This has to end.

We owe it to Canadians to bring transparency back to governance, to hold those in power accountable and to get the House back to working on the issues that matter most to Canadians. It should be addressing the affordability crisis, getting more houses built, stopping crime and restoring public safety, to name just a few of these issues.

The reality is that many questions about what happened remain unanswered. Why has the Liberal government left the House paralyzed for two months, allowing no significant progress on the legislation? Why are they willing to forgo their own agenda in a minority parliament, in which time is critical? The only logical conclusion is that the truth buried in these documents is worse than a stalled legislative agenda. It must be very bad for the government to risk so much to keep it hidden.

This is not the first time the Liberals have resorted to such tactics. When faced with the WE Charity scandal, they prorogued Parliament. When questions arose about their poor management of security at the Winnipeg microbiology lab, they called an election to avoid releasing documents. Time and time again, they have chosen evasion rather than accountability. It is not a stretch to conclude that this is what is happening now. This has brought us to the place where we are today.

Let us continue with the matter at hand: the mismanagement of Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or as many Canadians know it, the green slush fund. Because the Liberals are the ones who brought this forward, maybe it should be called the red slush fund. Established to foster innovation in sustainable technologies, SDTC was a promising initiative. However, under the government's watch, it has devolved into a symbol of cronyism and corruption.

The Auditor General's investigation into SDTC uncovered staggering governance failures: $400 million in contracts tainted by conflicts of interest, $123 million misappropriated, $59 million awarded to ineligible projects and $12 million handed out in outright conflicts of interest. Board members awarded funding to companies they owned or had financial stakes in. Public officials sat idly by as they witnessed 96 conflicts of interest.

Despite whistle-blowers' raising alarms, the government dragged its feet in addressing these issues. This is not just mismanagement; it is a betrayal of the public trust. The damage done to the public trust is immeasurable. When we demand transparency in the handling of these funds, this is not an exercise in political theatre. It is an effort to get justice for Canadians, who work hard every day, pay their taxes and expect their government to manage those funds responsibly.

How has the government responded? It has refused to comply with House orders to produce unredacted documents, thereby impeding a criminal investigation; this obstruction is completely unacceptable. Transparency is not a partisan issue. It is not right versus left. It is not Conservatives versus NDP-Liberals. It is a democratic necessity that is part of how our system works and how trust in the system is fostered.

A government that does not believe it is accountable to the people it is supposed to be serving will inevitably behave according to its beliefs. The Liberal government does not believe it owes Canadians transparency, so it denies them access to information about how their tax dollars are being spent. This principle carries into other aspects of governance. If the Liberals do not believe they must be accountable to Canadians on this matter, they certainly will not act any differently on other issues before us. We see the evidence of this today. Canadians are paying the price for the government's failures.

We can consider the state of affordability in this country. The cost of living has skyrocketed under the Liberal government. Housing costs have doubled, food prices have soared, and gas and home heating are more expensive than ever. Food banks are overwhelmed. Over two million Canadians visited food banks in March alone, for a shocking 90% increase since 2019. Families are skipping meals and buying less-nutritious food. Seniors on fixed incomes and children now make up a significant portion of those seeking help. This is a grim reality for far too many of our communities. This troubling trend proves true in my riding, where the Samaritan House food bank saw nearly 2,000 more people accessing their services in the last two years. Four in every 10 are children, and one in every 10 is a senior.

Meanwhile, the Liberal government is preparing to quadruple the carbon tax to 61¢ per litre, 19%, driving up costs across the board. From the farmer who grows our food to the trucker who delivers it, every step of the supply chain is burdened by the tax; the costs are passed on to consumers. Canadians cannot afford these increases, yet the government continues to prioritize ideology over the real needs of families and individuals.

The housing crisis is another glaring failure of the government. Over the past nine years, housing costs have doubled. Where it once took 39% of household income to cover the costs of a home, today it takes nearly 60%. This is not sustainable. Young Canadians, many of whom should be looking forward to buying their first homes, are instead stuck living with their parents or renting indefinitely. For some, home ownership has become a distant dream.

The leader of the official opposition has proposed a common-sense solution: axing the federal GST on the construction of new homes priced under a million dollars. This policy would save Canadian homebuyers up to $50,000 per home and generate 30,000 additional homes annually, stimulating the economy at the same time.

Why does the government refuse to implement such practical measures? Is it because it is too focused on defending its record of failure to consider solutions? Canadians deserve better.

Let us turn to crime for a moment. After nine years of the NDP-Liberal government, our once-safe towns and cities have become rife with crime and chaos. According to a new report, between 2014 and 2022, violent crime in Canada increased by 43.8%. This means that Canada's violent crime rate is 14% higher than that of the United States. On top of this, between 2014 and 2022, the property crime rate in Canada increased by 7%; it is 27% higher than the property crime rate in the U.S., which declined by 24.1% in the same years. On top of that, the number of property crimes in Canada was lower than that in the United States until the Prime Minister was elected in 2015.

Homicides are also up in Canada, increasing by 53.5% between 2014 and 2022. Online criminal behaviour is still rampant, including online crimes targeting children, yet the Liberals' only response has been to table two censorship bills forcing Canadians into a false choice between their safety and free expression. Behind these statistics are real people. There are families torn apart by loss, communities grappling with fear and victims left without justice. What has the Liberals' response been? It has been a radical catch-and-release policy that puts repeat violent offenders back on the streets.

Canadians deserve safe communities where children can play in parks without fear and seniors can walk home from the grocery store without looking over their shoulders. The Conservative plan is clear: It is to end the catch-and-release policies and impose jail, not bail, for repeat violent offenders. Only common-sense Conservatives will do this.

Let us consider the government's environmental record, especially in light of SDTC's failure to manage taxpayers' dollars for the promotion of green technology ethically and responsibly. Over nine years, the government claims to have spent $100 billion on climate initiatives, yet the results are abysmal. Canada remains the only G7 country whose emissions have increased since the Paris Agreement. The only meaningful drops in emissions occurred during the global financial crisis and the COVID-19 lockdowns, circumstances unrelated to any government policy.

Let us talk about the net-zero accelerator fund, an $8-billion initiative. Even the Auditor General found no evidence that this spending led to any measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. This is not just inefficiency; it is negligence. Canadians deserve accountability for every dollar spent, particularly when the stakes are as high as our environment and future.

The Liberals have tried to distract Canadians with a temporary, two-month tax cut and a $250 cheque set to arrive next April, which they have now reneged on. These are not solutions. They are gimmicks. What Canadians need is real, lasting relief. The Conservative plan to permanently axe the carbon tax on everything forever and remove GST on new home construction would provide meaningful support to families.

I raise all these issues because they are important for all of us to see in the House. They are important to the people who sent us here. The House has work to do, and Canadians are counting on us to address the issues that have an impact on their daily lives. However, we find ourselves paralyzed by the Liberal government's refusal to be transparent and accountable. Transparency is the first step toward rebuilding trust. When the government hides behind redactions and delays, it sends a clear message to Canadians that it has something to hide.

The House cannot and should not turn a blind eye to such issues as the $400-million green, or red, slush fund scandal. Canadians deserve better. They deserve a government that is transparent, accountable and focused on their well-being, not one that hides behind redactions and procedural games.

The SDTC scandal, with its conflicts of interest, mismanagement and failure to follow the law, is just the latest in a long line of troubling episodes. Instead of taking responsibility, the Liberal government continues to deflect, obfuscate and delay. Ministers refuse to provide the necessary documents to investigators, and government departments continue to withhold information from the public and the police.

This kind of behaviour sends a dangerous message to Canadians: Those in power are not accountable to the people who elected them, and they can break the law without consequence. This is not just one scandal or one issue. It is about ensuring that the government works for the people, not insiders and political cronies. It is about making sure that every dollar spent is accounted for and that public funds are used wisely and effectively. It is about ensuring that those who violate the public's trust are held responsible for their actions, no matter their political affiliation.

I call on the government to end the cover-up and release the unredacted documents related to SDTC. Canadians have a right to know how their money is spent and who benefited from this mismanagement.

[Wayne Long, Liberal, Saint John—Rothesay, NB]

Mr. Speaker, my condolences to the member opposite for drawing the short straw and having to read that 20-minute speech.

The member opposite talks about accountability and leadership accountability. If there is any one thing that is starting to increase in my riding, it is the concern that the leader of the party opposite will not get a security clearance. People are becoming more concerned.

Now we see the CBC report of potential foreign interference in the Conservative leadership contest. We heard things about that when it happened. That kind of went away, but now it is back in the news. My question for the member opposite is this: What is his leader hiding?

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, if the member feels that way, being a Liberal member himself, he could call a carbon tax election, or put these unredacted documents into the hands of the officials who are making the decisions on why the government is not transparent, not accountable and obfuscating on all of these issues.

I am quite proud to be able to stand on this side of the House and do the work. As my colleague from Portage—Lisgar was saying earlier, this is important work, to the member's question. The Liberals are hiding behind their own leader's inability to give direction to this country, his own party or his officials to uncover the biggest scandal in Canadian history, to put it bluntly.

[John Brassard, Conservative, Barrie—Innisfil, ON]

Mr. Speaker, we know that a government is circling the bowl when it throws up all of these distractions. We are talking about a $400-million scandal here, which 183 connected Liberal insiders benefited from as a result without any oversight for conflicts of interest. The very thing the Liberals said they came to Ottawa to do, which is to be transparent and accountable, they are now anything but. We are hearing this morning further distractions, rather than them being accountable and transparent to Canadians.

I wonder if the member can comment on this pattern of distraction, “Oh, look, a squirrel”, which is the government's way of distracting. I will remind members as well that the Chinese Communist regime's interference in elections in this country is well documented on the side of the Liberal Party. That is another distraction it is trying to create.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for that excellent question, because he makes the point that I was trying to in this speech as well that everything the Liberals are doing these days is a distraction from what Canadians really expect them to do, which is to get to the bottom of why we had a Sustainable Development Technology Canada scandal in the first place, so we can get back to work on issues that matter.

I will just read a bit of the speech that I could not get done with when I was railing on some of the Liberal points that I was trying to make ad lib.

Let us ensure that Canadians have success for affordable housing. Let us lower the cost of living by axing the carbon tax and delivering common-sense solutions. Let us restore safety to our streets by ending catch-and-release policies. Above all, let us restore trust in government demonstrating transparency and accountability.

I think that is exactly what my hon. colleague from Barrie—Innisfil was speaking about.