House of Commons Hansard #345 of the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was documents.
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont
All those opposed to the hon. member's moving the motion will please say nay.
It is agreed.
The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.
(Motion agreed to)
(Bill C-76. On the Order: Government Orders:)
September 18, 2024—The Minister of Environment and Climate Change—Second reading and reference to the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development of Bill C-76, An Act to amend the Canada National Parks Act
(Bill read the second time, considered in committee of the whole, reported, concurred in, read the third time and passed)
The House resumed consideration of the motion, and of the amendment.
Reference to Standing Committee on Procedure and House AffairsPrivilegeOrders of the Day
Conservative
Rick Perkins Conservative South Shore—St. Margarets, NS
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to deal with the ruling of the Speaker with regard to the production of documents ordered by the House on the scandal involving Sustainable Development Technology Canada, otherwise known as the Liberal billion-dollar green slush fund. The process, for those watching, was that the House ordered the production of the documents around the scandal, to the law clerk, and the documents could then be transferred to the RCMP for investigation.
As we know, the power of the House is greater than any one act, yet the Prime Minister's personal department, the PCO, decided to execute the order by telling departments to send in documents but redact them. As a result, that was, in our view and obviously in the Speaker's view, a breach of members' privilege, because the order from the House did not say “redact”. As a result, we are here to discuss the issue today, and it has been referred to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs for further consideration.
In doing this, it is pretty important to understand that there are some objections from the government about some alleged breach of the charter. There is no breach of the charter, and here is why. If criminal activity is suspected in a company someone owns, say they are part of a bank management team and they discover that somebody who works for them has stolen the money of depositors, that company has the right and indeed the obligation to call in the police and to turn documents over to the police. Police are not required to go to court to get access to those documents. The owner of the company, or the management team, can supply the documents to the police to start the investigation.
Why does that matter with regard to this instance? There is a foundation set up in 2001 called Sustainable Development Technology Canada, with the purpose of providing taxpayer financial assistance to green technology companies before they are commercialized. Since the government was elected, the foundation has received a billion dollars of taxpayer money. The result of probing by parliamentary committees is that we found that in 82% of the funding transactions approved by the board of directors during a five-year sample period that the Auditor General looked at, 82% of those transactions were conflicted.
What does that mean? According to the Auditor General, that is $330 million of taxpayer money that was given to companies where the board members who voted to give it to those companies had a conflict of interest. In addition, the Auditor General found that the same board approved another $59 million in projects that they were not authorized to do; they were outside of the mandate of the foundation that the government and Parliament set up. It broke the SDTC contribution agreements, and the directors broke the conflict of interest laws of Canada as public office holders and broke the SDTC act.
How did they break them? What do the two acts say? They say that a Governor in Council appointment, a person appointed by the government entrusted to oversee taxpayer money, is not to personally profit from their work on a committee, as a GIC appointment, and neither is their family. However, that is exactly what happened. In a five-year period where there were 405 transactions approved by the board, the Auditor General sampled 226, so only half of them, and found that 186 of those 226 transactions were conflicted. That is the 82%. That is the $330 million.
If the Auditor General looked at all 400 transactions, statistically that would probably mean the rest are just as conflicted. Those 400 transactions are $832 million of taxpayer money. Therefore the Liberal, hand-picked appointees of the Prime Minister, from the chair on, got themselves into a position to benefit their own companies.
How did they do that and what were their conflicts? Every transaction, every bit of money approved by the billion-dollar green slush fund, every single dollar, had to be approved by the board of directors. The way the system worked was that beforehand, a note would be sent out of what transactions were on the board, and directors would declare a conflict. At the beginning of every board meeting, they would say, “Here is the list of transactions we are considering and the list of which directors are conflicted with which companies, so now let's go to work.”
In some cases, the director would stay in the room, according to the minutes, while they were voting on their own project. In other cases, the director would get up and leave the room while the others voted on it, and then that director would come back into the room, and the next director would get out of the room for their project. It was a nice little tidy conspiracy of conflict of interest to enrich themselves and the value of their companies.
One director was particularly aggressive at this. She was appointed in 2016 by the Prime Minister. Her name is Andrée-Lise Méthot. She runs a venture capital firm called Cycle Capital, in green technologies. Andrée-Lise Méthot's companies, before and during her time on the board, received $250 million in grants from SDTC. Some of that was before, and I will talk about that in a minute, but while she was on the board, $114 million went to green companies that she had invested in.
During her time on the board, the value of her company, Cycle Capital, tripled because getting an SDTC grant is a stamp of Government of Canada approval that allows those companies to raise other funds. The House will never guess who her lobbyist was, her in-house, paid lobbyist for 10 years before he was elected. It was the current radical Minister of the Environment. While he was lobbying for Cycle Capital, the current radical Minister of the Environment got $111 million.
The minister, according to the registration of lobbyists portion of the Lobbying Act, lobbied the Prime Minister's Office and the industry department 25 times in the year before he was elected. For all his hard work, he owns shares in Cycle Capital. He still owns those shares. He has not answered how much the value of those shares has gone up since they have been granted and since the company got this kind of support.
If that were not bad enough, this particular director in 2022 left and went to the Canada Infrastructure Bank board, and the first thing she did was to vote $170 million of infrastructure bank money for a company owned by the chair of the green slush fund, Annette Verschuren. Annette Verschuren also sought $6 million for the Verschuren Centre at Cape Breton University because it was failing. SDTC said no when it went through the process, because there was a conflict.
However, in emails, it said it would help her find money from other government departments. Pretty soon after that, the Verschuren Centre got $12 million from ACOA and the ISET program. Her other companies got $50 million from Natural Resources Canada, and then of course there is the Infrastructure Bank one.
This is the story we hear. Nine directors, according to the Auditor General, accounted for the 186 conflicts. That is why the CFO of the industry department, when the whistle-blower called on him and sat down with him, said that this is way bigger than the Chrétien government sponsorship scandal, which was $42 million of taxpayer money going to advertising agencies and friends of the Liberal Party. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Why we are asking for the documents is that every time there is a witness at committee, every time we ask a question, new information comes out.
The government has opposed us at every step of the way in getting those documents, and we know why. With just a scratch of the surface by the Auditor General, which is a small part, we see that $390 million has gone to Liberal insiders. That is what Liberals are trying to hide. That is why they are opposing this production order, for documents to be turned over to the RCMP. That is why the Prime Minister's personal department, the PCO, defied the order of the House to produce these documents and ordered departments to redact all the sensitive information. Surprisingly, they used a lot of black ink and went through a lot of toner in photocopiers when they printed the documents, because they are all blacked out. What are Liberals hiding?
What they are hiding is more malfeasance and abuse of taxpayers' money. We know the little bit we have seen, the 226 of 400 transactions identified by the Auditor General, is just the tip of the iceberg, and that is $390 million. Apparently, that does not concern Liberals, for some reason. It does not concern them that this happened. It does not concern the Minister of Industry, who has not had a single meeting with the new acting board or the NRC, where he is proposing it.
With the new transparency that the minister talked about in June, Liberals are giving out money again, and not a single bit of information is available anywhere on the website. The SDTC used to put out a quarterly report on every company. It no longer does. It is silent. It is hidden. The corruption of this organization and the nine Liberal directors abusing taxpayers' money in this way is beyond anything I and many members of this House have ever seen.
Mr. Speaker, I will continue in enlightening the House after question period.
Kevin Vuong Independent Spadina—Fort York, ON
Mr. Speaker, Canada and the world will soon observe the first anniversary of the October 7 massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists against innocent Israeli citizens. For almost a year, the Liberal government has turned a blind eye to numerous pro-Hamas rallies that incite violence and hatred. Jewish-owned Canadian businesses have been vandalized, schools and synagogues shot at, and people assaulted. Even my wife was stalked, and our home targeted with posters falsely claiming that I support genocide. I support the rule of law.
However, hate promoters like Samidoun, an entity outlawed in Germany with its leader banned from the EU, are free to have a rally in Vancouver to celebrate a terrorist act. Other rallies will also be held to support Hamas. Thanks to U.S. intelligence, Canada thwarted one terrorist attack being planned on Canadian soil by a foreign national to mark the anniversary. Does someone have to be killed before the Liberal government acts to keep Canadians safe in the lead-up to October 7 and beyond?
Yasir Naqvi Liberal Ottawa Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honour the memory of Gay Cook, a cherished figure in Ottawa who passed away on September 11 at the mighty age of 93.
Gay was more than a food journalist; she was the heart of Ottawa's culinary community. Gay together with her sisters Jean Pigott and Grete Hale formed the legendary Morrison sisters. Gay's influence as a food professional, mentor and friend was far-reaching. Known for her enthusiasm and her smile, she was a constant source of kind encouragement to those who shared her love of the food world. She always reminded me of the importance of eating a healthy breakfast.
As I speak, Gay's family sit in the gallery and I extend my deepest sympathies to them. Their mother's and grandmother's generosity of spirit will continue to inspire us all. We know that her impact was profound. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Speaker, Canadians keep saying enough is enough. Nine years with this Liberal government in power is enough. Quebeckers are fed up with this centralizing and inflationary Liberal government that has no respect for taxpayers or provincial jurisdictions.
Our common-sense leader moved a non-confidence motion over this devastating government that has doubled the debt, doubled the cost of housing, triggered the worst inflation in 40 years and forced people to turn to food banks while living in communities plagued by chaos and crime.
The Premier of Quebec is clear. He is calling on the Bloc Québécois to stop supporting and encouraging all these Liberal follies. The Bloc Québécois is the worst negotiator in history. It is betraying Quebeckers and selling its soul to the Liberals. It is not getting anything for Quebec in return, not even the cancellation of the Liberal order that is threatening to kill 1,400 forestry jobs in Quebec.
The problem is that the Bloc Québécois does not exist in Ottawa. I tried to look, but day after day, all I can find is a “Liberal Bloc”.
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Mr. Speaker, thousands of Lebanese Canadians call my community of Windsor-Essex home. It is a proud, peaceful and vibrant community and one of the largest in Canada. That community has been shaken by missile attacks and explosions carried out by Israel's government that have killed hundreds, injured thousands and forced countless Lebanese to flee their homes. How much more suffering must the people of Lebanon endure?
Members of my community fear an escalation of this terrible conflict and their hearts are wrenched about the safety of their families. This week I met with the Deputy Prime Minister, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Canada-Lebanon parliamentary association. Canada must continue to press Israel and Hezbollah for an immediate ceasefire, demand that innocent civilians be protected and demand that both parties end this suffering and end this war.
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
Mr. Speaker, today we honour the memory of Johnson Redhead, the little six-year-old boy from Shamattawa First Nation who went missing and, tragically, after days of searching, was found deceased. Johnson was loved by his family and community. Many rallied from communities across our region to look for him. We all mourn his shocking death.
As has been said, Johnson's tragic death did not just happen. His family and advocates are calling for an inquiry. We must be clear on how Canada, in particular, failed Johnson Redhead through a lack of coordinated care and safety protocols to help children with complex needs on first nations, the chronic underfunding of education and health, and the persistent third world living conditions in a community like Shamattawa with an acute housing crisis and acute poverty. Shamattawa is the same first nation that will be at the Supreme Court next month fighting Canada for its right to clean drinking water.
As we approach the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, and we wear our orange shirts and state that every child matters, we honour the memory of indigenous children forced into residential schools, survivors and their descendants, like Johnson Redhead, whose lives matter, and we call on Canada to act now for justice.
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate Groupe Convex, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Groupe Convex brings together several social enterprises that provide laundry, moving, carpentry and packaging services, as well as recyclable sorting and storage. Groupe Convex does all this by offering employment and skill development opportunities to people living with a disability.
I want to thank the founding members, including Raymond Lemay, Normand Charette and Caroline Arcand, who not only put long hours into ensuring that Groupe Convex became a reality, but who also had the vision to fill an unmet need in our community, while providing meaningful work for a vulnerable population. I also want to thank Éric Drouin, his team and all the employees of Groupe Convex, who continue to provide excellent services. I wish this organization continued success.
Dominique Vien Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to congratulate Noémie O'Farrell for winning her first Gémeaux award for best female lead in an annual drama series for her portrayal of Agnès Sullivan in the hit show Sorcières.
This award is a testament to the top-notch training she received at the Quebec City and Montreal conservatories, combined with her immense talent. She is a rising star on screens big and small, not to mention the stage and other media.
Noémie is our pride and joy. Everyone who watched her grow up in Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, and in Sainte-Claire especially, along with people across Quebec, applauds Noémie. This is far from her first award of excellence, but now she has won this prestigious industry award acknowledging her magnificent performance.
We are very proud of Noémie. I am sure that her accomplishments will inspire other young artists to follow their dreams and realize that they can make a living from their art.
Annie Koutrakis Liberal Vimy, QC
Mr. Speaker, today is World Tourism Day. People from around the world visit Canada every day. Through tourism, we share our culture and natural heritage with others.
Tourism brings us together and creates jobs in our communities. That is why our government is investing in tourism in every region of Quebec and Canada.
In August, together with the Minister of Tourism , I announced a $520,000 contribution to Tourisme Laval to help it develop its tourism offering and market it outside Quebec.
This funding will strengthen Laval's position in international markets while stimulating the region's economic ecosystem.
In 2022 alone, 1.4 million tourists visited Laval, seeing the Cosmodôme, le Musée de la santé Armand-Frappier, le Centre de la nature, illumi and much more.
Our government is investing in tourism businesses and people. It takes pride in sharing with visitors what we offer to the world.
Lisa Hepfner Liberal Hamilton Mountain, ON
Mr. Speaker, as Gender Equality Week wraps up, I want to highlight why we have so much to be proud of here in Canada.
Our feminist government has maintained gender parity in cabinet, passed the Pay Equity Act and created a department dedicated to women and gender equality. It is boosting women's economic power with programs like the national child care plan, the menstrual equity fund and the women entrepreneurship fund. All of the above were opposed by the Conservatives.
Recently, as parliamentary secretary, I participated in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. I was often moved to tears by people who approached me to say how much they respected and admired what we have in Canada and that they want similar woman-friendly programs in their countries, like our commitment to gender-based analysis plus in all government legislation and initiatives, and our 10-year action plan to fight gender-based violence.
When women have access to equal pay and support systems, our whole society benefits.
Ziad Aboultaif Conservative Edmonton Manning, AB
Mr. Speaker, in the last session, the Prime Minister made two comments politicizing the just concerns that parents have for their children. He outright told them that they were spreading “angry, hateful rhetoric” for simply voicing that they want to know what is happening in their children's lives. Comments like these are divisive and unacceptable.
Conservatives believe the thousands of Canadians who affirm that parents know what is best for their children. Petition e-4753 calls on the Prime Minister to stop meddling in these provincial issues and to apologize for insulting Canadian parents.
When will the Liberals start standing with Canadian families and demand an apology from the Prime Minister?
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Mr. Speaker, millions of Canadians use our railways every year. Railways make the transportation of essential goods possible. They are the backbone of our supply chains and the backbone of our economy. However, tragically, every year far too many Canadians are seriously hurt or killed on railway tracks.
This week is Railway Safety Week here in Canada, an initiative led by Operation Lifesaver. Our government is dedicated to ensuring the highest levels of safety and security on our railways to prevent tragedies. That is why, through our rail safety improvement program, we have invested in making over 1,000 rail crossings across Canada much safer.
This is a moment to remind everyone to remain careful near the railway tracks across this great nation.
Michael Cooper Conservative St. Albert—Edmonton, AB
Mr. Speaker, after nine years, the NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost or the corruption.
At a time when Canadians are facing a cost-of-living crisis with surging rent and mortgage payments, the Prime Minister awarded his bought-and-paid-for media ally Tom Clark with a $9-million luxury condo, courtesy of the taxpayer, on Billionaires' Row in New York City. By no coincidence, the purchase of the condo occurred immediately after the Prime Minister visited Clark in New York. Following the visit, the Liberal government purchased the condo using new special powers granted by the Prime Minister with absolutely no oversight.
There is no justification whatsoever for this outrageous purchase. It is a total abuse of the public purse and emblematic of the culture of cronyism and entitlement that is a defining feature of the corrupt Liberal government.
Shuv Majumdar Conservative Calgary Heritage, AB
Mr. Speaker, we have an unforgiving carbon tax on food, gas and home heating, one in four skipping meals and two million lined up at food banks. Last year, the Calgary Food Bank saw demand surge by nearly 35%, a record level.
Families are crying for help and where is the NDP leader? Well, in the worst sellout of all time, he ripped up his coalition papers only to tape them back together. He keeps the Prime Minister in power to protect his pension.
Canadians have no confidence in the Prime Minister or his carbon tax. To the sellout NDP leader, Tuesday is coming. What will it be, prop up the Prime Minister again and hike the tax by 61¢ a litre, or call the carbon tax election Canadians need today?
After nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up.
Jaime Battiste Liberal Sydney—Victoria, NS
Mr. Speaker, as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation approaches, may we all reflect on the 94 calls to action that call for creating awareness of our shared history, addressing past wrongs and, most importantly, supporting healing for indigenous people.
Advancing reconciliation is a journey that we must all take together as a country. While more than 85% of the calls to action are in process or complete, half of them need long-term and stable funding that will require a non-partisan approach over generations.
Over the past few years, we have seen important legislation passed, including on child welfare, UNDRIP, indigenous languages and, most recently, an independent truth and reconciliation committee to ensure that the federal government will be held accountable in the future.
I ask all Canadians to take time to listen to the survivors of Indian residential schools and consider what action they can take to advance reconciliation.
Leah Gazan NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Mr. Speaker, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, or Orange Shirt Day. This is a day to reflect on the genocide that was committed through the residential school system and the ongoing impacts it has on survivors, family members and communities.
For more than 150 years, over 150,000 children were kidnapped from their families and communities and placed in residential schools. Many never made it home.
Despite irrefutable evidence supporting this history, many people, including some parliamentarians, continue to deny or downplay the impacts of this genocidal system. That is why this week, I tabled Bill C-413 to end residential school denialism and protect the stories of survivors.
This Orange Shirt Day, I send my love and support to all survivors of residential schools, their families and their communities. May they be wrapped in love and tenderness on this very important day.
Marilène Gill Bloc Manicouagan, QC
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Bloc Québécois, I rise today to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It is about truth, because there can be no trusting, strong, lasting relationship between people, between indigenous and non-indigenous people, between nations, without shining a light on history in order to banish the shadows from every dark corner, to ensure that no one experiences the secrecy and pain of those lies ever again.
It is about uniting, because, although this day is based on the principle of reconciliation, I believe that this call for remembrance and hope extends beyond the word “reconciliation”. In the truest sense, it means reuniting two things that were once joined. Today, we should instead be talking about creating and strengthening a bond.
First and foremost, we need to reach out to one another, get close to one another, really get to know and understand each others' souls. We must become one, as though we all have the same blood running through our veins. Only after shining a light on history will we be able to open the door wide to our common future.
We must remember this every day.
Michael Barrett Conservative Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON
Mr. Speaker, CTV News aired a segment that deliberately misrepresented comments made by the leader of the official opposition. On the eve of a confidence vote, CTV edited together out-of-sequence phrases to create a lie to protect its massive government subsidies and to protect a failing Prime Minister. CTV manufactured a false narrative about the common-sense Conservative confidence vote. It desperately tried to avoid reporting that the vote was about the urgent need for a carbon tax election.
Canadians deserve fairness, accuracy and accountability in news, but CTV showed a complete disregard for basic journalistic integrity and ethics. This was not an accident or a misunderstanding. This was another example of the media's shameful anti-Conservative bias. Just look at the excuses made by the heavily subsidized PMO stenographers at the Toronto Star.
They should take note that deliberate misinformation and lies will be called out and condemned. After nine years of the NDP-Liberals, taxes are up, costs are up, crime is up and time is up for the bought-and-paid-for media bias.
Kevin Lamoureux Liberal Winnipeg North, MB
Mr. Speaker, unlike the Conservatives, we recognize that mainstream media is a fundamental pillar to Canada's democracy. We have the leader of the Conservative Party and his puppets talking down mainstream media. This is of great danger, and Canadians deserve a more accountable official opposition. They now say that they are going to boycott CTV and they discredit CBC all the time, two national TV networks, all in favour of spreading their misinformation through social media.
I say shame on them for not representing Canadians through our national media outlets. What do they have to hide? It is the Conservative agenda. That is what this is all about. It is misinformation, and it is to the detriment of all Canadians.
The Deputy Speaker Conservative Chris d'Entremont
Before we move on, I just want to say that “puppets” is one of the words we tend not to use. Earlier, we heard “sellout”. A number of false titles have been used, and I want to make sure that everybody stays away from false titles today during question period.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Mr. Speaker, after nine years of the Liberal-NDP government, taxes are up, costs are up, crimes are up and time is up.
The Prime Minister is not afraid that his carbon tax scam made Canadians poorer. He is not even afraid the carbon tax scam does nothing for the environment. He is not afraid that the carbon tax scam will blow a $34-billion hole in our GDP.
If the Prime Minister is so sure about his carbon tax scam, why is he so afraid of a carbon tax election now?
Jonathan Wilkinson LiberalMinister of Energy and Natural Resources
Mr. Speaker, the ridiculous comments continue.
As I have said many times, eight out of 10 Canadian families get more money back. It works directly inverse to income, so the most vulnerable get much more money back than they pay. That has been validated by 300 economists in this country. I have invited the Leader of the Opposition to talk to those economists. He has steadfastly refused because what he is doing is simply making up facts.
He has no plan to address the climate crisis. He has no plan for the future of the economy in Canada. It is an enormous shame that the official opposition cannot do better than that.
Jasraj Singh Hallan Conservative Calgary Forest Lawn, AB
Mr. Speaker, the minister is reading selectively. If he had read the PBO's report and flipped a few pages over, he would have seen that a majority of Canadians pay more into this tax than what they get back.
Here is another fact for him: The Liberals have a push-people-into-poverty plan, because two million Canadians are going to a food bank in a single month, with a million more projected for this year, a third of whom are children. For the first time, one in four Canadians is skipping meals in this country.
How is the Prime Minister okay with starving kids with his carbon tax scam, but too scared to call a carbon tax election now?