Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague, whom I respect greatly. I am happy to respond to his comments regarding Sustainable Development Technology Canada, or SDTC.
The government remains committed to providing the documents sought in the House of Commons motion from June 10. In fact, the government has already submitted thousands of pages of records to the law clerk for onward distribution to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or the RCMP. I suspect the member opposite knows this, but the Conservatives would rather filibuster their own motion and hold up the important business of the House than move forward with the important work of helping Canadians. Quite simply, to say that the government is intentionally withholding documentation is a serious accusation, and it is simply false.
The government has been very forthcoming since the allegations against SDTC first came to light in early 2023. In fact, as soon as the allegations were made, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry took immediate action to investigate and undertake proper due diligence to understand the facts and get to the bottom of the issue at hand. As part of that process, the government worked diligently to respond to the findings of multiple independent reviews of SDTC, including third party audits, committee studies and a report from the Office of the Auditor General.
I would like to remind the member opposite that SDTC was created by Parliament as an arm's-length organization. This model allowed for oversight but emphasized that the work of identifying clean tech projects would lie with those within the independent organization with the appropriate expertise. To claim that the government was directly involved in SDTC is inaccurate; not only that, but it runs contrary to the arm's-length mandate that existed with SDTC.
That being said, at the conclusion of the various reviews and audits, it became apparent that the arm's-length nature of SDTC was no longer working and necessitated change. That is why we announced a new delivery approach for SDTC programming to enhance due diligence.
It is the prerogative of the RCMP to undertake an investigation, and no one in this room is privy to its nature. The government is prepared to offer its full co-operation with the RCMP if and when required. At the same time, we listened to the RCMP when it confirmed that handing over documents to the House to be transferred to the RCMP could jeopardize any ongoing investigations. That, I think, gives us all pause for thought.
Instead of continuing to hold this place hostage with a Conservative filibuster, we should let the RCMP investigation continue, free of political interference and involvement, while also referring this matter to committee as directed by the Speaker.
