Trudeau gov’t still withholding green fund docs, delaying parliament further
Parliament cannot resume business as usual until the full unredacted documents concerning Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) are provided. The gridlock has held for nearly two months.
Opposition Conservatives remain at odds with the Trudeau government, who are still withholding documents on the disgraced “green slush fund.” The Commons law clerk confirmed this was the case.
“They’re literally keeping some documents away from the RCMP and hiding, covering up, and redacting many of these documents,” Andrew Scheer, the Tory House Leader, told reporters on Tuesday.
Parliament cannot resume business as usual until the full unredacted documents concerning Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) are provided.
Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer accuses the Trudeau Liberals of obstructing transparency by withholding and redacting documents related to the Sustainable Development Technology Canada scandal. pic.twitter.com/PNYIB8uFf5
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) November 19, 2024
Scheer said his party received a letter Monday from Bédard, indicating that many government departments and agencies refuse to cooperate.
“This was something that was not allowed in the original House order,” he said.
Only eight of 30 government organizations had complied with the Commons order to date, Bédard testified before the Commons procedure committee last month.
Before the summer recess, a Conservative motion ordered the public service, the auditor general and SDTC to provide the clerk with unredacted documents on the latter, which he would provide to the RCMP.
House Speaker Greg Fergus declared that the Trudeau government broke Parliamentary rules by refusing to turn over critical documents related to the "green slush fund," officially known as Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).
— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) October 1, 2024
MORE: https://t.co/QUJCGLPWyB pic.twitter.com/oRGDOQKpUB
Meanwhile, the Liberals say they cannot provide further information, owing to privacy laws, reported the Epoch Times.
Mike Duheme, the RCMP Commissioner, previously said privacy rights and parliamentary privileges may usurp their ability to obtain search warrants for the SDTC documents.
Continued debate prompted Greg Fergus, the House Speaker, to allow the tabling of a question of privilege motion by Scheer. It has delayed usual business for nearly two months.
Fergus then referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in a September 26 ruling.
WHAT CORRUPTION ARE THE LIBERALS HIDING?
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) October 22, 2024
The Justice Department is withholding 11,000 documents relating to the Green Slush Fund, and the Industry Department (ISED) is withholding and redacting thousands more. These records were ordered to be turned over to Parliament. pic.twitter.com/tETPnm2uzi
Scheer told reporters Monday that the government is to blame for crucial votes on federal expenditures being delayed.
“The speaker has ruled that no other business can take place until this order has been complied with,” he said. “The Trudeau Liberals are choosing not to comply with this order, so it’s really up to them.”
“The government has provided nearly 29,000 pages of documents with regards to the SDTC matter to the House of Commons,” said Liberal House Leader Karina Gould at a separate press conference.
“Time is up for Conservatives to stop playing their silly, partisan, procedural games and let us all get back to the work of this place.”
Trudeau's green gravy train with biscuit wheels keeps rolling down the track.
— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 3, 2024
The Liberals didn't cancel the green slush fund after hundreds of millions of dollars in contracting scandals. They moved it, gave it a new name, and kept raining money down on "sustainable"… pic.twitter.com/xWEvl2Tykj
Established in 2001, the $1.6 billion agency was abruptly shut down on June 4 after more than $856 million were awarded to corporations in deals that were rife with conflicts. It funded ‘green’ technology in a bid to reduce emissions.
After the SDTC folded, its mandate continued through the National Research Council, which reports directly to François-Philippe Champagne, the innovation minister.
Auditor General Karen Hogan blamed the Innovation Department for not sufficiently monitoring the contribution agreements.
An audit earlier this year revealed 186 conflicts of interest in contracts tied to the fund, with money allegedly funneled to companies in which board members had vested interests. Hogan highlighted 90 instances where the SDTC blatantly disregarded its own conflict-of-interest policies.
Alex Dhaliwal
Calgary Based Journalist
Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.
COMMENTS
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Bruce Atchison commented 2024-11-20 23:14:14 -0500The Trudeau regime will go down in history as the most corrupt our country has ever had. And as usual, they hide the truth because they’re guilty as sin. The next election can’t come soon enough.
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Bernhard Jatzeck commented 2024-11-20 20:07:39 -0500The documents are held by that federal government agency known as the CYA.
