By Rebel News | Created at 2024-11-25 19:41:26 | Updated at 2024-11-27 02:23:58
1 day ago
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed the Poilievre Conservatives for Parliament’s ongoing gridlock, despite his own departments causing the delay.
“The fact Conservatives have … totally bogged down [parliament], preventing us from passing legislation to support Canadians, proves the point I was making earlier: ‘the federal Conservatives only care about amplifying problems and not actually providing help,’” Trudeau told reporters on Friday.
The Official Opposition is still waiting on documents concerning the disgraced “green slush fund,” where more than $856 million was awarded to corporations in deals that were rife with conflicts.
PM Trudeau blames the Conservatives for the legislative gridlock in Parliament despite the fact that the government's refusal to hand over documents relating to the SDTC scandal has led to the delay in the House. pic.twitter.com/3NEYs9LEUZ
— True North (@TrueNorthCentre) November 22, 2024“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 November 19.
Parliament cannot resume business as usual until the full unredacted documents concerning Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) are provided.
Established in 2001, the $1.6 billion agency was abruptly shut down June 4 after more than $856 million was awarded to corporations in deals that involved allegations of conflicts of interest. It funded ‘green’ technology in a bid to reduce emissions.
Only eight of 30 government departments and agencies complied with the Commons order to date, testified Michel Bédard, the Commons law clerk.
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, 2024Before 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.
The Liberal government could not provide further information, owing to privacy laws, reported the Epoch Times.
Moreover, Trudeau deflected blame for the lockdown, suggesting the Conservative Party has let voters down. “They want to illustrate that Canada is broken by breaking it for Canadians,” he said.
Scheer told reporters 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.”
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).
Continued debate prompted Greg Fergus, the House Speaker, to allow the tabling of a question of privilege motion by Scheer. It has delayed parliamentary proceedings for nearly two months.
Fergus referred the matter to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in a September 26 ruling, prompting pushback from his colleagues.
“The government has provided nearly 29,000 pages of documents with regards to the SDTC matter to the House of Commons,” Liberal House Leader Karina Gould told reporters 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,” she said.
WHAT CORRUPTION ARE THE LIBERALS HIDING?
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
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.
