The House of Commons Ethics Committee voted against hearing a whistleblower’s testimony on insider dealing at Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “The committee voted to silence a whistleblower,” said Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON) in a statement. “I can’t abide that.”Barrett said whistleblowers “are the only reason Canadians know this happened.” Since MPs silenced a whistleblower by refusing to allow them to come before the Commons Ethics Committee, Barrett said it speaks to a government more interested in covering up corruption than being held accountable to the Canadians voting for them. Cabinet froze funding on October 4 to the SDTC over misconduct allegations. A report commissioned by Industry Canada in September said SDTC directors did not recuse themselves in distributing $38.4 million worth of subsidies to corporate friends. SDTC Chair Annette Verschuren admitted on November 8 she had voted to grant her company NRStor a $217,000 subsidy funded by taxpayers.READ MORE: Foundation chair admits voting for own company's $217K gov’t subsidyVerschuren testified before the House of Commons Ethics Committee she did not perceive it as inappropriate.“At the time of the board decision on those COVID payments, you recall it was March 2020, it was very difficult,” she said. SDTC confirmed the abrupt resignation of Verschuren on Monday. READ MORE: Embattled agency chair quits over self-dealing as ethics commish investigates“The board of directors will discuss next steps until a new chair is appointed,” it said. Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull (Whitby, ON) told the House of Commons the Canadian government was “committed to getting to the bottom of the allegations.”If this ordeal is not a conflict of interest or corruption, Barrett said no matters are. “We’ve had an Auditor General investigation launched and an Ethics Commissioner investigation launched,” he said. Parliament created SDTC in 2001 to subsidize green research ventures. He called it a “slush fund that’s being raided by insiders and the well-connected when we have people lined up in record numbers at food banks.”He asked the Commons Ethics Committee to invite the whistleblower who contacted it about wrongdoings at SDTC to provide testimony. Liberal and NDP MPs dismissed the motion by a six to four vote. When it comes to this scandal, he said the information it has is not because of the organization’s robust practices or the stewardship of the minister and his ministry. Rather, he admitted it is because whistleblowers came forward. Barrett concluded by saying what the committee knows is not because of due diligence from the Canadian government. “What we know is from a whistleblower kicking at the darkness until it bleeds daylight,” he said. “That is why we know what we know.”
The House of Commons Ethics Committee voted against hearing a whistleblower’s testimony on insider dealing at Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “The committee voted to silence a whistleblower,” said Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON) in a statement. “I can’t abide that.”Barrett said whistleblowers “are the only reason Canadians know this happened.” Since MPs silenced a whistleblower by refusing to allow them to come before the Commons Ethics Committee, Barrett said it speaks to a government more interested in covering up corruption than being held accountable to the Canadians voting for them. Cabinet froze funding on October 4 to the SDTC over misconduct allegations. A report commissioned by Industry Canada in September said SDTC directors did not recuse themselves in distributing $38.4 million worth of subsidies to corporate friends. SDTC Chair Annette Verschuren admitted on November 8 she had voted to grant her company NRStor a $217,000 subsidy funded by taxpayers.READ MORE: Foundation chair admits voting for own company's $217K gov’t subsidyVerschuren testified before the House of Commons Ethics Committee she did not perceive it as inappropriate.“At the time of the board decision on those COVID payments, you recall it was March 2020, it was very difficult,” she said. SDTC confirmed the abrupt resignation of Verschuren on Monday. READ MORE: Embattled agency chair quits over self-dealing as ethics commish investigates“The board of directors will discuss next steps until a new chair is appointed,” it said. Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull (Whitby, ON) told the House of Commons the Canadian government was “committed to getting to the bottom of the allegations.”If this ordeal is not a conflict of interest or corruption, Barrett said no matters are. “We’ve had an Auditor General investigation launched and an Ethics Commissioner investigation launched,” he said. Parliament created SDTC in 2001 to subsidize green research ventures. He called it a “slush fund that’s being raided by insiders and the well-connected when we have people lined up in record numbers at food banks.”He asked the Commons Ethics Committee to invite the whistleblower who contacted it about wrongdoings at SDTC to provide testimony. Liberal and NDP MPs dismissed the motion by a six to four vote. When it comes to this scandal, he said the information it has is not because of the organization’s robust practices or the stewardship of the minister and his ministry. Rather, he admitted it is because whistleblowers came forward. Barrett concluded by saying what the committee knows is not because of due diligence from the Canadian government. “What we know is from a whistleblower kicking at the darkness until it bleeds daylight,” he said. “That is why we know what we know.”
