Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault evaded questioning by the Commons Public Accounts Committee on a conflict with a subsidized Montreal company after a 5-6 vote. The Conservative motion on Tuesday was rejected by Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs, per Blacklock’s Reporter. “Where there is smoke there is fire,” said Conservative MP Rick Perkins, who asked that Guilbeault appear. Parliament has “only scratched the surface” of conflicts in funding for green technology, he said.Guilbeault for nine years prior to his election to parliament was an executive with Cycle Capital Management Inc., a green technology investor. Guilbeault continues to hold shares in Cycle Capital since 2020 has received fees from the company, according to ethics filings.“The minister of environment in his public disclosure continues to hold shares in one of the largest recipients of funds from the Liberal green slush fund,” said Perkins. “Cycle Capital has received over $200 million and Steven Guilbeault not only worked there before being elected but still owns shares.”Cycle Capital benefited from direct subsidies and grants to other ventures in which it held shares, the committee was told. Andrée-Lise Méthot, managing partner with Cycle Capital, was also a director of now-disbanded Strategic Development Technology Canada that approved subsidies.“I have always acted with complete transparency by declaring all conflicts of interest whether real, apparent or potential,” Méthot testified November 28 at the Commons Industry Committee.“That was the case for companies in the Cycle Capital portfolio in which we generally hold a stake ranging on average from 4% to 30%.”Guilbeault has never been questioned over his dealings with Cycle Capital. “I don’t think we are going to be able to gain anything very useful by speaking to Minister Guilbeault,” said Bloc MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.Liberal MP Iqra Khalid complained that investigations into conflicts of interest were damaging. “I am not sure why the members opposite feel that, oh, if there’s smoke, there’s fire, let’s go on this witch hunt expedition etcetera, let’s bring in everybody, let’s basically demolish public trust by calling again and again and again the same witnesses,” said Khalid.Questioning the environment minister over his share holdings was “a fishing expedition,” added Khalid, prompting an intervention by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. “Using idioms to suggest this is a speculative investigation is pretty outrageous,” said Genuis.“If this is like fishing, it’s like going to a barrel of fish and grabbing fish out of it.”Cabinet on June 4 disbanded Sustainable Development Technology Canada over conflicts of interest and transferred its work to the National Research Council.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault evaded questioning by the Commons Public Accounts Committee on a conflict with a subsidized Montreal company after a 5-6 vote. The Conservative motion on Tuesday was rejected by Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs, per Blacklock’s Reporter. “Where there is smoke there is fire,” said Conservative MP Rick Perkins, who asked that Guilbeault appear. Parliament has “only scratched the surface” of conflicts in funding for green technology, he said.Guilbeault for nine years prior to his election to parliament was an executive with Cycle Capital Management Inc., a green technology investor. Guilbeault continues to hold shares in Cycle Capital since 2020 has received fees from the company, according to ethics filings.“The minister of environment in his public disclosure continues to hold shares in one of the largest recipients of funds from the Liberal green slush fund,” said Perkins. “Cycle Capital has received over $200 million and Steven Guilbeault not only worked there before being elected but still owns shares.”Cycle Capital benefited from direct subsidies and grants to other ventures in which it held shares, the committee was told. Andrée-Lise Méthot, managing partner with Cycle Capital, was also a director of now-disbanded Strategic Development Technology Canada that approved subsidies.“I have always acted with complete transparency by declaring all conflicts of interest whether real, apparent or potential,” Méthot testified November 28 at the Commons Industry Committee.“That was the case for companies in the Cycle Capital portfolio in which we generally hold a stake ranging on average from 4% to 30%.”Guilbeault has never been questioned over his dealings with Cycle Capital. “I don’t think we are going to be able to gain anything very useful by speaking to Minister Guilbeault,” said Bloc MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné.Liberal MP Iqra Khalid complained that investigations into conflicts of interest were damaging. “I am not sure why the members opposite feel that, oh, if there’s smoke, there’s fire, let’s go on this witch hunt expedition etcetera, let’s bring in everybody, let’s basically demolish public trust by calling again and again and again the same witnesses,” said Khalid.Questioning the environment minister over his share holdings was “a fishing expedition,” added Khalid, prompting an intervention by Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. “Using idioms to suggest this is a speculative investigation is pretty outrageous,” said Genuis.“If this is like fishing, it’s like going to a barrel of fish and grabbing fish out of it.”Cabinet on June 4 disbanded Sustainable Development Technology Canada over conflicts of interest and transferred its work to the National Research Council.
