Portage-Lisgar MP Branden Leslie is ramping up pressure on the Liberal government, accusing them of stonewalling Parliament in an ongoing controversy over what he’s calling the "green slush fund" scandal. He delivered a 20-minute speech in the House of Commons this past Thursday, noting that the government is refusing to release documents related to nearly $400 million in spending, despite being ordered to do so.
Leslie says the House should be debating legislation, but they are stuck dealing with how to proceed following this breach of parliamentary privilege.
He says the issue revolves around a green energy fund managed by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). The Auditor General’s report earlier this year revealed 186 conflicts of interest in contracts tied to the fund, with money allegedly funnelled to companies in which board members had vested interests. Leslie says the amount of wasted funding stands at $390 million. He explains this points to a serious case of corruption, with no evidence of proper management, and demands that the documents be handed over for further investigation by the RCMP, who have reportedly begun looking into the matter. The House agreed.
“The Liberals are doing everything they can to hide these documents because they know how bad it will look,” said Leslie. “They have refused that order.”
Leslie adds that the opposition is united in its push for transparency, and the Speaker of the House ruled that the government’s refusal to turn over the documents is a breach of parliamentary privilege, which gives parliamentarians the right to access government information.
“We have the privilege and the duty to oversee government spending like this.”
Leslie urged Canadians to pressure their MPs and the government to comply with the order.
“This level of corruption, especially when we’re talking about nearly $400 million, can’t be ignored. Parliament itself is functioning, but right now we are debating how to proceed with the government's refusal to hand over these documents. Now, with the RCMP's involvement, I think the pressure will continue to be on them to provide some clarification on this high level of corruption.”
He added that the Liberals have gotten away with too many scandals over the last few years.
“This one involves a very large sum. It’s not chump change. We can’t say that any dollar misspent is insignificant, but we’re talking nearly $400 million, according to the Auditor General, funnelled into Liberal insiders and companies they have a vested interest in while they worked on a board. These are all Liberal appointees.”
Leslie said he enjoyed giving his first 20-minute speech in the House of Commons, noting that speeches are usually limited to 10 minutes.
“I was able to go through a lot of historical precedents as to why parliamentarians have the privilege—and, in fact, the duty—to oversee government spending like this and really highlight the details of the corruption we’re seeing through Sustainable Development Technology Canada. It’s appalling, and anyone who’s been paying attention to some of these deals has been rightfully as upset as I have. Thankfully, at least on the opposition side, we are taking this issue very seriously. We are going to hold the Liberals' feet to the fire until we get to the bottom of this.”