Will the companies awarded funding they were not eligible for have that funding clawed back?

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When the House of Commons is in session, I typically focus on the various bills progressing through Parliament.

Unfortunately, the House of Commons remains gridlocked due to the ongoing debate on a motion of privilege.

To recap—as I wrote in my October 9th report—the current privilege motion stems from House Speaker Greg Fergus's ruling that the Trudeau Liberal government "clearly did not fully comply" with a House of Commons order. This order demanded the government provide documents related to the now-defunct Crown Corporation, Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC).

As some may recall, the Auditor General's audit of this program uncovered 90 cases—totaling nearly $76 million in funding—where the foundation's conflict-of-interest policies were disregarded in awarding projects.

The Auditor General also discovered that some companies awarded contracts under this now-defunct program were clearly in conflict-of-interest situations. In some cases, these companies weren't even eligible for funding as they didn't meet the criteria. It's worth noting that these findings only represent about 40% or so of the total funds under direct review by the Auditor General, suggesting the possibility of even more undiscovered issues. While this is a sore spot for many on Parliament Hill, who wanted a greater number of grants reviewed under this audit, it is well known that the Office of the Auditor General has publicly stated their requests for more funding—to keep pace with the Trudeau Government's spending—have been denied.

Many Canadians are well aware that if they receive an overpayment of federal government benefits—even through no fault of their own—the Canada Revenue Agency will fully claw back those overpaid benefits.

This raises an obvious question: Will the companies awarded funding they were not eligible for have that funding clawed back?

Of course, we don't know the answer to this question. The Trudeau Liberal government is not only refusing to answer it but also continues to withhold the documents related to this program.

This week, the House of Commons Law Clerk stated that he had recently received new documents from three government departments relating to the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program. However, in all cases, information was once again withheld by the Liberal government.

This is not the only note worthy challenge facing Prime Minister Trudeau this week. It has been widely reported that as many as 20 Liberal MPs or more have signed a private letter calling on him to resign.

As I write this week's report, the Liberal caucus is meeting behind closed doors to discuss this very issue.

Does this mean PM Trudeau will resign? In my view, this is unlikely. With an election scheduled for this time next year, there's little time left for any party to replace a leader and prepare for a national campaign.

My question this week: Should Prime Minister Trudeau resign? Why or why not?

I can be reached at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or by calling toll-free 1-800-665-8711.

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Dan Albas is the Member of Parliament for the riding of Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola and the Co-Chair of the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations. In addition, Dan co-chairs an All-Party Parliamentary Cancer Caucus. Dan's riding includes the communities of Kelowna (specific boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Hedley, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.
You can reach Dan by calling 1-800-665-8711 or visit: DanAlbasMP.com
Our mailing address is:
Dan Albas MP
101-3731 Old Okanagan Hwy
West Kelowna, British Columbia V4T 0G7
Canada

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