Thank you, Chair.
All right. There is, in our respectful opinion on the Conservative bench, great value and relevancy to this particular motion. I'll break it down.
It was a pivotal moment for Minister Champagne to make the announcement he made on June 4. As you know, for several months prior to that, there was a suspension of funding, which began in the fall of 2023. I have pulled the Government of Canada press release from that particular date, June 4. He was quoted in this particular document, and he indicated:
Effective immediately—
I read that to mean June 4, 2024.
—SDTC will also resume funding, under a reinforced contribution agreement with ISED, for eligible projects in a sector vital to our country’s economy and clean growth transition. In line with the Auditor General’s findings, my Department will enhance oversight and monitoring of funding during the transition period.
We have a number of difficulties with that statement. It requires clarification. The first observation I would make is that on resuming funding, I don't know if that's actually accurate. It may have occurred. There may be partial funding, but I'm not so sure about a full resumption of funding.
I raise these issues, Mr. Chair, because of an article that was produced yesterday, on September 4, 2024, in which Peter McArthur was quoted. Peter McArthur, for the record, is the chair of the Ontario Clean Technology Industry Association. While he speaks about the impacts the suspension had on the industry, what's quite noteworthy in this document is that, “To this day,” effective September 4, 2024, “McArthur told the Star, the money has yet to start flowing again.”
Obviously, both versions of that statement can't be true at the same time. Is Mr. McArthur in error? I don't think so, given his position in the industry. Is the minister in error? Is the minister trying to give the impression that all is well; lessons have been learned and a new set-up is in place to restore the confidence of Canadians in this particular program? We don't know.
This isn't the first time the integrity and the character of Minister Champagne have been brought into question at this committee and other committees. We know the whistle-blower at SDTC, who ultimately resigned—he was not fired—did not receive a compensation payout and did not receive any other bonuses. He simply resigned. He has nothing to lose. He made it abundantly clear at committee. Again, I apologize, sir, if I can't be precise about which committee he testified at. It could have been at industry. I could be mistaken. However, he testified quite clearly that Minister Champagne lied. He lied to committee; he lied to parliamentarians and he lied to Canadians about when he first found out about the irregularities at SDTC.