Former industry minister Navdeep Bains named a Liberal donor to a federal post knowing the appointee was in a conflict of interest, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “I expressed concern,” said former Sustainable Development Technology Canada CEO Leah Lawrence at a House of Commons Industry Committee hearing. “Sustainable Development Technology was funding a project for her company.”Lawrence acknowledged she had “a concern there was a potential for both conflict of interest and the perception of conflict.”Former SDTC chair Annette Verschuren, who contributed $10,750 to the Liberals, was appointed to her position in 2019, but her business was subsidized by it. Verschuren voted to pay her company an additional $217,000 grant. SDTC confirmed the abrupt resignation of Verschuren in November.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) said at a House of Commons session the Canadian government was “committed to getting to the bottom of the allegations.”Verschuren is under investigation by the ethics commissioner. “I expressed concern that Ms. Verschuren and Sustainable Development Technology Canada could potentially be damaged by the appointment,” said Lawrence. “In the days that followed, our government relations lead contacted the Minister’s staff to reiterate our concern about Ms. Verschuren’s appointment, noting no previous chair had direct or perceived conflicts of interest and further it was previously a condition of the chair’s appointment to be conflict-free.”Liberal MP Tony Van Bynen (Newmarket-Aurora, ON) asked if she offered advice. With her advice, she said she believed it would be taken and that common sense would prevail. Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON) asked her to confirm her staff contacted Bains’ office to raise concerns about this appointment. Prior to the appointment, she admitted they had several discussions. The Canadian government went ahead with the appointment after she had raised concerns. She said she knew she was correct. While Bains was aware of serious problems, Barrett said he went through with the appointment. Verschuren had talked to him three times. Barrett asked why he and the Canadian government were so focused on appointing Verschuren. "I don't have direct knowledge," she said. To show contempt for the appointment, Conservative MP Rick Perkins (South Shore-St. Margarets, NS) alleged it breached an Act of Parliament. Section 16.2 of the Canada Foundation For Sustainable Development Technology Act states no member “should profit or gain any income or acquire any property from the foundation or its activities.”“Any board I have served on, and I have served on a number, you don’t go on a board, first of all, if you have a conflict and you are doing business with that organization," said Perkins. “That is just normal corporate and individual ethics.”
