Annette Verschuren has maintained her innocence, stating that it is a ‘normal course of business’ for Ottawa to support the clean tech sector. The former board chair of a federal green fund is under an ethics review for approving money for her own company. She says she did no wrong because it’s the “normal course of business” for the government to support the clean tech sector.
The industry committee is doing a review of Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an arms-length federal foundation investing in green technologies, which has been accused of corruption by a whistleblower. A former financial compliance employee of SDTC told the committee that nearly $150 million was misappropriated, with directors of the fund sending money to companies they have ties to.
Annette Verschuren denied any wrongdoing, stating that she had consulted with a legal professional who told her it was not a conflict of interest because the conflicts had been previously declared. Meanwhile, the whistleblower complaint had been filed initially with the Auditor General, which is currently reviewing the matter.
The industry committee has access to SDTC board meeting minutes and that’s the area NDP MP Brian Masse questioned Ms. Verschuren on. “How is it that there was no understanding or appreciation of how deficient some minutes were?” he asked, calling them “bare bones” while dealing with “significant financial issues.” Ms. Verschuren said the minutes are “not a fraud” while recognizing that there are areas that could be improved.
Annette Verschuren and fellow board member Guy Ouimet are currently under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner for awarding SDTC funds to their own companies. She is no longer in her position and has resigned as CEO of the green fund. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne has defended not firing the leadership after he announced the suspension of funding of new projects at SDTC in October, citing the need for evidence and due process.