PARLIAMENT HILL—Treasury Board President Tony Clement was grilled in committee Wednesday afternoon for his role in $50 million worth of infrastructure projects carried out in his Parry Sound-Muskoka riding with nearly zero documentation.
NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus hammered Clement during the Public Accounts committee to explain who was responsible for what interim Auditor General John Wiersema described as ‘broken rules.’
Clement, who was joined at the committee by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, dodged the question by quoting from the Auditor General’s actual report that used lighter language, describing a lack of proper paperwork. It was Clement’s main defence throughout the hearing.
“The paperwork for this was not perfect. It should have been better and I take my share of the responsibility,” Clement told the committee.
Clement has been quizzed for months over a G8 legacy fund that paid for 32 projects in his riding through a mechanism intended for border projects.
He told reporters afterward that he had learned a lesson and would improve record keeping going forward.
He said he consulted on the selection of projects that were formally approved by then-Infrastructure Minister John Baird, who has stood to answer questions directed at Clement during question period since June.
Those questions, levelled most often by Angus, demanded an explanation for how money was approved and allocated. Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Angus described Clement’s testimony at the committee as a “run around.”
“I think what we’ve seen is the biggest case of someone coming back and saying ‘the dog ate my homework but I'll do better next time.’ We’re talking about $50 million—$50 million with no paper trail.”
Clement emphasized that all money was accounted for, and was allocated based on priorities identified by the communities in which the money was spent.
NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus hammered Clement during the Public Accounts committee to explain who was responsible for what interim Auditor General John Wiersema described as ‘broken rules.’
Clement, who was joined at the committee by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, dodged the question by quoting from the Auditor General’s actual report that used lighter language, describing a lack of proper paperwork. It was Clement’s main defence throughout the hearing.
“The paperwork for this was not perfect. It should have been better and I take my share of the responsibility,” Clement told the committee.
Clement has been quizzed for months over a G8 legacy fund that paid for 32 projects in his riding through a mechanism intended for border projects.
He told reporters afterward that he had learned a lesson and would improve record keeping going forward.
He said he consulted on the selection of projects that were formally approved by then-Infrastructure Minister John Baird, who has stood to answer questions directed at Clement during question period since June.
Those questions, levelled most often by Angus, demanded an explanation for how money was approved and allocated. Speaking with reporters after the hearing, Angus described Clement’s testimony at the committee as a “run around.”
“I think what we’ve seen is the biggest case of someone coming back and saying ‘the dog ate my homework but I'll do better next time.’ We’re talking about $50 million—$50 million with no paper trail.”
Clement emphasized that all money was accounted for, and was allocated based on priorities identified by the communities in which the money was spent.
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