SoVote

Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 2:35:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we can see, again, where the Conservatives are going. The Auditor General's report was very clear. Parliament decided 20 years ago to have an arm's-length organization to manage that. We investigated the allegations. Now we are proposing a new governance model, which will be under the rules of the federal public service, so that we can have more rules around HR and more rules around funding. We are going to restore confidence. We are going to make sure that we have a model of delivery that meets the highest standard. We are going to fight for the clean tech in this sector.

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Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 2:36:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, let me tell Canadians that the Conservatives at the time, 20 years ago, wanted that to be an independent organization, arm's-length from government. That was the delivery model that was chosen. From the moment we had allegations, we investigated because we want to get to the bottom of this. We have seen the reports that have come up. We have proactively worked with the Auditor General. We are going to restore confidence. We are going to restore governance in this organization. However, one thing is that we are never going to leave our small and medium-sized business owners who are fighting for climate change in this country. We are going to fight with them.

120 words

Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 2:40:56 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, the Conservatives are just waking up. It must be the sun. As I said in English: the moment we heard of allegations, we launched the investigation. While the Conservatives were sleeping, we launched investigations with Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton and McCarthy Tétrault. We worked with the Auditor General because we wanted to get to the bottom of things. The governance model we are putting forward will allow us to kick-start the organization and ensure that we can fund small and medium-sized businesses that are tackling climate change. We are going to rebuild trust and support small and medium-sized businesses in Canada.

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Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 2:56:30 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, it seems that there were a lot of people on their side sleeping at the switch. What I have said is very clear. We received allegations and we investigated. We investigated. We made sure that we would get to the bottom of this. We suspended the funding to the organization. The chair of the board and the CO resigned. We made sure that there would be a management plan in place. We want to restore confidence. We expect everyone to adhere to the highest governance. That is why we are proposing a new model of governance that would make sure that public funds are disbursed with the level of governance that all Canadians expect.

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Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Hon. François-Philippe Champagne (Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Lib.)

Jun/4/24 2:58:58 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, everyone in the House can recognize the member for Lévis—Lotbinière's theatrical talents, but the reality is simple. I have said it before, and I will say it again so that everyone on that side of the House and the Canadians watching us can hear it: The most important thing is integrity. That is why, when we received allegations, we launched an investigation. We made sure to suspend the funding until we received the findings. The CEO of the organization has stepped down. The chair of the board of directors has stepped down. We are proposing a new governance model to restore confidence and ensure that we can support SMEs in Canada's green technology sector.

124 words

Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Mr. Sébastien Lemire (Abitibi—Témiscamingue, BQ)

Jun/4/24 6:43:00 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank the minister for his interest in border services. However, it seems clear to me that the Canada Border Services Agency is experiencing a major governance problem. Therefore, in the context of today's debate, which is about implementing a new mechanism to address this governance problem, would it not have been a good idea to review the existing governance model and ensure that those responsible have the necessary skills to deal with the new complaint management mechanisms? We know that ArriveCAN was a disaster. The handling of stolen vehicles at the port of Montreal also raises many concerns. I would like to hear the minister's thoughts on the governance of the Canada Border Services Agency.

120 words

Context: House Hansard - 324 - Jun/4/24

Hon. Dominic LeBlanc

Jun/4/24 6:43:42 p.m.
Watch

Madam Speaker, our colleague from Abitibi—Témiscamingue raises an important issue, namely the internal governance of the Canada Border Services Agency. The CBSA has gone through some difficult times, what with the Auditor General's report and the internal reviews of ArriveCAN. I have a great deal of trust in the current president of the CBSA, Erin O'Gorman. I got to know her when she was a senior official at the Treasury Board. She has a lot of experience, specifically in matters of governance. My discussions with her and the executive vice-president of the CBSA reassured me tremendously about their commitment to improving the governance of that organization. The idea of having a civilian-run independent commission to address this and deal with complaints is an important addition to the discussion.

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