Shedding light on the Green Slush Fund scandal
By Lethbridge Herald on December 7, 2024.
FROM THE HILL
Rachael Thomas – Conservative MP for Lethbridge
If government officials funneled $400 million of your tax dollars into their own pockets, you would have heard about it, right?
Not quite.
With conflicts of interest, shady transactions, and secret memos, the Green Slush Fund fiasco has all the makings of a news-worthy story. But the mainstream media has turned a blind eye—as if to shield the Liberal government from the consequences of its actions.
So, since the mainstream media won’t cover it. Let me get right to the heart of the scandal.
At the centre of this story is the Liberal government and Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC). The SDTC has a fund that gives grants to innovative companies with solutions to improve Canada’s environmental record. This is funded by the federal government — in other words — your tax dollars.
These grants are distributed by a board of decision makers appointed by the government. Despite the many capable individuals with strong environmental knowledge that could have served effectively on this board, the Liberals decided to appoint friends.
Once appointed, these Liberal-insiders made the decision to dole out money to their own companies.
$400 million was handed out to line the pockets of Liberal insiders. Many of the projects chosen for funding were not even eligible.
This is the essence of hypocrisy. While Canadians struggle to make ends meet, Liberal insiders are getting rich off taxpayer money in the name of environmentalism. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister smugly carries on.
This huge scandal would have gone unnoticed, had it not been for a brave whistleblower.
The Liberals enabled corruption and tried to get the bloated bureaucracy to cover it up, but one trustworthy individual was brave enough to pull back the curtain and reveal the board’s fraudulent behaviour.
When this scandal was uncovered in committee, Conservative members promptly took action to generate transparency and invite accountability from the Canadian public. We brought forward a parliamentary order to call on the government to relinquish all documents and evidence related to the scandal to the RCMP.
Despite this edict, the Liberals have refused to turn over the documents. In response, the Speaker of the House ruled that Parliament cannot debate anything else until it deals with this corruption scandal. Hence, this has been the only point of debate in the House of Commons since September.
Why won’t the Liberals release the documents?
If the board members acted fraudulently without the government’s knowledge shouldn’t Trudeau be concerned and want to get to the bottom of it? Shouldn’t he want the RCMP to investigate?
The Liberals are going to great lengths to make sure the documents remain secret. Even to the point of grinding Parliament to a halt.
What are the Liberals hiding?
Whatever is in those documents must be so incriminating that it is worth paralyzing Parliament and cancelling part of the fall session.
Canadians deserve better.
The Green Slush Fund scandal is crucial for Canadians to understand because it raises significant concerns about government transparency, accountability, and the proper use of taxpayer money.
As elected officials, we are responsible to the Canadian public and it is our duty to be held to account, especially when in government.
The Liberals believe they can get away with corruption by concealing documents.
This is dishonest and dangerous. By failing to cooperate, the Liberal government is eroding public trust.
Sadly, the Green Slush Fund is just one of many cases of corruption under this Liberal government.
Over the past nine years, we have seen scandal after scandal.
Remember the WE Charity debacle? The Liberals were set to disburse up to $912 million to their friends at WE Charity. Both Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Morneau had close ties to the leadership of WE Charity. These connections raised questions about conflicts of interest and favoritism in awarding the contract, especially given that WE Charity was selected to administer the program without a competitive bidding process.
The ArriveCan App is another example. $60 million was given to two Liberal insiders to generate an app that could have been developed in a day or two for a few thousand dollars. Canadians deserve honesty and accountability, not secrecy and cover-up.
Conservatives are working hard to hold the Liberals to account, but ultimately, the power is in the hands of the people.
Change is needed now. An election is needed now.
31-30
One only needs to search the internet (Google) and type in ‘federal Conservative party scandals’ and, much, comes up. It’s another reminder of how the ‘Mouseland’ political story, still, applies….the Conservatives and the Liberals, as bad and complicit as one another….old, entitled, inept, tired, back and forth, scandal-ridden Liberal and Conservative politics, for years.
Yeh the green slush fund pales in comparison to orange juice. So if one does it, the other gets a pass when they do it. None of it is good. Are you defending the soloing out of your money to insiders??
A nice piece of pre – election musings. Notice how with all the negative barbs slung at the Libs , there are no alternative answers forthcoming. As with her dear leader , Poilievre spews the same venom only his message changes when meandering on in French or English. Oh yes “Axe the tax” emboldened by MAGA.
The Libs have much to answer for , but the far right rhetoric of the Conservatives is no reason to celebrate.
“Change” is needed but to what, that is the question.
You will find your labelling of fair right is more in the middle of common sense. Same thing happened in MAGA land. What is really interesting in looking at their electoral map the counties along the border were blue. Ponder why, illegals and cheap labor, the very things the democrats accused republicans of for years. While its true they take turns accusing each other, one question remains, why do the liberal/NDP coalition refuse to just simply hand over the documents that the speaker has determined must be provided before parliament can continue as usual. My guess, the Libs are playing out the string until an election is called, and Singh is hanging on to his daily nonsensical diatribes until pension time in February. If he doesn’t he may have to give up the lease on the Maserati. They all blatantly shove it in our faces and yet some still remain hard core to the us against them attitude. Mind boggling as to how some are quite comfortable with the corruption from their favoured party and use whataboutism as a defence. None of it is good. Look past your nose, good for the province, country, good for you.!!!!
Agreed. Also, a lot of innuendo but did anybody notice the lack of content – which board members, what companies.
As for questionable expertise from political insiders with well-line pockets, shall I say “Preston Manning”?
Speaking of “shedding light”, “transparency” and “accountability”, will the Member of Parliament kindly explain why Mr. Poilievre is the only party leader in the House of Commons without a security clearance. Indeed, Ms. Thomas, on this matter, Canadians DO “deserve better”.
i think it is because he says he needs to be able to talk about whatever it is he has not been talking about.
there is plenty of reality mixed in with the usual grandstanding by thomas. the reality is the trudeau libs have overseen a heck of a lot of graft, corruption, and ineptitude. add to that the usual broken promises from the elected govt of the day, which are the basis of votes garnered, and the real basis of the so-called mandate. add to that what is also all too common – undemocratic massive omnibus bills, through which an awful lot of legislation never given a mandate gets shoved upon the electorate.
that noted, it is of little good having the kettle – thomas and pc party – calling the pot – the liberal party – black.
whatever happened to modernising our electoral system, justin? you know, getting rid of the entirely undemocratic first past the post bs we have too long endured, and giving us the far more democratic system of representation based on the popular vote. as it stands, your lying on that one leaves each legal voter with less than the democratic principle of: one person, one vote.
so much else entriely undemocratic about our system and no party name is willing to speak to it. and, yet, still the suckered masses line up to sign away their democracy with their illiterate X, while also ever legitimising the nepotism, graft, lies, sleaze, and ineptitude, waste, and corruption.
The Green Slush Fund scandal raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in government, and Rachael Thomas is right to demand answers. Allegations of $400 million being funneled to Liberal insiders without proper oversight is troubling and deserves full public disclosure. Refusing to release documents only fuels mistrust and makes it harder for Canadians to feel confident in their government, regardless of political affiliation.
That said, some comments here make a valid point: corruption and mismanagement are not exclusive to one party. Both the Liberal and Conservative parties have had their share of scandals, as noted by references to the WE Charity, the ArriveCan app, and even past Conservative missteps. The issue isn’t just one party—it’s a systemic problem that requires real reform, including better oversight and accountability measures.
As for the “whataboutism” in some comments, it’s important to focus on holding all parties accountable instead of dismissing wrongdoing by pointing to past mistakes from others. Canadians deserve better from all levels of leadership, and it’s time for voters to push for meaningful change, such as electoral reform and stricter anti-corruption measures.
At the end of the day, this scandal—like many before it—highlights the need for a more transparent and accountable government that serves the people, not the insiders. Instead of getting caught in partisan battles, let’s demand reforms that benefit everyone. After all, integrity in governance isn’t a partisan issue—it’s a Canadian one.
indeed, corruption and waste and ineptitude are the common thread that bind all levels of govt throughout the land. the system is incredibly broken, not just our democracy. fixing it all will not likely come from the inside. hence, it is ridiculous to vote for any of the party names, unless one is satisfied to support a busted democracy and a corrupted system.