Clement has been under opposition fire since June, when an auditor general’s report criticized the odd way in which the federal government spent $45.7 million on beautification projects in Clement’s Parry Sound-Muskoka riding.
The report showed that the money for the projects was quietly redirected from a fund that Parliament approved for border infrastructure by a “special one-time exemption.”
Neither G8 summit officials nor civil servants at Infrastructure Canada could show auditors how projects were selected, and municipal documents unearthed by NDP researchers show that Clement chose the 32 projects out of his riding office, a departure from normal procedure.
Clement argues that since the projects were eventually formally approved by then-transport minister John Baird, everything was on the up and up.
Emails the NDP is to release Monday morning show that Clement promised to take action when officials held up payments for a review of the unorthodox allotments.
The emails were received under freedom of information laws from the town of Huntsville.
On June 22, Infrastructure Canada official Naomi Hirshberg emailed Huntsville officials to inform them that the cheques would be delayed six to eight weeks so that Carol Beal, an assistant deputy minister, could look into the payments.
“The ADM of program operations has asked that Infrastructure Canada withhold all claims for review,” she wrote.
Huntsville Mayor Claude Doughty forwarded the email to Clement.
“This is totally unacceptable,” he wrote. “I am sure you agree.”
Clement responded: “I agree. I’m working on it.”
Clement did not contact officials to sideline the review, a spokeswoman for Infrastructure Canada Minister Denis Lebel said Saturday.
“Claims for major projects are reviewed by the assistant deputy minister as part of the approval process,” said Vanessa Schneider. “The department ensured a rigorous due diligence process was followed prior to issuing final payments.”
Schneider did not say whether the review proceeded, as planned, delaying payment for six to eight weeks.
NDP critic Charlie Angus says it looks bad.
“We have a situation where one department is saying, ‘Hold off putting out any more money until we find out exactly what’s happening.’ For Clement to say that’s not acceptable is a pretty disturbing comment and perhaps a reflection of the disregard for the normal checks and balances that should have been in place.”
The email exchanges between Clement and Doughty also raise questions about the involvement of officials from the Prime Minister’s Office in approving the unorthodox project-selection process.
In a July 2008 email, Clement tells Doughty that he has spoken to other area mayors about including them in the project-selection process.
“I’ve also initiated discussion with PMO on next steps in Ottawa,” he writes.
The email exchanges show that Clement was pushing the PMO to keep Huntsville from losing funding for a media centre to look after the requirements of thousands of foreign journalists expected to cover the event the G8 leaders’ visit.
In December 2009, the government announced that it would hold the bigger G20 summit in Toronto, not Muskoka, so the international journalists never made the trip to cottage country, and the $16.7 million for the media centre was instead used for a new Olympic-sized rink in Huntsville.
In several emails, Clement refers to his efforts to keep the project alive with the PMO’s help.
Julian Fantino, at that time the commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, was opposed to the media centre in the high-security summit zone, which angered Doughty and Clement.
On Feb. 10, 2009, Doughty emailed Clement to complain that a local reporter had found out about a phone call from Fantino.
“I appreciate your effort,” Clement replied. “We’re in this together. The good news: PMO’s fury at the OPP is only increasing. We’ll get through this together.”
The PMO must have eventually got over their fury. In October 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper convinced Fantino to run in a byelection for the Conservatives and he now serves as associate defence minister.
Angus wants to know more about the prime minister’s involvement in approving the media centre, and says the emails raise questions about Clement’s suitability for his current job, president of the Treasury Board.
“Either he has a direct line to the prime minister, or he’s just pumping his chest in Huntsville,” he said. “Either way there’s a real question of judgment.”
A spokesman for the prime minister said Friday that the PMO was involved “consultations by officials with the local community” to make sure the events went well.
“Officials from the Prime Minister’s Office would have done advanced site visits of the area, as is the case with all events the prime minister attends,” said Andrew MacDougall.
The emails reveal a warm relationship between Doughty and Clement. Most of Clement’s emails were sent from a personal email account, which means he likely didn’t expect them to ever be made public.
The two men often discuss media coverage, complaining when it is unfavourable, and planning on what to tell reporters.
In December 2008, Doughty emailed Clement to complain that an OPP officer said the force was 95 per cent sure the media centre would not be built in Huntsville.
“Bullcrap,” Clement replies. “That’s the RCMP agenda, not ours. Don’t talk to media until we talk and get our lines converged.”
The day after the summit, Doughty emails Clement to thank him for all he did for the community, and to complain about a New York Times article that suggested many of the beautification projects — including the media-centre-turned-rink — appeared to be done for the political benefit of Clement, who won the riding in 2006 by just 28 votes.
“I am still pissed off with the Ian Austin article,” Doughty writes. “What a negative bastard.”
Origin
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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