[IMPORTANT UPDATE: The department of Natural Resources has a response to this post.]
Conservative cabinet ministers Lisa Raitt and Christian Paradis have been asked by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates to testify about what, if any, contacts they, their staff, or their bureaucrats had with Rahim Jaffer or his business partner Patrick Glemaud.
A documentary record has been supplied to the Lobbying Commissioner that Jaffer had extensive contact with politicians, aides, and staff in several departments but, so far, nothing has turned up to show that Jaffer had any contact with anyone from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Raitt, until earlier this year, was the Minister of Natural Resources and Paradis succeeded her in that job.
Opposition MPs contend that, because the Minister of Natural Resources was responsible for the administration of some “green-tech” funds, they believe Jaffer would have reached out to some in that department, as he had in others, for “green-tech” program information.
But both Raitt and Paradis yesterday submitted letters to the Government Operations committee in which, according to the Liberals, they both say:
“My office has searched for relevant records an no records were found.:
But…
On April 16, the Opposition Leaders Office submitted a request to the Ministry of Natural Resources asking, under federal Access to Information laws, for all “records of communications your department may have had with Rahim Jaffer, Patrick Glemaud or any representative of Green Power Energy Generation COrp. (sic).”
The ATI co-ordinator at Natural Resources has replied to the OLO saying:
“A preliminary review of the requested documents indicates that consultations with other government departments and third parties will be required,” before any records can be released.
So that means that the ATI office has, in fact, found records that Paradis and Raitt say cannot be found.
Calls are in to Raitt's and Paradis' office to get clarification on this matter.
[IMPORTANT UPDATE: The department of Natural Resources has a response to this post.]