The Commissioner made a statement and, with Michael Aquilino, answered questions.

At 4:42 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 4:51 p.m., the meeting resumed.

Annette Verschuren made a statement and answered questions.

Jean-Denis Garon moved, — Given that the Auditor General's Report 6 - Sustainable Development Technology Canada 2024 concluded that the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program failed on several points in the allocation of funding and that projects were approved while there were board members who were in conflict of interest and that they did not withdraw from decision-making;

That the Committee declares:

1. that it is of the opinion that the offending companies that acted in bad faith and despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest must reimburse the sums they received from the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program and;
2. it believes that companies that acted in good faith should not be penalized for the government's laxity in implementing the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program and allocating funding;

Consequently, the Committee proposes that the Auditor General issue a list of organizations or companies that are at fault, that have acted in bad faith, despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest.

By unanimous consent, the motion was withdrawn.

At 5:38 p.m., the meeting was suspended.

At 5:52 p.m., the meeting resumed.

Brian Masse gave notice of the following motion:

1. interest rates and examining of the impact of high credit card interest rates on Canadian consumers and potential measures to cap or regulate these rates;
2. fees and Charges and an analysis of various fees associated with credit cards, including late payment fees, annual fees, and foreign transaction fees, and how these fees affect consumer finances;
3. consumer protections and a review of these measures related to credit cards, with a focus on improving transparency in credit card terms, interest rates, and fees;
4. predatory lending practices that investigate into predatory lending practices within the credit card industry and recommendations for stricter regulations to prevent exploitation of consumers;
5. financial literacy with consideration of the role of financial literacy in helping consumers manage credit card debt and potential initiatives to enhance financial education;
6. regulatory oversight including an assessment of the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks overseeing credit card companies and potential improvements to ensure fair and transparent practices.

Questioning of Annette Verschuren resumed.

Jean-Denis Garon moved, — Given that the Auditor General's Report 6 - Sustainable Development Technology Canada 2024 concluded that the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program failed on several points in the allocation of funding and that projects were approved while there were board members who were in conflict of interest and that they did not withdraw from decision-making;

That the Committee declares:

1. that it is of the opinion that the offending companies that acted in bad faith and despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest must reimburse the sums they received from the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program and;
2. it believes that companies that acted in good faith should not be penalized for the government's laxity in implementing the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program and allocating funding;

Consequently, the Committee proposes that the Auditor General issue a list of organizations or companies that are at fault, that have acted in bad faith, despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest.

Debate arose thereon.

The question was put on the motion, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Chandra Arya, Michael Barrett, Larry Brock, Michael Cooper, Iqwinder Gaheer, Jean-Denis Garon, Yvonne Jones, Brian Masse, Rick Perkins, Ryan Turnbull, Tony Van Bynen — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

The motion, as amended, read as follows:

Given that the Auditor General's Report 6 - Sustainable Development Technology Canada 2024 concluded that the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program failed on several points in the allocation of funding and that projects were approved while there were board members who were in conflict of interest and that they did not withdraw from decision-making;
That the Committee declares:

1. that it is of the opinion that the offending companies that acted in bad faith and despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest must reimburse the sums they received from the Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) program and;
2. it believes that companies that acted in good faith should not be penalized.

Consequently, the Committee proposes that the Auditor General issue a list of organizations or companies that are at fault, that have acted in bad faith, despite the ethical rules that apply in cases of conflict of interest.