Leah Lawrence told the federal industry committee Wednesday night that the government department overseeing Sustainable Development Technology Canada ignored her concerns about potential conflicts of interest when Annette Verschuren was being considered as incoming chair of the cleantech funding agency in 2019. ISED did not respond to The Logic’s request for comment by publication. (The Logic)

Talking point: Lawrence said she was concerned that SDTC’s funding for Verschuren’s company, NRStor, could create real or potential conflicts. Lawrence said Andrew Noseworthy, a government representative from the innovation department, told her that in the absence of a written policy explicitly prohibiting funding recipients from chairing the board, Verschuren’s appointment would proceed. Both Lawrence and Verschuren resigned from SDTC late last year, amid a governance scandal centred on conflicts of interest at the agency. In October, after a third-party investigation into its granting practices, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne barred SDTC from funding new projects until it implements corrective measures.