The federal ethics commissioner has ruled the former chair of Sustainable Development Technology Canada contravened conflict-of-interest rules when she failed to recuse herself from funding decisions for companies she has ties to, including one that she leads as chief executive.
Ms. Verschuren, a former CEO of Home Depot Canada, has been adamant that she followed legal advice for the pandemic funding decisions. She said the agency’s in-house counsel had advised that her company would not benefit more than any others given that the relief payments were being made to all the startups receiving SDTC money.
He will provide the report to the prime minister, who has the authority to decide if any sanctions are warranted, said Melanie Rushworth, spokesperson for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.