Lisa Raitt, Christian Paradis refuse to testify at Jaffer committee hearing

[CHIMO]

OTTAWA—Two Conservative ministers have refused to appear at a parliamentary committee Wednesday investigating allegations of lobbying by their former caucus colleague Rahim Jaffer.

Natural Resources Minister Christian Paradis and Labour Minister Lisa Raitt declined to testify, leaving the government operations committee scrambling to find another set of witnesses.

“Each of us should be reluctant to do anything that would affect or compromise any potential ongoing investigation,” Raitt wrote to the clerk of the committee Tuesday.

Government documents have shown that one of Paradis’ staff put pressure on bureaucrats to meet with Jaffer and his business partner Patrick Glemaud when Paradis was public works minister. Jaffer and Glemaud were pushing a project to put solar panels on the rooftops of government buildings.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/804559--lisa-raitt-christian-paradis-refuse-to-testify-at-jaffer-committee-hearing?bn=1

[daleo]

1. It makes you wonder if they have something to hide

"Government documents have shown that one of Paradis’ staff put pressure on bureaucrats to meet with Jaffer and his business partner Patrick Glemaud when Paradis was public works minister. Jaffer and Glemaud were pushing a project to put solar panels on the rooftops of government buildings."