Hodgson dismisses Tories’ major projects office conflict probe as ‘conspiracy theory’

OTTAWA — Federal Energy Minister Tim Hodgson accused the Tories Wednesday of peddling “conspiracy theories” as they asked questions about who the Liberals are seconding to work at the government’s major projects office.

For the second straight day, Conservatives pressed the Liberals for details of the arrangements.

They accused the government of not being transparent about where those employees are being seconded from and warned of the potential for conflicts of interest if those companies have vested interests in the projects being reviewed.

Conservative pipeline and energy critics Shannon Stubbs and Carol Anstey pressed the Liberals during question period Wednesday to disclose which private sector companies have lent employees to the new office.

“The Liberals want Canadians to trust the safeguards, but hide how and to whom those safeguards apply,” Stubbs said.

“The minister should release the rules, name the companies and say how many staff have been recused. Because if the safeguards are so strong, why is the secrecy even stronger? And what does the minister have to hide here?”

Hodgson replied by accusing the Conservatives of wanting “to think about conspiracy theories” and citing the number of jobs the projects being overseen by the major projects office could create.

“Private corporations are paying employees working inside of the prime minister’s major projects office, and the government refuses to disclose which companies are involved,” Anstey said in the House.

“So again, Canadians deserve transparency. How many employees working inside the major projects office are being paid by private corporations?”

“Rather than come up with conspiracy theories about the MPO, maybe the member might recognize that the MPO helped make Churchill Falls happen — the largest renewable energy project in the history of North America,” Hodgson shot back.

Ontario Conservative MP Connie Cody followed up by asking again whether the government would release the list of companies paying for their employees to work at the major projects office.

“Just like with the last member, I’d invite this member, rather than focus on conspiracy theories about the MPO, why don’t we focus on the 18,000 jobs?” Hodgson replied.

“Eighteen thousand jobs at the Darlington nuclear reactor, one of the most important renewable energy projects in the world. The first (small modular reactors) in the world. And they’re talking down the office that made that happen. Maybe they should get with the program.”

Opposition MPs have been asking about potential conflicts in the major projects office for months, after the Globe and Mail reported the office was recruiting from Bay Street.

At an April meeting of a special joint committee reviewing the government’s Bill C-5 — the Building Canada Act — Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin asked Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc whether it was common practice to have a private company top up the salaries of government employees.

Staff from the major projects office said the federal government has had an interchange program since the 1970s to bring in private-sector employees with specific expertise, and reimburses their employers for part of their salaries.

“This mechanism already exists within the public service to hire individuals on a temporary basis in order to benefit from expertise and experience that differ from those found in the public service,” said Louise Baird, vice president of strategic policy and coordination at the major projects office.

“Under this program, the government reimburses the salary. All criteria comply with the law and Treasury Board guidelines. We adhere to all of those guidelines and authorities in terms of any compensation that we’re providing.”

In a statement issued to The Canadian Press Wednesday, the Privy Council Office said as of Oct. 1, there were 41 employees brought into the major projects office through the exchange program.

During the joint committee’s last meeting on Monday, LeBlanc wouldn’t disclose which companies the employees were from. He said they come from the transportation, banking and electricity sectors, along with some federal or territorial government offices.

“Two-thirds, I was told, are people on secondment from the federal public service,” LeBlanc told the committee.

“But to be careful, one shouldn’t assume the other third are all private sector employees. Because if you’re loaned from the government of a territory, you’d be in that one-third as well, for example.”

Government officials have strongly denied any conflicts of interest with the staff at the major projects office.

At a meeting of the House of Commons committee on the environment last week, major projects office CEO Dawn Farrell told MPs that senior officials like her consult the Parliamentary ethics commissioner, but other employees have “been cleared” through human resources within the Privy Council Office.

“There are no conflicts of employees with these employees,” Farrell said, responding to questions from Conservative MP Branden Leslie.

“It’s all been cleared. It’s all been cleared. We clear every single employee, and they have to sign disclosures, and they have to disclose which areas where they might be conflicted, and they cannot work on any projects where there are conflicts.”

Leslie said the screenings are done “in house” but Farrell said those doing the reviews are independent.

“The employees sign off on their conflicts and cannot work on anything they’re conflicted on,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2026.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press