NCC Refuses to Disclose Nature of Board Member's Gatineau Park Conflict

Summary: The National Capital Commission must disclose the full nature of the conflict of interest one of its board members has in Gatineau Park.

Chelsea, December 4, 2009 – The Gatineau Park Protection Committee is saying the National Capital Commission has a moral obligation to disclose all the facts regarding a board member's conflict of interest in Gatineau Park.

Minutes of the NCC Board Meeting of February 13, 2009, confirm director Robert Tennant had to recuse himself from a discussion of Gatineau Park property acquisitions, having declared a conflict of interest in that regard.[i]

Mr. Tennant is a managing partner with FoTenn Consultants, an Ottawa-based land use planning and urban design consulting firm. He has been an NCC board member since March 2007.[ii]

"This begs the question as to the nature of Mr. Tennant's conflict of interest. Does he own property in Gatineau Park; might he profit from any NCC property acquisitions, in particular those discussed at the February 13 meeting? And if he does own land in the park, doesn't this potentially cloud his views regarding the role private property should play there?" said GPPC co-chair Andrew McDermott.

According to the Conflict of Interest Act, public office holders must recuse themselves from any discussion, decision, debate or vote on matters that would place them in a conflict of interest.[iii]The Act also says public office holders will be in conflict if they use their positions to promote their interests or those of friends or relatives, or to improperly further another person's interests.

To determine the nature of Mr. Tennant's conflict, the GPPC made an access to information request on September 28, 2009. Predictably, the response it got from the NCC was evasive, saying that "Mr. Tennant is not a reporting public office holder as [...] defined in the Conflict of Interest Act [and that] apart from recusing himself, as he did on the record, he has no further reporting or disclosure obligation."[iv]

"Although the NCC says Mr. Tennant is under no obligation to disclose the nature of his conflict of interest in Gatineau Park, the public has a right to know all the facts about this," said Mr. McDermott. "Continued evasion will only raise another red flag of suspicion on the NCC, an agency that lost all credibility with the public," he added.

"Besides, such a conflict of interest only reinforces the perception that the NCC is run for and by Gatineau Park landowners, in violation of its own mandate and commitments," said Mr. McDermott.

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Information: Andrew McDermott: 819-827-1803

Backgrounder
NCC answer to question on Mr. Tennant's
Conflict of interest
(October 28, 2009 email)

Please be advised that the only record that the NCC possesses that is responsive to your request is the minutes of the meeting of the Board of Directors of February 13, 2009, containing the declaration of Robert Tennant. It should be noted that potential conflicts of interest are dealt with by the federal Conflict of Interest Act. Section 21 of the Conflict of Interest Act stipulates that a public office holder shall recuse himself or herself from any discussion, decision, debate or vote on any matter in respect of which he or she would be in a conflict of interest."

Furthermore, the Conflict of Interest Act imposes additional obligations on reporting public office holders. Mr. Tennant is not a reporting public office holder as that term is defined in the Conflictof Interest Act. Accordingly, apart from recusing himself, as he did on the record, he has no further reporting or disclosure obligation.

We hope the information provided is helpful. Should you have additional questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Public Affairs
National Capital Commission
Record #3037455

[i] National Capital Commission, Minutes of meeting No. C-200903, Friday, February 13, 2009, p.4, http://www.capcan.ca/data/2/rec_docs/21817_In-camera-minutes-090213.pdf

[ii] http://www.fotenn.com/firm.htm.

[iii] Conflict of Interest Act, Section 21, 2006, c.9, s. 2, http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-36.65/20091107/page-0.html?rp2=HOME&rp3=SI&rp1=conflict%20of%20interest%20act&rp4=all&rp9=cs&rp10=L&rp13=50#idhit6

[iv] NCC ATIP A-2009/10-00053.

La CCN refuse de dévoiler le conflit d'intérêts de l'un de ses directeurs

Chelsea, le 4 décembre 2009 – Le Comité pour la protection du parc de la Gatineau exige que la Commission de la capitale nationale dévoile tous les faits relatifs au conflit d'intérêts touchant l'un de ses directeurs et portant sur le parc de la Gatineau.

Le procès-verbal de la réunion du conseil de la CCN du 13 février 2009 confirme que le directeur Robert Tennant a du se récuser d'une discussion portant sur l'acquisition de terrains dans le parc de la Gatineau, ayant déclaré un conflit d'intérêts à cet égard.[i]

Monsieur Tennant est associé gérant avec FoTenn Consultants, un cabinet de consultants en aménagement foncier et design urbain situé à Ottawa.[ii] Il est membre du conseil d'administration de la CCN depuis le mois de mars 2007.

« Cette situation soulève des questions quant à la nature du conflit d'intérêts touchant M. Tennant. Possède-t-il des terrains dans le parc de la Gatineau; pourrait-il profiter de l'acquisition de terrains par la CCN, en particulier ceux ayant fait l'objet de discussions lors de la réunion du 13 février dernier? Et s'il possède des terrains dans le parc, cela mine-t-il son objectivité relative au besoin de retrancher les propriétés privées s'y trouvant? » a demandé le coprésident du CPPG, Andrew McDermott.

Aux termes de la Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts, les titulaires de charges publiques doivent se récuser de toutes discussions, décisions, débats ou votes pouvant les placer en situation de conflit.[iii] La Loi déclare aussi que les titulaires de charges publiques se trouvent en conflit d'intérêts lorsqu'ils utilisent leur poste pour favoriser leurs intérêts ou ceux de parents et amis, ou s'ils favorisent les intérêts de toute autre personne de façon irrégulière.

Afin d'identifier la nature précise du conflit touchant M. Tennant, le CPPG a fait une demande d'accès à l'information le 28 septembre dernier. Comme il fallait s'y attendre, la CCN lui a donné une réponse brumeuse, disant que « M. Tennant n'est pas un titulaire de charge publique principal [...] aux termes de la Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts. À part se récuser comme il l'a fait et comme l'indique le procès verbal, M. Tennant n'est pas tenu de produire un rapport de divulgation [iv]».

« Bien que Monsieur Tennant ne soit pas obligé de dévoiler la nature de son conflit d'intérêts relatif au parc de la Gatineau, le public est en droit d'avoir l'heure juste à cet égard et la CCN a le devoir moral de lui donner », de dire M. McDermott. « En continuant d'offrir des réponses fuyantes, la CCN ne fera qu'attiser la méfiance du public qui a perdu toute confiance en elle depuis belle lurette », a-t-il ajouté.

« D'ailleurs, un tel conflit d'intérêts ne fait que renforcer la perception que la CCN est gérée par et pour les propriétaires privés du parc, en violation de son propre mandat et de ses obligations », de conclure M. McDermott.

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Renseignements : Andrew McDermott, 819-827-1803

[i] Commission de la capital nationale, procès verbal de la réunion C-200903, vendredi le 13 février 2009, p. 4,

http://www.capcan.ca/data/2/rec_docs/21817_In-camera-minutes-090213.pdf.

[ii] http://www.fotenn.com/firm.htm.

[iii] Loi sur les conflits d'intérêts, Article 21, 2006, c.9, s. 2, http://laws.justice.gc.ca/eng/C-36.65/20091107/page-0.html?rp2=HOME&rp3=SI&rp1=conflict%20of%20interest%20act&rp4=all&rp9=cs&rp10=L&rp13=50#idhit6

[iv] CCN, Demande d'accès à l'information no. A-2009/10-00053

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