Hon. Denise Batters: Senator Marshall, going back to this non-existent corporation, did I understand you correctly that not only will this non-existent corporation the government is creating under Bill C-32 receive $2 billion by virtue of this bill, but it will also potentially receive additional unspecified money? If so, is there a limit put on that unspecified amount?

Senator Batters: I was also quite shocked to see the response that you received from Finance Minister Freeland when you questioned her about this non-existent corporation last week at the Senate Finance Committee. As Blacklock’s reported, you asked her:

. . . $2 billion with no explanation within the bill over how the $2 billion is going to be controlled. The company is not even created. What are you going to buy shares in? There is no company yet.

Minister Freeland replied that the green transition is essential. Blacklock’s reported: “The finance minister did not explain why the measure was not detailed in a separate bill.”

Senator Marshall, I’m recalling the early days of the COVID pandemic. The Trudeau government used one of their early pieces of legislation to create what I called at the time the “giant government corporation” — the ability to buy massive corporations to use them for government purposes. At that point, they were able to create a corporation. Why didn’t they do a similar thing with this?