Conservatives ask lobbying commissioner to investigate Copps

“I’m not a lobbyist for anybody.”

Sheila Copps Former Liberal minister

OTTAWA — The Conservatives are asking the commissioner of lobbying to investigate if former Liberal Minister Sheila Copps broke the law last spring when she reached out to the government regarding a COVID-19 “procurement opportunity.”

But Copps told the National Post that she ran any personal protection equipment (PPE) purchasing discussions she had with government by the lobbying commissioner’s office, who she claims told her by phone that it was not necessary for her to register as a lobbyist.

“There’s nothing for the lobbying commissioner to look into, because the lobbying commissioner’s office told me I should not register,” said Copps, who co-founded her own PPE company last year. “I’m not a lobbyist for anybody.”

The commissioner of lobbying’s office said they could not confirm or deny that information because those discussions are confidential.

At issue for Conservative MP Michael Barrett, who penned the letter to the commissioner of lobbying, are two emails sent by staff of Procurement Minister Anita Anand’s office on March 23 and 30, 2020, which were recently released to a federal committee.

In the first email, titled “Sheila Copps procuring masks from China,” a staffer at Anand’s Oakville office wrote to the minister that Copps “has a source for supplies” and that she was hoping to speak to the minister or one of her staff.

In another email chain one week later, following an email by Copps on a separate issue, one of Anand’s staff confirms to her colleagues that “we were speaking with (Copps) before on a procurement opportunity.”

Copps said this week she had tried to put the government in contact with a 3M-brand mask manufacturer in Vietnam because it was nearly impossible to get them from the U.S. at a time when Canadian hospitals were in dire need. Ultimately, the project fell through after a few months, she added.

“I was just responding to the government’s plea to businesses for help securing and producing PPE,” she said.

A spokesperson for the procurement minister confirmed that Copps’ company never received a federal contract for masks or any other COVID19-related equipment last spring.

“Neither the Minister nor Minister’s office is involved in the contract award process, and this applies to the matter raised. We have, however, confirmed with the department that no contracts were awarded through PSPC with respect to any of the initiatives brought forward,” Cecely Roy said by email.