OTTAWA—The NDP says Conservative minister Tony Clement’s office edited an official parliamentary transcript, in an effort to hide a trail of documents showing he directed how $50 million in G8 funds should be spent in his riding.

MPs Charlie Angus and Alexandre Boulerice said municipal documents obtained by the NDP through provincial freedom-of-information legislation show Clement’s office had a direct hand in deciding which projects ended up getting about $45 million, contrary to testimony he gave a parliamentary committee.

Clement testified he played only a “coordinating role” and did not review the wish-list of 33 projects from mayors in his Muskoka riding. Clement said the list was whittled down from 242 by the mayors, and his office merely sent them to then-infrastructure minister John Baird. Clement insisted Wednesday in the Commons it was Baird who decided where the money would be spent.

But Angus, the NDP ethics critic, said: “This is simply not true.”

Moreover, Angus charged that Clement appeared to have changed the official parliamentary record, known as Hansard, to withdraw a verbal undertaking he made to the committee to provide all relevant documents. Clement rose after question period on a point of privilege to deny he or anyone in his office had made changes, and asked the Speaker to investigate to learn who did.

Asked at the committee to submit the “homemade piece of paper” on which Clement said the project wish-list was written, Clement had replied “sure” — which is reflected in the early draft, known as the “Blues.” But in the official Hansard transcript, Clement’s response has been edited out — at the instruction, Angus suggested, of Clement’s office.

Angus said corrections to the official record are allowed “on the boy scout’s code” to correct minor errors, not to substantively adjust or redact the record.

“He hid those documents from the auditor general, now he’s trying to change the historical record of Canada.”

In the Commons Wednesday, Clement insisted he “answered all of those questions fully and completely and to the best of my ability.”

“The record is very clear that I had no determinative role. I had a recommendation role as a local member of Parliament, but the decisions were made by the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.”

Clement said he gave all documents “in my purview” to the federal auditor general “who had access to all documentation.”

In fact, the federal auditor general complained of not having received sufficient documentation from the government to determine on what basis project funding was awarded. The auditor also found that Parliament was not informed that the money was taken from another fund intended to pay for border security upgrades.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, the NDP mocked Clement’s testimony that local municipalities came up with a list of 33 projects, and later eliminated one, bringing the final list to 32.

Angus said the 33rd project was a centennial centre in Gravenhurst. He said in an April 20, 2009, email to Clement’s riding officer manager Sondra Read, the chief administrative officer of Gravenhurst, Ont. provides an updated list of projects, including notification that the town — on Clement’s recommendation — is withdrawing its application to fund construction of a centennial centre.

“Minister Clement has advised that this project should be removed from the G8 project list and be included in the Town of Gravenhurst’s application for the Building Canada Fund (a national infrastructure fund) — on the advice of Minister Clement, please remove this project from the G8 project list.”

The documents show Read also put out the call to municipalities for funding applications, specifying the kinds of projects that were wanted.

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“I have been asked to put out a call for G8 submissions specific to the enhancement of the downtown area’s (sic) in each town and municipality,” Read wrote in a March 30, 2009, email to nine mayors and other municipal officials.

With files from Canadian Press