Jaffer didn't lobby for us, waste firm says

The waste management firm at the centre of allegations againstRahim Jaffer saysit never hired the former Conservative MP to lobby the federal government for access to agreen infrastructure fund.

Jaffer has been accused of using histies with formergovernment colleaguesin an attempt togain access to the green fund foralternative energyprojects pitched by his firm, Green Power Generation Corp., without registering as a lobbyist.

In a statement to CBC News on Friday, Wright Tech Systems chair Jim Wright said his company"never had any financial dealings" with Jaffer or Toronto businessman Nazim Gillani.

Jaffer'swife, former cabinet minister Helena Guergis, hasbeen accused of conflict of interest for writinga letter to local officials in her Ontario riding last September encouraging them to consider a presentation from Wright asan alternativeto a proposed landfill in the area.

Media reports havealleged Gillani was planning to take public the marketing arm of WrightTech, Green Rite Solutions Inc.

Jaffer and Gillani are alleged to have discussed plans for theRichmond Hill, Ont.-based company on the night last September that Jafferwas pulled over and charged with drunk driving and cocaine possession.

Documents releasedearlier this weekshowone ofthree proposalssubmittedto Brian Jean, parliamentary secretary to Transport and Infrastructure Minister John Baird,by Jaffer's firm listed Green Rite as the stakeholder in a proposed $480-million "shovel-ready" electricity generation and waste-disposalproject to be considered for the green fund.

Baird, who is in charge of thefund,hassaidhe never discussed any projects with Jaffer and insisted no federal money ever wenttoany proposals fromJaffer's firm.

The three proposals were signed by Jaffer's business partner, Patrick Glmaud, who faced a grilling along with Jaffer on Wednesday from MPs ata parliamentary committee examining the allegations of unregistered lobbying.

Jaffer metwithstaffer'on behalf' of company: Prentice

Opposition partieshavedemandedthe government disclose all contactConservative members and staffershave had with Jaffer since he was defeated in the2008 federal election in the Alberta riding ofEdmonton-Strathcona.

On Friday, Environment Minister Jim Prentice rose in the House of Commons on a point of order to disclose Jaffer met with his staff member, Scott Winger,and their discussions "involved representations byMr. Jaffer on behalf of a company."

Prentice said he felt it was his "obligation to advise the House" after learning about the discussion on Tuesday. He added his staffer has forwarded documents and details of the discussions to theethics and lobbying commissioners.

Liberal MP Wayne Easter called on Prentice to table the information forwarded to the lobbying commissioner in the House. When contacted by CBC News, Prentice's office said it was not releasing the documents.

Speaking to reporters outside the House following Prentice's disclosure, NDP MP Pat Martin said government ministers are now "scouring their calendars" to find any record of Jaffer approaching them.

"Now that they've made up their mind to throw Rahim under the bus they're going to go to great lengths to distance themselves from any record of contact,"Martin said.

During their testimony on Wednesday, Jaffer and Glmaud insisted they have never been paid for any lobbying activities and have never received a penny of funding from the government. They said they were confident the lobbying commissioner would clear their name.

Jaffer later described the committee as a "circus." In a letter to the committee after hisappearance,Glmaud suggested racism played a part in the committee's harsh treatmentof "two young Canadians who have not been found guilty of any crimes."

In early March, Jaffer pleaded guilty to careless driving and paid a $500 fine as part of a plea agreement that saw the more serious charges from his September arrest dropped.

Jaffer 'did not bring any substance'

In his statement, Wright said his company met with Gillani and Jaffer in the course of promoting their waste conversion technology in Canada and abroad to "assess potential financial opportunities." But Wright said at no time has either Gillani or Jaffer "had any financial interest in these companies."

"At no time have any payments of any kind been made between any of these parties,"Wright said."We certainly never discussed lobby efforts."

Wrightsaid Jaffer "appeared to always act in good faith but did not bring any substance to the discussions."He addedhis company terminated its involvementwith Green Power Generation "when it became apparent that in order to receive any funding, all of the effort was to be provided by Green Rite Solutions and Wright Tech."

Guergis,MP for the central Ontario riding of Simcoe-Grey, resigned from the Conservative cabinet and was kicked out of the party caucus earlier this month after Prime Minister Stephen Harper referred what he called "serious and credible allegations" to the RCMP.

Guergis has said there was "nothing unusual or improper" in her writing a letter of support for a constituent's company "in which neither I nor any member of my family have or had any interest, financial or otherwise."

In his statement Friday, Wright said he recalls talking with Guergis once over the telephone about the merits of his company's technology, and he called any conflict-of-interest allegations against her "misguided."