It’s just been revealed that 70% of companies who received money through Trudeau’s $8 billion Net Zero Accelerator initiative made no commitment to actually reduce emissions.

That’s according to Canada’s Environment Commissioner, Jerry V. DeMarco, who revealed that 12 of the 17 recipients of the multi-billion-dollar payday didn’t commit to doing anything like what was outlined in the initiative.

When grilled on the issue yesterday by Conservative MP Dan Mazier, DeMarco didn’t reveal the companies who received the cash without a commitment to net zero but did reiterate the 70% figure.

“So, I don’t have those reports with me this week… but if memory serves correctly, 12 of the 17 did not have commitments emissions reduction,” DeMarco said.

According to the GoC page for the Net Zero Accelerator initiative, the $8 billion in funding is intended to support large-scale investments in key industrial sectors to specifically ensure that Canada “remains competitive in a net-zero economy” and “reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions”.

You’d think a commitment to do both of these objectives would be mandatory if not standard, but for 70% of the companies involved in the initiative, Trudeau decided to give them a pass.

According to the page, those organizing the initiative, which is part of the larger Strategic Innovation Fund, are still taking business applications, so presumably, the entirety of the $8 billion in taxpayer funds hasn’t been wasted yet.

However, with Trudeau’s history of reckless spending, it’s likely only a matter of time.