Evidence of meeting #109 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was company.
A video is available from Parliament.
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Do you know the rules around that? Is it supposed to be four?
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Let's say somebody signs off on what you've submitted over the portal, or wherever. Somebody has to sign those off, and it's public officials. Do you get a response from somebody?
2:15 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I don't have the name in front of me. I'm happy to go through my emails and send you the—
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Yes. Please submit which public officials sign off on what you submit.
Ultimately, what I've seen is that there are a lot of relationships here. You know the folks at Coradix. You know the folks at Dalian. You know others. You're a recruiter. You said you're a recruiter. Everyone out there seems to be sort of sharing their subcontractors, who probably work across other companies. Is that true?
2:15 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
Yes, that's true. Subcontractors are free to work with whomever they want.
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
Okay.
Now you have public officials signing off. There's a whole industry of people like you. You have all these subcontractors who probably, over time, become known. Everybody knows who's who. This brings me back to how everybody knows the system. It's been the same since 2003. It has not changed.
In a way, would it be accurate to say that everybody's colluding together to do this, whether it's what the price limits are and all of those things? Does everybody have the same pricing—
2:15 p.m.
Liberal
Parm Bains Liberal Steveston—Richmond East, BC
—and there's so much work to go around that it doesn't matter, and everybody can pick and choose? Whoever's not working on something, it's, “Hey, why don't you go here?”
Is everybody talking to one another, yes or no?
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
That's your time, Mr. Bains.
Are you able to offer a quick answer?
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Okay. Thanks very much.
I have Ms. Vignola, please, for two and a half minutes.
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Anthony, I want to come back to the procedural aspect and oversight. Was the work done by GC Strategies, specifically when it comes to ArriveCAN, overseen, validated and verified by the contracting authority, meaning the Canada Border Services Agency?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
As for you personally, within the framework of the ArriveCAN contracts, did anyone at all from the Canada Border Services Agency supervise you or ask you questions?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Are you telling me that you do not know if you received any questions about your work on ArriveCAN?
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Ah, I see, thank you. So, no one questioned you.
I am asking these questions to understand how GC Strategies and the numbered companies you own operate. In particular, I am trying to understand how one loses control over the management of public funds, which come from taxes paid by the public, and to know where those taxes go.
Part of the money received by GC Strategies was distributed to subcontractors, and another part went into your pockets. I will let you talk about the money that went into your pockets: Is it still in Canada?
2:20 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I'm not sure what you're referring to when you ask which one I have pocketed.
2:20 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Are the profits still in Canada, or were they sent elsewhere, to companies or trusts abroad? Is that money still in Canada?
2:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Thank you very much.
Mr. Bachrach, you have two and a half minutes, please, sir.