Public Accounts committee  There could be a long debate here about the rules of the accounting officer vis-à-vis the minister's office. But I have to emphasize that under section 34, the minister or his designate must certify that the goods and services have been received. Then, on the role of the departme

Public Accounts committee  Can I just clarify? I think due process has been followed, but again, under the Financial Administration Act and the guidelines provided, the minister is accountable here for the funds used in his or her office. The guidelines have stipulated that in the case of contracts, it is

Public Accounts committee  Yes, I do.

Public Accounts committee  When it comes to the contracting policy or the regulations of the Treasury Board policy, there are a number of conditions that apply. Departments are given certain authorities to contract up to a certain limit, and that depends very much on the nature of the contract. For example

Public Accounts committee  What I've said is that the minister had authority to enter into a contract up to $100,000. In exercising that authority, the minister has to ensure, if it's a sole-source contract, that the bidding process is required, except in four circumstances where a sole-source contract can

Public Accounts committee  Perhaps, Mr. Chair, I could go first.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, good morning. I was invited to appear before this committee today to address your questions on the role of the Treasury Board and its secretariat in regards to government procurement. As the government's management board, one of the T

Government Operations committee  Madam Chair, I'm not prepared to comment on any aspect of those particular accusations.

Government Operations committee  Again, we had our lawyers, who are lawyers with the Department of Justice, review the contract. They provided us with their advice and we made the determination. You're referring to a certain clause, and I'm not going to comment on a specific clause. We made the determination t

Government Operations committee  Madam Chair, when the honourable member says “internal” review, I assume he's referring to the review of the contract that was provided to the minister. Madam Chair, yes, we did brief the minister on the review we undertook and the determination we made.

Government Operations committee  Again, I don't think I can get into those details vis-à-vis the current claim. That is now subject to a legal dispute, so I do not want to comment on that.

Government Operations committee  In fact, Madam Chair, I did write Mr. Kirkpatrick and provided him with the decision of the Treasury Board, including our assessment of whether there were penalties in the agreement or not.

Government Operations committee  Again, the Treasury Board Secretariat is not the main proponent of the project.

Government Operations committee  I was not the lead hand on this project.

Government Operations committee  The secretariat has a very specific role as the board. I've outlined what that role was. As I indicated, the Treasury Board provided authority to the Minister of Transport and the Department of Transport to enter into the contract agreement.