Finance Committee on Aug. 12th, 2020

Evidence of meeting #50 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cabinet.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Government spending, WE Charity and the Canada Student Service Grant

Members speaking

Before the committee

Carla Qualtrough Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Benoît Robidoux Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Employment and Social Development

Mary Ng Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion

Marc Tassé Senior Advisor, Canadian Centre of Excellence for Anti-Corruption, University of Ottawa, As an Individual

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Did your office share that proposal with any other office in the government?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

I don't believe so.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Earlier you said that it did.

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

We received the proposal—

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Yes, I know that. That wasn't the question. Did you share it with other ministerial offices?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

I would not have.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Did your office?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

My office would have consulted the relevant offices on the social entrepreneurship program.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Did they ever share it with anyone in the bureaucracy?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

The proposal was shared with the bureaucracy, yes.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Which departments?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

With ISED, which is the department that supports me in my capacity on the small business side.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Okay. And with ESDC, PCO or Finance?

August 12th, 2020 / 5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

Not to my knowledge.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

All right.

Other than this April 7 meeting with Mr. Kielburger, has your office had any other communications with the Kielburgers since that time?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

As I said in my notes earlier, my office would have had subsequent interaction with Ms. Marquez from WE.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Did your office ever communicate with WE, or vice versa, regarding student service programming?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

No, my office did not.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Did you or your office communicate with WE, or vice versa, about any other program proposal, idea or initiative other than the social entrepreneurship proposal?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

No, we did not.

5 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

You claim that the social entrepreneur proposal was different from the Canada student service grant proposal. Previous public servants have claimed that one transitioned into the other, that the first was adapted into the second. Which is it? Were they two separate proposals or were they one that morphed into the other?

5 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

We received a concept paper first. That was then updated on the social entrepreneurship program. That is what we received from WE.

5:05 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

Was it transformed into a student service proposal?

5:05 p.m.

Liberal

Mary Ng Liberal Markham—Thornhill, ON

I would not have any knowledge of that.