Government Operations Committee on Nov. 18th, 2010

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Please bring forward your point of order, Mr. Calandra.

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

If it's the intention of the opposition to try to score some extraordinarily cheap political points to try to salvage something in a by-election by trying to make a gentleman who has a 40-year career of serving my community as police chief, the people of Toronto as police chief, the people of London, the tenth-largest city of Canada, as police chief, and a 40-year, distinguished policing career.... If it's their intention solely to try to smear an individual to try to win some very cheap, disgusting political points at this committee, when we heard the OPP, who were here to talk about the fact that they're actually coming in under budget....

We're here to talk about the G-8 and G-20, not the Vaughan by-election.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Mr. Calandra, are you going to come to your point of order?

[Paul Calandra, Conservative, Oak Ridges—Markham, ON]

My point of order is that this is completely irrelevant. The Vaughan by-election is completely irrelevant. We'll let the people of Vaughan decide who the best person is. I'm going to suggest that a 40-year veteran of policing in this country, a hero to the people of Ontario, and somebody we will be able to rely on and that the people of Canada will be able to rely on.... If they want to score cheap political points, let them do it on the campaign trail and not in committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Calandra. That's not a point of order.

Mr. Regan, continue.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Mr. Chair, I don't know why a person who is so distinguished, according to Mr. Calandra, needs to hide behind Mr. Calandra and needs him to defend him. It's a simple question. I'm sure that Mr. Potter can answer it.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Mr. Regan, could you go back to the questioning please?

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Potter, I wonder if you would answer the question, sir.

[Mark Potter]

Thank you.

I'm very comfortable speaking to the policy and the process related to the due diligence surrounding the review of all partners' cost estimates, including the OPP in Ontario.

There was a lengthy process of due diligence. We had excellent relations with the OPP, with the Toronto Police Service, and with the other key partners, as did the RCMP, as I believe you've heard in previous testimony.

We carefully reviewed their estimates. Clearly, until a service is provided, you're not going to pay for it. Those partners are now in the process of collecting their invoices and doing the due diligence, on their part, with respect to salaries and so on for the services and support provided during the summits. They're pulling all this information together. They have until December 1 to submit that to us for final payment. It will then be audited, and on that basis, final payments will be made.

[Geoff Regan, Liberal, Halifax West, NS]

Again, it's nearly six months since the event, right? We don't have a single detail on this nearly $100 million. We have the details from all the other departments. From this big, huge, 10% or more of the overall spending, we have no data, no information whatsoever. Mr. Calandra says don't worry. Mr. Warkentin says that we're prepared to wait. Why shouldn't this committee hold your department in contempt? Give me one good reason.

[Mark Potter]

I'd be very happy to give you a sense of the expenditures associated with Ontario and the OPP. They are for police officer overtime and benefits. They are for regular salaries for full-time, dedicated resources in the planning and demobilization phases. They're for the specialized equipment required by the OPP: telecommunications, infrastructure and equipment, travel and accommodation, vehicle rentals, air and marine support, and fuel. These are the major categories.

Once we see the final invoices and they are audited, they will be shared with Parliament, and you will have a full opportunity to scrutinize the details further.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Potter.

Mr. Vincent, cinq minutes, s'il vous plaît.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chowdhury, where did the order to choose Huntsville as the G8 Summit headquarters come from? Who decided for you that Huntsville would be chosen? How was this city chosen? Who suggested you choose Huntsville?

[Sanjeev Chowdhury]

Mr. Chairman, this was before my time. Huntsville was announced quite a few years ago, but....

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Yes, of course.

[Sanjeev Chowdhury]

In 2008, a group of public servants....

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

No, that's all right. Excuse me sir, I am not asking you to hold forth at great length on this subject. I understand it was not you, but it would have been good for you to know who gave you this order. I know the location was chosen two years ago, but someone made the decision. If I read your department's press release, I see that it is the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade that was mentioning the resort, meeting rooms, accommodations, transportation network, airport, adequate security characteristics and the need to have it be as least disruptive as possible to the local companies and the public.

I understand that it is neither you nor your department that chose the region. Based on the press release, all the roads were redone, the airport was rebuilt. If enhanced security was the issue, it should have been held at the G20 Summit site. I am sure someone within your department told you that there had been an order issued to choose Huntsville. Who gave you this order?

[Sanjeev Chowdhury]

No, that's not correct. I would like to correct the record.

An interdepartmental committee made up of public servants from Public Works, RCMP, and DFAIT travelled around Canada and looked at five different sites in 2008, to see which ones would be appropriate to host a G-8 summit. We did a ranking, which we have released publicly, of different qualities of each of the communities to see which one could host a traditional G-8. Huntsville scored the highest in terms of the five areas we looked at, and that was the recommendation put forward.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, but I still have a doubt. I find this puzzling because if they had chosen that place by saying that it was the best and if millions of dollars were invested in infrastructure, I imagine that it was not the best place. And I still believe that an order was placed.

Who told Infrastructure Canada and Industry Canada to accept all those expenditures? Who ordered you to do this? Earlier, you mentioned Transport Canada and Industry Canada. Did some high ranking official tell you that all these expenditures, even though they were external...?

Mr. Conrad, you said that compensation must be given to the region. I have learned that it obtained a new arena, that the airport was refurbished by adding 88,000 square feet of surface and 2 extra storeys, all this for $30 million. Therefore, I think that we have been compensating with gusto.

Where did the order come from? Who said that all the other projects, in Barrie or elsewhere, for water pipes or other things, were accepted? During that period of time, all the other provinces and all the other municipalities in Canada had to turn to the Building Canada Fund and to the Economic Action Plan. All the others were separated out in shares of one third each. However, someone somewhere decided that this was not going to follow the same pattern as the other regions and the other provinces followed, and that it was not a serious matter if this was accepted for a few million dollars. Who told you to do this?

[Bryce Conrad]

It was not an order.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Someone told you to accept that without going through the economic action plan.

[Bryce Conrad]

As my colleague said earlier, a fund was set up for the G8.

[Robert Vincent, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Conrad, I understand that a fund was set up for the G8, but the fund that was set up was set up for Huntsville, where the G8 took place. Refurbishing a boat in a place 70 km away to make it into a restaurant, in my opinion, this was included in the G8 program. And it was not even ready.

Why were the people in Huntsville and the surrounding area granted favours at the expense of every other region of Canada? The municipalities, the province and the federal government each had to pay one third of the expenses. Now, in this case, the federal government paid everything. Nothing was left up to chance, everything in the region was renovated. Someone must have authorized these expenditures. Even if it was said that $50 million would be provided, someone said that you should not go through these programs. I would like to know who instructed you in this way.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Unfortunately, Mr. Vincent, your time is up.

Unfortunately, that question will have to go unanswered.

Mr. Holder, for five minutes, please.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Mr. Vincent.

Mr. Holder, please.