Evidence of meeting #105 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 cbsa.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
It was shared through counsel.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You did not have a direct conversation with members of the committee.
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
We have had direct conversations with that member of the committee, but we did not share elements—
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You've been having conversations with a member of this committee. The investigator appeared before this committee without other members of the committee having information at hand or having seen those documents, and then there was questioning of the issues within that document that we did not want to be—
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
To each witness, have you directly, or through your legal counsel, confirmed that you will participate with the CBSA director general's security and professional standards investigation, yes or no?
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
He's not a director general. He's an executive director and he's not a lead investigator, but we have confirmed in writing with him more than three times that we are willing to participate.
We're just looking for a fair shot.
12:30 p.m.
Director General, Information Technology Branch, Canada Revenue Agency, As an Individual
We want to add, on the record, sir, that we've asked for disclosure. We've asked for the original allegations. We've asked for our ATIPs to be processed. We only got a copy of this PSF because of a motion here at OGGO. That was not disclosed to us during or before the request to come in for an interview.
We've always articulated that we are ready and willing to participate, but let's have a fair and transparent interview, and let's have that disclosure, as we've requested.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. MacDonald, do you know Caleb White?
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
No, I don't believe I do.
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
Yes.
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Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Okay.
Had you felt any pressure from your superiors to select GC Strategies?
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
No, there was no pressure.
I'd proposed the firm Deloitte. Mr. Utano and his team proposed GC Strategies. The two proposals, mine and his, were sent to Mr. Doan. Apparently, the decision was made with the president, but it was Mr. Doan who advised me of the decision to work with GC Strategies.
Once the decision was made, it was our job to achieve the required deliverables.
12:30 p.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
There was no pressure as such from Mr. Doan to select GC Strategies.
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
Minh Doan and I disagreed about Deloitte. Actually, Mr. Doan said that the firm was in the penalty box, but it wasn't a discussion subject to duress or harassment. At that time, it was really—
12:30 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
That's a good question. It was Kelly Belanger and Carol Sabourin.
Kelly Belanger was director general of project management. She was responsible for providing cloud computing and tools for the project. The suggestion to use OnePlan came from them. They were the ones who talked to Mr. Firth and the other consultants working on the file. The scope—
12:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Canada, COVID and Pandemic Response Secretariat, As an Individual
We weren't the ones who wrote—
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
