Evidence of meeting #108 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 contract.
A video is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Can you talk to us a bit about that, for those who aren't initiated in the IT world?
Partner, GC Strategies
Yes. For example, if I were to do a side-by-side comparison of the same requirements with this experience, it sounds kind of like people want to work for a private sector firm that has beanbags and all these other perks that come from working at this job. I feel like it's a harder sell to try to get somebody to come and work in a public sector job.
Liberal
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
Are the salaries bigger in the private sector or the public sector?
Partner, GC Strategies
They're bigger in the private sector.
There used to be a desire to come and work for the government—you have your pension and so forth—but the problem now is that the delta between the two is such that you can work in the private sector and save your money, and you'll be in a better environment and have just as much as if you had a pension.
Liberal
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
You mentioned Veritaaq. You worked for Veritaaq, which is a company that was operating long before 2015. I'm looking at this. It received hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts from the previous—
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Let me just interrupt you, Mr. Kusmierczyk. You have about 45 seconds left, sir. I'm sorry.
Liberal
Irek Kusmierczyk Liberal Windsor—Tecumseh, ON
I will move to my motion, then, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the heads-up.
We heard a lot of discussion today about vendors and suppliers coming together to design the mandatory criteria, and the concerns that were outlined by the Auditor General and the ombudsman that this might actually artificially reduce competition. Competition is something serious, which we have raised a number of times, even today, around this table.
We have a Competition Bureau commissioner here in Canada. I'd like to hear from Mr. Boswell, the Competition Bureau commissioner. The reason I say that is it's the role of the Competition Bureau commissioner to ensure fair competition and to enforce fair competition, but also to provide advice to tendering agencies on how to protect the competitive process.
I would also add that the Competition Bureau commissioner recently released what's called the collusion risk assessment tool.
I think the Competition Bureau commissioner would provide some incredible light and information on securing and protecting competition and the procurement process, so I move:
That the committee invite the Competition Bureau commissioner to appear for two hours on government procurement processes and address issues of competition, fair bidding, bid rigging and how tendering authorities can protect the competitive bidding process.
I think we would absolutely benefit from speaking with the Competition Bureau commissioner.
Conservative
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Chair, I think there's unanimous support for this motion. I don't want to take time away from our limited time with the witness, so I think if you put the question now, you'll find there's unanimous support for this and we can just move on.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
I think we were at that point before your intervention, but thank you.
Colleagues, are we comfortable with that? We could maybe even do it in parallel to the red tape reduction or as part of the red tape reduction study.
We seem to have unanimous consent.
(Motion agreed to)
Thank you, Mr. Kusmierczyk. I appreciate that.
We're now going to Mr. Barrett, I believe, or Mr. Genuis.
Mr. Genuis, please, go ahead, sir.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Thank you.
Mr. Firth, how many contracts do you currently have with the Government of Canada?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay. Is it not the case that you have one outstanding one that ends at the end of March?
Partner, GC Strategies
No. That was cancelled. The resources were pulled off the project.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
This is because you've been suspended from getting certain kinds of contracts with the government. Is that correct? You've been suspended, but not outright banned.
Is that accurate?
Partner, GC Strategies
That's correct. We've been suspended. We've lost our security clearances as well, so we cannot actually do that work or any work—
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay. How were you informed about this change to your procurement status?
Partner, GC Strategies
At first, we found out in the House of Commons, when the minister declared it, but we weren't aware of it. Secondly, PSPC let us know.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
The minister said it before the contract had actually been cancelled.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay. What was the lag time between the minister saying it had happened and when it actually happened?
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Okay. It happened the same day.
Who from PSPC contacted you?
Partner, GC Strategies
Can I get that to you? I don't have that in front of me right now.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Can you get it to us by five o'clock?