Evidence of meeting #109 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 company.
A video is available from Parliament.
11:50 a.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Is this the same Mr. Jarvis who was a manager at Lixar, then at BDO when the company subsequently took over Lixar?
11:50 a.m.
Bloc
Julie Vignola Bloc Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Is Mr. Jarvis, a former GC Strategies employee, the same Mr. Jarvis who worked for Lixar, a company taken over by BDO, where Mr. Jarvis now works?
11:50 a.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
Yes, Wes Jarvis did work as an employee for GC Strategies.
11:50 a.m.
Conservative
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Anthony, did you sign the $13.9-million contract with the CBSA?
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
You sign contracts for your projects, and Mr. Firth signs contracts for his projects. Is that roughly how it works?
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
As chief security officer, are you responsible for the security clearance for not only the resources that you compile but also for GC Strategies itself?
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
At the time that the $13.9-million contract with the CBSA was signed by Mr. Firth, were you aware that there was a capability requirement for safeguarding documents associated with that contract?
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
How do you, as chief security officer, review the security requirements of contracts that Mr. Firth negotiates with the government, or do you?
11:50 a.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I do. Once we get a contract awarded, we see what is required and if we need to add any additional security.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Did you review the $13.9-million contract for security requirements after Mr. Firth signed it?
11:50 a.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
After it was awarded, that document security clearance was not required.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
I don't believe that was the case. I think that the requirement was removed something like 14 months after the document was signed. I assume that work was already taking place on the contract at that point. Is that not correct?
11:50 a.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I believe work was ongoing on that project, but I don't think it required document safeguarding.
11:50 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
With regard to the contract itself, the Auditor General and the procurement ombud have both found that in order to sign the contract, GC Strategies needed to have the specific security clearance. You are the chief security officer, but you were not aware of that requirement prior to Mr. Firth's signing the contract, and you did not review the contract for security requirements prior to his signing it. Is that correct?
11:55 a.m.
NDP
Taylor Bachrach NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
What part of chief security officer involves the security part? I'm having trouble.... I'm struggling with this question of how you actually exercise that role with regard to the contracts that your company signs. I'm also unclear as to why you and Mr. Firth don't have separate companies, because it seems that you're not actually working on the same projects, nor are you actually exercising your role as security officer when it comes to the work that Mr. Firth is bringing in to the company. Help me understand how this all works.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
11:55 a.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
The document safeguarding was not required for that contract.
11:55 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Thanks very much.
Mr. Berthold, go ahead, sir. Welcome back to OGGO.