Thank you, Chair.
First of all, I would like to thank the leader of the official opposition for the birthday card he gave me last week. Those well wishes were very well received. I'm grateful for that.
I want to follow up on my colleagues' comments.
I think this motion follows a theme we've had in this committee, and that is to search for accountability, not only from departments, but also, fundamentally, from ministers. It would have been my desire to have seen the ministers of all departments that had contracts with GC Strategies show up at this committee, but unfortunately, we didn't have that opportunity.
Given this report, specifically at Global Affairs Canada it behooves us to call in the minister to defend the procurement within this department. I would encourage all departments to conduct the same exercise within their respective departments, to really look at what is going on in their departments and to look at how money is being spent. That is fundamentally what this committee is about: ensuring that the funds that were granted, out of trust, by the Canadian people were well spent by departments that are overseen by ministers. To me, the appearance of the minister would absolutely be in alignment with the mandate of this committee and the oversight for which this committee has the responsibility.
My second point comes from my personal experience as a management consular officer at Foreign Affairs Canada, which was then DFAIT, which was then DFATD and which is now Global Affairs Canada. The audit team at Global Affairs Canada is the best there is. They go into missions and departments, and they leave no stone unturned, in terms of their evaluation. I can truly say that their work is invaluable, and I give them thanks and credit for shining this light on the department and for having the courage to bring this information forward.
Really, the job of a bureaucrat, and I was proudly one for close to a decade and a half, is not only to do the work of the Canadian people but also to speak truth to power. I feel that, in bringing this forward, this brave group of public servants at Global Affairs Canada is bringing truth to power. I was also very proud to be the interim director of a sister group of this audit group during my time at Global Affairs Canada.
I am in strong support of the quality and the objective of this work and I give thanks for it. I would like the minister to be held to account for what this outstanding group uncovered.
My final comment is that certainly the ongoing role of the Minister of Foreign Affairs has been one of relations external to Canada, which, my colleagues would agree with me, I believe, we have seen to be reactive. Those relations have not been consistent. They have not come from a place of consistent values, as we saw with the previous government, the Harper government. I'm very excited about the return to a values-based foreign affairs platform in a future Poilievre government.
However, what the minister did make as her mandate was the revitalization of Global Affairs Canada, and with that, supposedly, a new hope that the members of the Canadian foreign service and the public servants at Global Affairs Canada could have faith in the work their department is doing, yet this audit team uncovered cracks, faults and areas that need to be improved upon.
Global Affairs Canada serves as the emissary of Canada to the world and, therefore, serves as a foundation of values for Canada. One of the fundamental values of Canada under a Poilievre government would be value for money, yet this procurement report did not show that this was so and did not show that this work was always conducted in an ethical manner. If this is being conducted in this manner at the very heart of our foreign policy, that's a problem.
Canadians deserve answers from the chief diplomat—from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We need to bring her in here to be held to account for what this incredible audit team uncovered. I think it's very important as it serves as a beacon not only within the government itself currently—to show that they are willing to account for their work and improve upon it—but at the very foundation of our values here in Canada.
Global Affairs Canada is supposed to act as a guiding light for the rest of Canada. In this instance, that was not the case. We need the Minister of Foreign Affairs here to account for that
Thank you very much.