Government Operations Committee on Dec. 3rd, 2024

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Can I infer from what you're saying that a decision hasn't been made yet on whether to actually implement this motion? If you're continually looking at it, that sounds like you're saying that you might, but you haven't decided yet.

[Anita Anand]

As I said, I'm very committed to ensuring that we have stringent rules in place relating to the directive on conflict of interest. With other ministers, we'll continually look at how that can be strengthened and improved.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I don't think we got a clear answer. I would think that you could simply affirm that you would implement the motion that you voted in favour of in the House—voted unanimously in favour of. I hope we will still see a ban on double-dipping, but it seems like there's not a clear commitment to do that.

For my next question, the company started by Randy Boissonnault, GHI, has been suspended from getting government contracts. We think it should be banned permanently. Can you update us on why it was suspended and on whether the government is going to ban it completely?

[Anita Anand]

This would be a question for Minister Duclos at PSPC rather than me, given that he has purview over government contracting.

I will say that the individual in question has, I understand, agreed to come to committee to answer questions, and I believe that question could be posed to him. In addition—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Is the individual in question Randy?

[Anita Anand]

I believe that the individual will be coming to committee.

In terms of the banning of contracts, which was the heart of your question, I will take that question back to Minister Duclos, but the company—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I would love to see Randy at committee, by the way.

I have one final question I want to ask in the time we have left. Indigenous leaders have repeatedly told this committee that indigenous identity fraud is rampant in government and that the proportion of real indigenous businesses that get contracts isn't 5%; it's closer to 1%.

How many businesses have been denied contracts or have faced consequences for indigenous identity fraud?

[Anita Anand]

I would agree that identity fraud is painful and harmful. In terms of the numbers relating to companies denied contracts because they're not on the list, I don't have that information.

[Bill Matthews]

If I could, Mr Chair, I can give—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I want to clarify that, though. It's not because they're not on the list, but because of indigenous identity fraud. That could be companies that misrepresented themselves in order to get onto the list or that claim to be indigenous businesses when they were not. We have, I think, over 1,000 businesses that have been taken off that list. There may be various reasons, but one of them could be indigenous identity fraud.

How many businesses have faced consequences or have been denied contracts for indigenous identity fraud?

[Bill Matthews]

I'll give you a partial answer, Mr. Chair.

ISC, the department responsible for the actual list, does pre-contract audits as well as post-contract audits. The latest information I have is that it has done 14 audits, in terms of pre-award audits. Two have been found non-compliant. There are 16 other post-award audits under way. There are no results yet.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

That's not really an answer about consequences, but two out of 14 companies that were audited were found to be non-compliant. That's not as high a proportion as we're hearing from indigenous leaders, but two out of 14 is still fairly significant.

Have there been any consequences for those two?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

I'm afraid that is our time.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Can we get a follow-up in writing? Have there been any consequences for those two?

Frankly, I suspect there haven't been.

[Anita Anand]

We'll find out for you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

We'll now go to Mr. Kusmierczyk, for five minutes, please.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you so much, Minister, for joining us here once again and for your testimony.

I want to begin by talking about housing. It's a big issue, obviously, in communities, as well as in my community, and really across Canada. We're seeing signs that the programs we've put forward are working. Our community in the town of Tecumseh has availed itself of the housing accelerator fund. There is the apartment construction loan program, and we're reducing the GST off of purpose-built rentals.

You're seeing, for example, in Windsor, university student housing being built at the University of Windsor. There are 400 units being built. You're seeing, for example, the Gateway project, which was a partnership with a private investor. It's a private developer-led project that is creating 99 homes, of which about 30 are affordable in the town of Tecumseh. It's a beautiful building. The Meadowbrook project, is the first public housing project built in Windsor-Essex in the last 30 years. There are about 145 affordable units there.

We're seeing these signs of housing getting built, which is a complete reversal from when the Conservatives were in power. They didn't build a damn thing. Not only that, but they're talking about actually cutting the housing accelerator fund and other such programs. It's even to the point right now where Conservative MPs are forbidden by their leader from talking about the housing accelerator fund. I mean, this is the most important issue right now facing young people in my community and across Canada.

Minister, what do we have inside these supplementary estimates that addresses housing directly?

[Anita Anand]

It is concerning that members of that caucus cannot deliver support, such as funding for housing projects in their very own ridings. However, with regard to the numbers, we have $135.9 million for the Canada housing benefit, $99.3 million for the affordable housing fund, and $27.4 million for the co-op housing development program.

You can see how seriously our government takes addressing the affordable housing issue. We would very much like to see all members of the House supporting these initiatives.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Thank you so much for that response, Minister.

I want to now turn to Ukraine. We had a chance, when you were in Windsor a few months ago, to meet with the Ukrainian community in Windsor-Essex at the Polish hall, if you recall. There are 12,000-plus Ukrainians who call Windsor-Essex home in my community. It's a big community. They've obviously been following the situation in Ukraine very closely. They see the investments we're making in military support, financial support and humanitarian support. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our Ukrainian friends here in Canada and, obviously, in Ukraine and abroad.

I also had a chance to meet with the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, just last week. We talked about the importance of continuing to make investments to support Ukraine and stand in solidarity.

Can you speak about some of the investments in these estimates that support Ukraine and also support the Canadian Armed Forces?

[Anita Anand]

Certainly. There is $763 million for military aid to Ukraine; $659 million for air crew training; $561 million for the Canadian multi-mission aircraft project; and $299 million for sustaining the Halifax-class frigates. These are all items that are in our supplementary estimates.

Again, it is surprising that opposition members can't find it within themselves to vote in favour of supports for the Canadian Armed Forces, or for Ukraine that is fighting for democracy within its own borders, as well as in the world at large.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

I have one final question, actually, for Mr. Matthews.

Peter Julian, from the NDP, stated on Twitter that “Conservative MPs arrived drunk at the House of Commons last...night.... They screamed, disrupted proceedings [so] that parliamentary pages” had to be ushered out of the lobby—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I have a point of order here.

Chair, this is just obviously BS. The lies Peter Julian tells on Twitter are, frankly, beneath Mr. Kusmierczyk to repeat. If they're not beneath him, they're certainly beneath this committee.

We have a minister of the Crown here for an hour and this is the garbage you come up with.

I expect so much better of you and I thought so much better of you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thanks, Mr. Genuis.

Finish up, Mr. Kusmierczyk, please.

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

I just want to ask, on the topic of pages having to be apparently ushered out of the House of Commons chamber—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

This is not on topic.