Evidence of meeting #50 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 data.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:15 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
My understanding is there were three separate contracts, all prior to my time. One had two phases to it, but there were three different pieces of work, yes.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
One had two phases, so that's where I probably got the four from.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Were you involved in the decision to award McKinsey the infrastructure contracts?
5:15 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
No, I wasn't. Those all predate my time at the CIB. I wasn't here. I was working for the province at the time.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Do you know whether there was a request for a quote or a tender process involved in awarding McKinsey those contracts with the Infrastructure Bank?
5:15 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
I really can't speak to the procurement that was used in the days I wasn't an employee here and wasn't here for that. What I can tell you is we do have a really clear procurement policy that we follow, similar to other Crown corporations, and the government itself, I'm sure. We have—
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
Sorry, Mr. Cory; you're telling me you have a fair process, and there was no—
February 6th, 2023 / 5:15 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
That's correct.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
—unfair advantage given to McKinsey executives in deciding which company would get the contract with the Infrastructure Bank, but it just so happened that four contracts went to McKinsey from the Infrastructure Bank. You're telling me that other businesses had a fair shot at those contracts.
5:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
I'm telling you that they were several years before I was here, so I really can't comment on the procurement process, but we do have very clear procurement policies around best value for money. We use external advisers on our transactions because we're doing—
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
Leslyn Lewis Conservative Haldimand—Norfolk, ON
It's a coincidence.
Mr. Cory, the public sees this process as McKinsey stacking the Infrastructure Bank with their loyalists so that there could not be a fair tender process and so other companies would not have the same advantage because the Infrastructure Bank has been stacked with McKinsey loyalists. That's what the public sees.
Did you create a Chinese wall to ensure that McKinsey would not have this unfair advantage that the public is seeing?
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
5:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
I would say to the public that the fact of the matter is that not since any former McKinsey employees have worked at the CIB has McKinsey been hired to do a dollar's worth of work.
5:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
I'm sorry, but that is our time.
Mr Jowhari, go ahead, please.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Thank you.
Welcome to our committee, Mr. Cory.
I have a bunch of rapid questions. I'm hoping for quick responses, because I want to get to debunking some of the themes that are being created.
Between 2001 and 2012, you were at McKinsey. My understanding is that you were the leader in the public sector in capital project practice. Am I right?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Roughly what was the dollar amount of the contracts that McKinsey, under your leadership, had with the Government of Canada during that period?
5:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
My primary work in the public sector was actually at the provincial level. I did work in both the Province of Ontario and Saskatchewan at the time. In the federal government, I did relatively little work. It was around infrastructure, of course, and also economic competitiveness. Probably in total it was a very small amount. I don't want to quote a number to you—
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
5:20 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Canada Infrastructure Bank
It was one to two million dollars.
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Between 2012 and 2020 you were with the Province of Ontario around infrastructure. Am I right?
5:20 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
In that department, how many executives did you have working for you?