Evidence of meeting #51 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 bdc.
A video is available from Parliament.
6:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Development Bank of Canada
My involvement was being one of the interviewers. I was not responsible for the hire, but I was one of the people who interviewed those two candidates.
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Okay. You're heading an organization. Don't you think you have an influence?
February 8th, 2023 / 6:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Development Bank of Canada
Yes, I agree, but I wanted to clarify. The reason I was involved in interviewing those two people was that one was to report to me directly, and the second was reporting to one of my direct reports.
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Given your current job, you chose to hire former co-workers. How can we trust that you're not going to choose your former employers to get contracts, or your former colleagues or people you worked alongside who are working for some of these big consulting companies?
6:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Development Bank of Canada
First, it was a process that was well done. The roles were posted. For the two roles, headhunters were managing those processes. Again, along with my colleagues who interviewed those candidates, we took the decision as a team that those two candidates were the best ones to hire.
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Have you chosen your former employers? Have they been given any contracts with BDC?
6:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Development Bank of Canada
My former employers...?
6:45 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Yes. Sun Life or any of the organizations...have you used them for any contracts? Have you given contracts out to anybody you worked with who is working for another company? Have you outsourced any of the services you've gotten that maybe don't even meet the threshold? Is there any...?
6:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Business Development Bank of Canada
No.
6:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
That would be your time, Mr. Johns.
Colleagues, thanks for bearing with us and staying a bit later.
Ms. Hudon, thank you for joining us today.
If there is nothing else at this time, we will be adjourned.