The minister said that he was not engaged in any of the McKinsey contracts' awarding and the deputy did not speak with him about it. Of course, that is the case. Why? Because the minister was not appointed until 2021, and the contracts took place in 2018 for the first round of the contract and 2019 for the second contract. Therefore, it predated the minister's seat at this table and it predated the deputy's seat at this table. Of course, they had nothing to do with it.
That said, there is a real question. The minister raises the issue around the lack of capacity within IRCC, hence the requirement for contracting out.
My question to the minister is how much funding was allocated within the department for training and skills development, specifically for this. Also, on recruitment and retention, did IRCC implement any of the PIPSC recommendations from the collective bargaining process? If not, why not?