Thank you, Minister, for being here.
Minister, we know that Canadians get better value when programs and services are delivered by the members of the public service and not by outside consultants. We know that outsourcing to companies like this means less transparency, lower accountability and a loss of institutional knowledge. We know that when work is outsourced, the skills and expertise leave the public service when the contract ends. The real costs of outsourcing are much higher than the dollars and cents. We lose accountability, we erode capacity and it hurts our ability to retain staff.
Are you able to commit today to reducing your department's reliance on consulting contracts and to boosting the role of profession public servants in delivering services to Canadians?