Evidence of meeting #83 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 work.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I made the edits, but again, the wrong version was sent.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Mr. Firth, the government received forged worked experience for Ritika Dutt and Amir Morv of Botler. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were awarded based on fraudulent points invoicing. That's incredibly serious.
On Tuesday, Colin Wood told us that he simply submitted the documents that GC Strategies provided to Dalian. If that's true, then you're responsible for fraud.
I want to give you a chance to respond to that.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
You're calling it fraud. It was a genuine mistake that was not made with intent. This is not fraud.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
You're telling me you changed a résumé with someone's experience of two months to 51 months, that that's not fraud, and also that this doesn't give you a better chance to get other contracts from the Government of Canada in the future. I bet your competitors would have a different view of that.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
This was a solitary mistake, made once, that I'm owning up to. This is not something I do frequently to gain business and get a competitive edge.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
Okay.
Have you done any work with Deloitte as a subcontractor or ghost contractor?
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I don't have this information in front of me. You're asking about clients I've had in the last eight years that I don't have.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
You wouldn't even know if you had contracts with someone, an organization, like Pricewaterhouse Coopers. You wouldn't be able to recall that.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
We've had hundreds of task authorizations. I'm sorry. I can get back to you in writing on any question you pose about subcontractors. I can get back to you. I just don't have that information in front of me.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
How much money did you get paid for the Botler contract and Dalian and Coradix? Was it $350,000?
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I received zero payment at all for any work done with Botler.
4:05 p.m.
NDP
4:05 p.m.
NDP
Gord Johns NDP Courtenay—Alberni, BC
You just wrote a cheque to Botler for $112,000 out of the goodwill of GC Strategies.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
The federal government paid their prime, which was Dalian and Coradix. They, in turn, because we had a contract between the two of us.... I then paid the full amount owing to Botler straight away.
4:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
No. I invoiced.... It was a zero per cent pass-through. No money was made at all. Whatever CBSA paid Dalian and whatever Dalian paid me, I paid Botler, and they cashed both cheques.