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.
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I still don't fully understand what that terminology means.
The reality is, from what I understood when I was listening to their testimony, that it's somebody who appears on a TA and doesn't do the work but claims to get paid.
That is exactly what Ms. Dutt did on the Botler one. She was named on the TA and openly, in testimony, said that she was not the one doing the work, but then did accept payment.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
When you made reference to the embellished résumés, was that in regard to the pilot project?
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Are you saying that this résumé made a difference or did not make a difference in getting the approval of the contract?
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
It was already predetermined that the contract was going through. We just had to find the right matrix and the right category. It still would have gone through, because there were 12 or 14 different categories that would have allowed this to go through.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Botler's expectation, from some of the discussions we've had, was that they were anticipating a much bigger payoff on this deal.
Is that correct?
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I think there were conversations about the euphoric state of being an enterprise sale. There was never any promise to that. That was just what you always aspire to get.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
They would have had no contacts or no ability to deal with CBSA, if it was not for you.
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
My network allows us to open the door. That doesn't guarantee a contract. They still need to sell the software and the organization still needs to find a need for it.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
Why would you sign a confidentiality agreement with Botler after the fact?
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
I had nothing to hide. I didn't think there was going to be this coming against me.
It makes sense now—with all this information that's been brought forward from day one, like recordings, text messages and sharing emails—that they wanted, essentially, to not allow me to respond.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You are responding.
You're aware that the RCMP is investigating the allegations made by Botler, but not ArriveCAN. Is that correct?
5 p.m.
Liberal
5 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You have been approached by CBSA, because they did an internal review, did they not?
Have they talked to you?
5 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
No, they didn't. They would speak only with the vendor they're dealing with.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
That's right, because you're the subcontractor for Dalian and Coradix in this scenario.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Charles Sousa Liberal Mississauga—Lakeshore, ON
You're saying that in this pilot, you made no money. It was just a flow-through.
5:05 p.m.
Partner, GC Strategies
That's correct. I made no money with Botler in the whole two years I worked with them.