Evidence of meeting #88 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 contract.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:30 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Minister, welcome.
I have two quick questions. Is ArriveCAN under investigation by the RCMP?
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC
The answer is no. I think Canadians expect and deserve to know the truth.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
“No” is a great answer. You've repeated it about three or four times.
There are allegations that $11 million was paid to GC Strategies. Did that $11 million all go to GC Strategies? Is there any information on how much of it was charged to GC Strategies, and how much of it was sent to the subcontractors who worked for GC Strategies?
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC
Thank you.
With the indulgence and the patience of members of the committee, let me highlight quickly what the $54 million was used for. Of that, $80,000 was used to produce the first application of ArriveCAN in April 2020, in a record amount of time. It was a period when we knew that things needed to be done quickly. It was the first time ever that we were closing borders with the rest of the world. We were in an emergency at a time when hundreds of people were dying every day.
There were economic costs in the order of $1 billion per day that were impacting the Canadian economy. Borders were fraught with problems. We needed to bring in medicine and food. We needed trucks to come in easily. We needed the flow of travellers to be done efficiently. That cost $80,000 initially.
Then we had to do more. There were 70-plus releases that cost $8.8 million. There was $7.5 million for the Service Canada call centre, which was absolutely essential for people to call to have information on the situation. There was data management to make sure that data was shared efficiently and safely. Then there were indirect costs to pay for the public servants who had to work hard every day to provide support for the health and safety of Canadians.
There was proof of vaccination credential development that cost $4.6 million, because vaccination proof was essential. If you wanted to travel, you had to have vaccination proof. Then we had to support IT. We had to support the cybersecurity and the flow of that information, which was $2.3 million. We had to make the app accessible to people who needed accessibility in the use of technology, and that was $1.7 million. I could go on and on.
That investment was absolutely needed to save the lives of lots of people and to prevent the additional cost to the economy that would have been incurred if we had not done the type of investment we needed to do.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Thank you, Minister.
A number of times you mentioned in your opening remarks the great work that the government has done on the dental care program we are rolling out. Can you briefly give us an update on where our government is going to be by the end of 2023-24?
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC
There are too many children, seniors and people with disabilities in my riding—and I suppose it's the same in your riding—who don't go to see a dentist regularly. What happens is that they end up in a hospital emergency room with health outcomes that are a lot worse because they didn't have either insurance or the resources they needed to care for their oral needs.
That's why soon, as you'll see in the next few weeks, we'll be launching the first ever Canadian dental plan. That is going to lead to support for approximately nine million Canadians over the next two years. All of them are either middle-income or lower-income Canadians. We'll start with seniors and people with disabilities in 2024, and then all children of all ages between zero and 18 by the summer of 2024. Then, by 2025, every Canadian under the family income threshold of $90,000 will be eligible to see a hygienist or dentist and therefore end up with better oral health.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Majid Jowhari Liberal Richmond Hill, ON
Mr. Chair, I move that the committee now proceed to the second hour with the government officials.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
You don't need a motion for that.
Before you go, Minister, I'm going to exercise the chair's prerogative with just a couple of quick questions. I'm not looking for answers now; you could provide them back in writing.
On October 17, the committee asked for and your department agreed to provide the Avascent report regarding the P-8 aircraft. I'm checking my calendar. I'm not the greatest at math, but it does seem quite late. It was October 17 when we requested it. It was supposed to be here by November 7, so we're now 21 days late. Can we get the report this week, please? I know that it's been translated. It was promised to us on November 7.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
The rest is actually for Mr. Page.
Mr. Page, about seven years ago I asked in this committee about the wait issue, and the pricing of the frigates. The comment back from PSPC was that they had already adjusted for the wait issue in the pricing and planned contracting.
Six years later, about a year ago, we ended up with the Irving subsidy, with the excuse that they had changed the project. Seven years ago, I was told it had already been baked into the costing.
I'm looking for you to provide, in writing to the committee, the justification where in the NSS, the umbrella agreement, it says no public money for the infrastructure. Where is the justification in the NSS umbrella agreement allowing this subsidy to Irving for that?
Provide back to us how many serviceable acres from Canada Lands Company were not turned over for the 28,000 housing items that you mentioned
We will excuse you, Minister.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Jean-Yves Duclos Liberal Québec, QC
Thank you for the additional homework, and again for the kind invitation to visit this wonderful committee.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
It's great to see you back in a different portfolio. We'll give you a punch. You've done two different portfolios with OGGO; so three more, and you get a free cup of coffee.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Chair, on behalf of the committee, the minister said he wants to be the minister of everything, so I want to wish him well in his leadership campaign.
4:40 p.m.
Some hon. members
Oh, oh!
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Our first official horse is out of the gate.
We'll suspend for a couple moments for the new witnesses to come up.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Thank you, Chair, and I thank the minister for appearing.
This committee has important and unfinished business from yesterday. We spent about four or five hours of committee time, and we did not finish the discussion of a Conservative motion to try to get contracts related to billions of dollars in government subsidies involving Stellantis.
This is an important motion that, based on the previous discussions, I believe clearly has the support of the majority of the committee. Liberals do not support it, and are trying various delay tactics, but it is clear that the majority of the committee supports this motion.
I would like us to return to consideration of this motion. Hopefully, Liberals will allow it to come to a vote, so that we can get our work done, request these contracts, and shine some sunlight on them.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
I move that the committee proceed to resumption of consideration on the motion that we were considering yesterday.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Kelly McCauley
Thank you.
That is a dilatory motion. We'll go straight to the vote. This is to resume the debate that we had suspended at about 8:45 last night.
(Motion negatived: nays 6; yeas 4)
We will now continue with the officials.
4:45 p.m.
Conservative