Evidence of meeting #39 for National Defence in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was companies.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
I don't want to waste five minutes listing off these companies. Just give me a number. Is there no number?
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
Okay.
How many foreign contracts have been signed?
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
It's about the same for Canadian and foreign companies. Okay.
Under division 16, the minister can access up to $1 billion dollars and, with that money, purchase equity in private companies and hire and fire boards of companies. Essentially, if you wanted to, or if the minister wanted to, they could simply buy a bunch of companies and call it procurement and Canadian-source it.
You mentioned that this is standard procedure and it will be reported back to Parliament and everything. In fact, it doesn't have to be reported back.
Can you name a single comparable federal procurement authority that allows that sort of expenditure without any accountability whatsoever and without the duty to report back to Parliament?
Liberal
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
We are completely accountable. I listed a whole bunch: Parliament, committees, the PBO, the House of Commons, the Auditor General. We are accountable to all those things. You can haul us in here any time you want. Nothing's changed there.
To your other question—
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
Actually, it was very hard to get you here, sir.
Conservative
Liberal
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
Clause 32 allows the minister to exclude a company from the procurement on national security grounds without providing....
Can you name another body in the Canadian government that allows simply excluding companies?
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
You're fabricating a bunch of things that you pulled out of the document.
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
No, sir. I'm asking you a question, and you're not answering.
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
I don't have an answer for you, but I will say that there are new financial tools in division 16—
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
There are equity positions. There are loans. There are loan guarantees—
Conservative
Scott Anderson Conservative Vernon—Lake Country—Monashee, BC
Exactly. That goes to the first question.
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
There are a number of countries that have similar things. I believe the Brits and the U.S. do, and the NATO DIANA has a couple of things that are set up this way.
I know what you're driving at. You're trying to drive at that we're going to have this unlimited amount of money that we run around doing whatever we want with.
Conservative
Liberal
Stephen Fuhr Liberal Kelowna, BC
That's the way you're interpreting it, but that's not necessarily what's happening, Scott.