Public Accounts Committee on Feb. 29th, 2024

[Monia Lahaie]

Speaking from my perspective, I have not been engaged on that file at this point.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Has Minister Anand not spoken to the ministry, to your knowledge?

[Monia Lahaie]

She has spoken to the ministry—

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Was it in the last 24 hours and in relation to this embarrassment?

[Monia Lahaie]

I don't know what was discussed with the minister.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

To your knowledge, has she been in contact with the ministry in the last 24 hours?

[Monia Lahaie]

I don't know.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

You don't know.

What about the other representative from the Treasury Board? We have a few here from the Treasury Board.

[Blair Kennedy, Senior Director, Government Accounting Policy and Reporting, Treasury Board Secretariat]

I have no knowledge either.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

You have no knowledge as well.

To the Department of Finance, has Minister Freeland, the Deputy Prime Minister, in the last 24 hours, reached out to ministry officials—

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

I have a point of order.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Who's going to go first?

[Brenda Shanahan, Liberal, Châteauguay—Lacolle, QC]

I'll let my colleague take it.

[Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt, ON]

What's the relevance?

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

That's not a point of order. Stop the stunts.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Mr. Brock is free to ask the questions. I think we just had a sample of what the answers are going to be. This is his time. The witnesses are more than capable of informing us of what they know and, in this case, don't know.

Mr. Brock, you have three minutes and 20 seconds left.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

Has Minister Freeland, in the last 24 hours, reached out and asked to know if anyone in the ministry is also receiving funds as a contractor, yes or no?

[Evelyn Dancey, Assistant Deputy Minister, Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance]

To my knowledge, no.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

To your knowledge....

[Evelyn Dancey]

I simply wouldn't know.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

In light of the news you've heard in the last 24 hours, have you on your own—anyone here representing these ministries—double-checked to see whether or not people are moonlighting as contractors while already on the government payroll, yes or no?

[Evelyn Dancey]

For my part, no.

[Larry Brock, Conservative, Brantford—Brant, ON]

What about at the Treasury Board?

[Blair Kennedy]

It's no for me as well.