Public Accounts Committee on March 19th, 2024

[David Yeo]

In reference to the $7.9 million, which is actually $4.9 million, our actual representation of profit in that not only helps our staff, but helps with our staff augmentation with Coradix as well, because I have a shared services model—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

How many indigenous people...?

You're not answering my question. You're talking about your staff, but there are two of you.

Okay. There are two indigenous people who benefited. They are you and your partner—

[David Yeo]

Yes.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

—but how many other indigenous people benefited from this particular outlay from the Government of Canada?

[David Yeo]

Well, we do work with Algonquin College on staffing bursaries and things like that. I have outreach back to my own reserve in Alderville. However, as far as benefiting from this—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

What does that even mean though? You have reached back, so when you make a lot of money....

How do indigenous Canadians benefit from you getting this deal?

[David Yeo]

The PSAB process and the piece of policy...it's a government policy that we favour, because it's a great policy. It's not made to—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I'm sure you think it's a good policy.

I'm sorry, Chair.

[David Yeo]

—help indigenous communities across the country. It's made to help the entrepreneur who's trying to get government contracts to grow his business.

In that context, it's not made to help out indigenous communities across the country.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

You just said that the government's indigenous procurement policy, in your view, is not made to benefit indigenous communities across the country; it's made to benefit the particular entrepreneur.

[David Yeo]

It's made to help the entrepreneur get access to government contracting that would allow them to grow the company in whatever fashion they want.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Your position is that the policy made you money. Therefore, it's achieving its objective, regardless of the impact on indigenous communities across the country.

[David Yeo]

That could be your interpretation, but it's not the reality. The reality is that there are a lot of government—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I'm sorry. I'm just repeating what you just said.

[David Yeo]

No, you weren't repeating what I just said.

In the context of the PSIB, it's spread out across the entire country, and there are lots of people who are working within the framework of that. All of this—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Sir, that actually isn't what you said before.

To broaden this out, from what I understand, your company has received hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts from the Trudeau government since 2015. That was under the framework of a policy that I thought was intended to actually elevate the conditions that indigenous peoples in this country are living in. You're saying, “Well, no. It's good enough that the process made me money.”

Surely, that would seem to go against what Canadians expect of the policy.

[David Yeo]

My understanding of the value that you put out was $91 million. I've got it in front of me. It was from 2015 until now. At the same time, you can look at the PSAB and PSIB policies, and nowhere will it state—

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I'm sorry. My time is about to run out, Chair, and I'd like to move a motion:

That the committee write to INAN to recommend that they investigate abuses in the indigenous procurement system.

I think the need for this motion is self-evident from the testimony we've received.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Is there any chance you sent that motion to the clerk?

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

I did send it in advance.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Could you distribute that when ready?

It's done. Perfect.

Mr. Desjarlais, you have the floor.

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to speak to the motion, Mr. Chair, and the potential misrepresentation by Mr. Yeo about PSAB contracts. As a matter of fact, 33% of all contracts by PSAB must be completed by indigenous service providers, including when work is subcontracted.

Mr. Yeo, you've spoken a great deal about your experience in working with subcontracting, and your expertise at being a contractor of this great magnitude, and how you can solve all the government's problems with all this great general contracting, but you don't actually know the policy.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Just a point of clarification, we've now moved into debate on the motion. The witness is not to enter debate on this motion. It's for members to consider the motion. You can ask rhetorical questions, but the witness will not be engaged in any of this discussion.

I see your hand is up. Is that on a point of order or to speak?

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

I just want to finish that.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Okay.