Evidence of meeting #115 for Public Accounts in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was office.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
Thank you for the question. It is extremely important, as you suggested.
The CBSA now has a 10-point action plan that includes the creation of a new procurement—
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Blake Desjarlais NDP Edmonton Griesbach, AB
I'm sorry, Minister. I have only a bit of time.
Could you not focus on what it's doing now, but just on what happened in this circumstance between findings 1.51 and 1.52? What did your ministry do to respond to the fact that the CBSA said, “No, thank you”?
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
As you're aware, this is not a contract that came to me as minister, but as I said, I directed my team at PSPC to make sure that we had integrity in contracting. That's probably why they did what they did in suggesting alternatives to the CBSA.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
It was because the CBSA did not follow the rules. It now has a process in place for the rules to be followed.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
As I said, it is within the purview of department heads—so the head of the CBSA at the time—to ensure that the rules were followed. That's the role of the head of an agency.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
The new measures that we have to strengthen procurement will hopefully address some of the issues you are raising.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
4:20 p.m.
NDP
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
I'll tell you what, Mr. Desjarlais: We'll hear from the minister briefly.
Minister, yes, I will give you the last word, but could you make it brief, please?
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
I will.
The Auditor General said the rules that were in place were sufficient. That was her finding. She said they were simply not followed.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative John Williamson
That is very true. Thank you very much.
We're turning now to Mr. Genuis.
Mr. Desjarlais, I gave you a few extra seconds because Madame Sinclair-Desgagné left a few on her clock, so you had a few extra seconds. That's just for the scorekeepers around the room.
Mr. Genuis, you have the floor for five minutes.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Thank you, Chair. Hello, Minister.
You served as the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada and the President of the Treasury Board during the period of the arrive scam scandal. There are two major outstanding questions that I hope I can get answers to today. The first is to ask why GC Strategies was so special to the Trudeau government. Second, what were Liberal ministers doing while this was unfolding?
On the first question, GC Strategies was founded in 2015. It has done extensive and lucrative work with your government, receiving contracts and then doing subcontracting. It has been a go-to contractor and adviser, even though its business is simply to get contracts and subcontracts. In fact, Kristian Firth spoke yesterday about being flattered by being a go-to adviser and resource for the government, even asking questions about what would be the content of RFPs that he would then bid on.
I want to ask you what your government saw in GC Strategies. Why did you have this special relationship with it?
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Just to clarify, I'm talking about the government. I'm not talking about you personally.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
—background as to why those individuals were contracted with.
When I first learned about the ArriveCAN application, it was at COVID committee meetings during the pandemic, and it was in the context of protecting the borders.
However, I understand that predecessors to this company were under contract with the government of Stephen Harper—that is the company called Coredal, I believe—so the question can be asked of the Harper government as well.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
Minister, the company was founded in 2015, and even similar companies had much lower magnitudes.
I want to drill down on this question.
You've hopefully at least asked some questions about it, even if you didn't know about it until recently. Your own department did about $10 million in contracts with GC Strategies. Kristian Firth testified that he was gone to multiple times for advice on RFPs.
I want to ask the minister again, because the minister is responsible for the department, whether she has sought information about the close relationship between the government and GC Strategies.
I'm just trying to understand why GC Strategies was this go-to for the government for so long, at such magnitude.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
I thank my honourable colleague for the question.
Of course I've sought information. I'm an extremely thorough and systematic minister—
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Anand Liberal Oakville, ON
I have found that there are 10 contracts. None are currently active, and the amount is $9.97 million. I have been briefed repeatedly by my team; I have sought information from the department and I have taken proactive measures to address the issues—
4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB
But I'm asking the why question. Let me jump in, because you're giving me numbers I already have. I'm asking the why question. Why was GC Strategies a constant go-to? You didn't just give them contracts; you asked them for advice about what should go into RFPs.
All of us have found representatives of this company to completely lack credibility and to be dishonest. What did your government see in this company that caused you to keep coming back to them for deals?