I appreciate that statement because I think it's important for our colleagues. If we want to take this issue seriously, actually deal with this issue seriously, we have to take into consideration that this has been a long-standing issue. There have been consequential, consecutive governments that have done this, and I find it so disingenuous that, oftentimes, particularly my Conservative colleagues always want to paint this picture that it only existed recently.
It doesn't serve Canadians well when we know that consecutive Conservative and Liberal governments, as your report makes very clear, have had rules in place but didn't follow them. They just don't follow the rules. It's convenient that Conservatives continually harp on the fact that it can't be them, but as a matter of fact, the problem is with consecutive governments doing this.
I want to make certain that in our discussion on this report—particularly, Mr. Chair, when we summon this report for investigation, when we table this report so that we summon witnesses—we focus on the true, genuine need to deliver results for Canadians, which are transparency and fairness, and actually recommend solutions that are going to fix this permanently.
To continually use this as an opportunity to make cheap shots at just one government, whereas they also were in government during the time of this audit period, means they have to do some honest reflecting—honest reflecting about making this work. They are harping on me right now because they don't want to actually deal with the fact that they are the ones who did this. They didn't follow the rules, and then the Liberals followed suit and didn't follow the rules.
I find it so difficult in this committee oftentimes. It's just the Bloc and the New Democrats who want transparency here. We're the only ones who actually want to fix this issue. The Conservatives are laughing because they want to make this into a partisan game when, as a matter of fact, this is serious money.
I appreciate the Auditor General for pointing out the fact that these rules have been consistently and flagrantly disregarded by Conservatives and Liberals, and it's important as committee members that we take this issue seriously. I beg their pardon on this because I hope that they can take it more seriously than they have today.
I will turn my attention to the findings of your report, 5.31, the finding related to procurement strategies that “were structured to make it easier for McKinsey & Company to be awarded the contracts”.
How is it possible that the procurement strategies that were undertaken, particularly the policies that create these procurement strategies, were structured or even altered when McKinsey & Company...prior to their bidding on these projects?