Public Accounts Committee on Aug. 7th, 2024

[Diane Daly]

I honestly don't know. When a soldier is told to go make something happen.... I can tell you that most of what I corresponded with Mr. Firth, now that I know it's a two-person company, which I had no access to know, explains the level of ineptitude and the very poor documentation received at the CBSA for things like invoices, time sheets and delays in responding to us. There are multiple things we had to coordinate for a package, and if I'm told that this invoice came in and that it's not right, then I would have to reach out to whoever the supplier was to get it fixed.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

You would do that by phone or by email.

[Diane Daly]

I would do it by phone or by email, never in person.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

We've heard evidence about government officials receiving hospitality from Kristian Firth, so not solicited, but by him arranging virtual whiskey tastings and sending whiskey to people's homes. Were you ever afforded any of that hospitality?

[Diane Daly]

No.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Were you invited, in your role, to any dinners that were provided to any of your other colleagues in government? We heard testimony that in some cases they they met at bistros, coffee shops and steak houses. Were you given any invitations to those events?

[Diane Daly]

No.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

You didn't partake in any of them.

[Diane Daly]

No.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Did you know any of these events were taking place?

[Diane Daly]

No. If I had, I would have said something.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Are you aware now that your supervisors were taking part in that hospitality?

[Diane Daly]

From testimony, I am. Yes.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

When Mr. Firth appeared at the government operations committee, he refused to name the individual who was helping him and GC Strategies to write their own contracts. That refusal to give the name was one of the reasons he was found to be in contempt, and it saw the matter elevated to him being called to the bar of the House of Commons to answer questions. Why would he hide your name from Canadians in his testimony knowing that he would be found in contempt?

[Diane Daly]

That's a good question. It's kind of like the question I have about why I am being investigated to try to give false testimony about two former bosses. Why am I being investigated and being put on administrative leave? I didn't do anything wrong. I continue to go to work. I would ask that question of those in the CBSA management team and of those in the PSPC management team who decided to investigate me.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

What changed between his appearance at OGGO and his appearance in the House when he refused to name you and then when he did name you?

[Diane Daly]

I have no idea.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

Do you agree you are the correct person for him to have named in relation to them being assisted in creating that contract?

[Diane Daly]

I did not have the expertise to know what an IT anything was, so if Mr. Firth sent me anything, it would have been forwarded on to IT services.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

The Auditor General made reference to GC Strategies having a government official assist GC Strategies in writing a contract that they were ultimately awarded. Who was it if it wasn't you?

[Diane Daly]

I don't know, but I want to tell you again, and I'll reiterate what was in my statement. Myself, the manager of BTID DGO and her administrative officer were sick and tired of the very poor documentation from GC Strategies. I want to make it very, very clear that we asked if we could cancel this request for proposal. We did. We booked an MS Teams meeting, and we asked that GC Strategies not be awarded that.

[Michael Barrett, Conservative, Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, ON]

This is my last question. Do you think you were singled out by CBSA officials to take the fall for this, that it was communicated to Mr. Firth in between his appearance at OGGO and his appearance in the House and that's why your name was given to him? Ms. Daly, how would he even remember you, if you'd only communicated one time and if your name wasn't given to him by your superiors in an attempt to clear their own names?

[Diane Daly]

I don't know what people are up to. I don't get into this political back and forth. All I know is that I dealt with Kristian Firth on multiple occasions for incorrect invoices. It wasn't just me, but also CBSA and DGO admin staff. This shows why there were so many problems. It's a two-person company. You would have to go back to TBIPS and to how they do their catalogue and their vetting to really say if this is the tip of iceberg.

[The Chair, Conservative, John Williamson]

Thank you very much.

Next up is Ms. Bradford.

You have the floor for five minutes, please.

[Valerie Bradford, Liberal, Kitchener South—Hespeler, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witness appearing today.

I want to clarify a few things that I find a little confusing.

Were you suspended? You mentioned you were put on administrative leave. I just wondered if you asked for administrative leave. Did they say you were going on administrative leave?