Gerry Ritz

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, it puzzles me. The minister says that he is reviewing all these files and that he is going back through them to ascertain if there was any criminality or if any moneys should be clawed back. If he is in the middle of doing that, how would he not have a knowledge of what would have been rejected? Those would be the ones that are coming up red-flagged at this time.

I understand he is not quite finished but there must have been some already that he would say “We have to go back after this and claw some money back”. The first one that pops into my mind of course is Groupaction, where the RCMP are stirring the pot and looking around.

I wonder how he could not have an idea of what would have been rejected if he is going back through to look specifically for rejection status.

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, if the minister could table that before the end of the evening so that we could have it for the last go around that would be acceptable. .

The minister talks glowingly about review, review, review. The former public works minister brought in a five point plan and the new minister has added a couple of his own fingerprints to it, which is great, but under the new rules of today, how many contracts that were awarded say last year would not have made it through the mix under the new process? Does the minister have any idea?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, is the minister able to table that tonight?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, of the 200 that are in the pipeline, as the minister says, an $18 million value, how many of those are placed with Groupaction and what is the dollar value of those. How many are with Groupe Everest and what is the dollar value of those? What about Lafleur Communications? Those are the three companies that we have been talking about in this place.

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, the minister talked about 200 sponsorship contracts being sneaked through the pipeline as the freeze was being applied. They are in the game plan now. Has the minister seen these contracts? What was the value of them, and that type of information?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, has the membership on that committee changed in the last little while, say in the past year? Several ministers have gone through the chair. Have other people on that committee changed as well or has it just been the ministers?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, either the minister has not signed any cheques or no money is going out of the department at this time.

In part three, plans and priorities, the Communications Canada organization states that it is headed by an executive director reporting to a cabinet committee. I am wondering who chairs that committee. Is the minister on the committee? Who else in cabinet sits on that particular committee?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, at this particular point in time has the minister delegated anyone to sign a cheque for up to $1 million?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, it is still true that each year the minister signs off an authority card, which is that he delegates signing authority and dollar values to deputy ministers, heads of communications and all those types of positions? Does he have a dollar value in place for each person so that they would be available to check and okay procedures without his okay?

[Supply, June 4th, 2002]

Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure to take part in this exercise tonight. As the minister stated in his remarks, he has only had nine days in the hot seat. I wish him many more. I am sure we will see some movement on a lot of files in the next little while whether by inertia or by someone pushing.

However one thing he forgot to say is that he has had nine years in government and in cabinet at the executive level, so he brings those skills to this posting. He is not exactly a rookie in this job.

The minister talked about 14,000 employees in the public civil service and that 60,000 contracts are issued annually by the public service. How many of those, Mr. Minister, go to you for just an oversight which you just has to rubber stamp and send along. How many do you actually run up and down a thermometer or a benchmark as such and say that this one is good or this one is bad? Do you make recommendations on those 60,000 contracts or do you just rubber stamp them on through and pay the bill?