Rona Ambrose

[Questions on the Order Paper, April 19th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the response is as follows: a) Status of Women Canada received 27 submissions to be part of the official Canadian delegation to the 54th commission on the Status of Women.

b) Three.

c) The selection criteria was included in the call for submissions letter and is as follows: Guidelines to Assist in Selection of NGO delegates i) Overall knowledge of gender equality issues; ii) Significant expertise in one or more of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing platform for action; iii) Expertise of thematic and institutional issues to be discussed at the 54th UNCSW; iv) Potential to disseminate information and to link with other organizations in the NGO community and civil society; v) Commitment to further advance equality between women and men both in Canada and internationally; vi) Availability to attend related NGO preparatory meetings in the event they take place.

d) The criteria that was used to select NGOs is the same criteria that SWC has used for many years and is based on the expertise of the NGO delegates and how they can contribute both to the proceedings of the UNCSW as well as their ability to liaise with NGOs during the event and afterward.

e) Yes

f) Applicants were informed via email from Status of Women Canada

g) All travel-associated costs for NGO delegates chosen to be on the delegation are covered by SWC for the period of their participation on the Canadian delegation.

[Questions on the Order Paper, April 15th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the data required to properly answer that question are contained in five separate databases and represent over 80,000 raw data entries.

To answer the question as it was asked, the data would have to be extracted and manually confirmed using electronic and paper records. All the data would then have to be consolidated in a single document. Given the allotted deadline, it would be impossible for us to produce all the requested information.

[Status of Women, April 13th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I have been an advocate of women's issues my whole life, whether it be in my community, as opposition, in cabinet and in caucus. I look forward to working with the hon. member and all women parliamentarians to address the issues that matter to Canadian women.

However, I hope she, like I, is very proud of the achievements women have made. In fact, Canadian women are achieving more than ever before. We have made incredible progress in terms of the amount of women in our public service, women leading corporations across the country and women seeking public office.

Again, let us try to find common ground and work together.

[Points of Order, April 12th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in fact that did happen. It was an accident. I can assure the member that the picture showed them hard at work, but it has been deleted.

[Government Contracts, March 26th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Canada has recently taken steps to recover a $350,000 contingency or success fee paid by Shire Biochem Inc. to Wallding International Inc. in November 2001.

This fee was paid in breach of a contract provision prohibiting contingency fees under the contract between Public Works and Government Services Canada and Shire Biochem Inc. to provide seasonal flu and pandemic vaccine, when required, over a 10 year period. The contract provides that no contingency fee would be paid, directly or indirectly, by the contractor, Shire Biochem Inc. It further stipulates that if the contractor defaults on this term, the minister may recover the contingency fee from the contractor.

The contract states:

The Contractor certifies that it has not directly or indirectly paid or agreed to pay any covenants that it will not directly or indirectly pay a contingency fee for the solicitation, negotiation or obtaining of this contract to any person other than an employee acting in the normal course of the employee's duties.

All accounts and records pertaining to payments of fees or other compensation for the solicitation, obtaining or negotiation of the Contract shall be subject to the Accounts and Audit provision of the Contract.

If the Contractor certifies falsely under this section or is in default of the obligations contained therein, the Minister may either terminate this Contract for default or recover from the Contractor by way of reduction to the Contract Price or otherwise the full amount of the contingency fee.

In this section:

"contingency fee" means any payment or other compensation that is contingent upon or is calculated upon the basis of a degree of success in soliciting or obtaining a Government Contract or negotiating the whole or any part of its terms;

Wallding International Inc., a registered lobbying firm, was engaged by BioChem Vaccines Inc. to provide “--strategic advice in developing a strategy and action plan for BioChem Vaccines Inc. to be granted a long-term contract valued at approximately $100-$240 million with Public Works and Government Services Canada”.

According to lobbyist registration 7795767-11397-1, Wallding International was retained to lobby Health Canada, Industry Canada, the Privy Council Office, the Department of Public Works and Government Services and the Federal Office of Regional Development Quebec.

The registration indicated that the lobbyist's payment was not contingent on the success of the undertaking.

A routine compliance audit and review of related documents undertaken by Deloitte & Touche for Industry Canada uncovered evidence that suggested a contingency fee in the amount of $350,000 had been paid to Wallding International Inc. in November 2001.

Following a thorough investigation by Public Works and Government Services Canada's Oversight Branch, it was determined that the contingency fee should be recovered and that the file should be referred to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying to ensure that all regulations regarding disclosure of success fees were followed.

This government introduced the Federal Accountability Act in 2006, and as a result, the payment of success fees for contracts is now illegal and public office-holders are banned from lobbying after leaving office for a minimum of five years.

[National Defence, March 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, in fact, this morning I had the honour and the privilege of joining hundreds of employees of CAE in Montreal at their plant to announce that CAE had been awarded a $250 million training contract for the new Chinook medium-lift to heavy-lift helicopters.

This investment clearly demonstrates our ongoing commitment and support for the Canadian men and women in uniform. This contract also creates high tech jobs in the aerospace sector. Indeed, this contract will create 240 jobs for the first four years and another 40 jobs for the next 20 years.

[Haiti, March 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, I can tell the hon. member that we acted within days as opposed to months. We were able to do this because it was an emergency situation, and we acted by using our emergency contracting authorities.

However he should know that, like any contract, it will follow all government contracting regulations, including comparing costs, verifying supplier capacity and conducting post-contract audits. He should also know that this company has been identified as the only supplier with the world expertise in delivering on a priority basis in an emergency situation.

[Haiti, March 23rd, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, when the Haitian government asked for our help, we were able to deliver. This was an emergency situation. We used our emergency contracting authorities so that we could respond within days as opposed to months. We are proud that we were able to do this and respond to the Government of Haiti in its time of need.

[Government Spending, March 11th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, taxpayers will know because I have said today that we will bring in a third party external auditor to take a look at all of these expenditures.

I have asked the deputy minister to review these expenditures, in particular, for value to taxpayer dollars.

[Government Spending, March 11th, 2010]

Mr. Speaker, these particular expenditures are offensive to taxpayers. While this contract is awarded and managed by the public service, and competitively awarded, I do feel these expenditures have to be reviewed.

For that reason, I have asked the public service to bring in a third party external adviser to take a look at them.