Terry Duguid

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 19th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, the individual named in the Order Paper question has not been appointed to any Government of Canada roles since October 2007, when he was appointed as Governor of the Bank of Canada by the Hon. Jim Flaherty, the then minister of finance.

[Public Safety, November 7th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, as the member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, I am proud to represent a large and growing Indo-Canadian community where Sikh and Hindu families live side by side in harmony as neighbours. Unfortunately, there are those who seek to promote extreme views, create division and sow discord.

Let me be clear, there should never be disruptive protests at places of worship, like we saw recently in Brampton and Vancouver. The defacing of Hindu temples, as we have regrettably seen at the BAPS mandirs in Toronto and Edmonton, is absolutely unacceptable. As well, inflammatory statements and incidents of grave violence targeting Sikh Canadians have no place in our country. Acts of hate and the creation of disharmony do not reflect the Canada we know and love, which is a multicultural mosaic that is the envy of the world.

In Winnipeg South and beyond, let us work hard to foster unity, keep community members safe, live together in peace and build a better Canada for all.

[Questions on the Order Paper, November 6th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Mark Carney has not been appointed to a position in the federal public administration and consequently is not a public office holder, as defined by the Conflict of Interest Act.

[Democratic Institutions, October 25th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, over the past year, we have discovered that several countries, including China, Iran, Russia and India have been engaging in foreign interference in Canada. The Justice Hogue inquiry has made it clear that every member of the House has a responsibility to combat foreign interference. It is time for all political party leaders to put country before party and be vigilant in protecting democracy and the values we hold dear.

However, the leader of the Conservative Party is deliberately choosing to stay in the dark and is refusing to take the necessary security briefing. It is high time for him to step up, so let me put this in simple terms he will understand: Get the clearance, get the briefing and protect the country.

[Freedom of Religion, October 3rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, I am deeply troubled by the recent series of harassing and Islamophobic phone calls made to a Winnipeg mosque over the past several weeks. Places of worship should always be spaces of peace, safety and community. The targeting of any religious group is an attack on all of us, and we must be united in denouncing such hatred.

I stand with Winnipeg's Muslim community and, indeed, all communities facing hate speech during these challenging international times and conflicts worldwide.

Our government recently launched our action plan on combatting hate, which includes helping communities prevent and address hate, while protecting vulnerable individuals and raising public awareness. Together, we all have a responsibility to promote unity and understanding and build a more inclusive society where everyone is free to practise their faith without fear.

[Health Care, September 23rd, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Manitobans believe in building up, not tearing down our public health care system, as the Conservatives have always done over the decades. That is why we are taking action to strengthen it for the long term.

Our government is making significant progress in dental care, with more than 62,000 Manitobans now eligible to receive care. Across the country, 750,000 Canadians have already accessed the dental care they need, relieving families of the burden of high out-of-pocket expenses. This program is already making a real difference in the lives of Canadians.

We have heard loud and clear from Manitobans that they want to see us make meaningful investments in health care, and we are doing exactly that. This is about creating a stronger, more inclusive health care system that reflects the values of Manitobans: equity, accessibility and a commitment to leaving no one behind.

[Birthday Congratulations, September 18th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, Phil Fontaine, one of the greatest indigenous leaders in Canadian history, will be celebrating his 80th birthday. He rose from poverty and the cruelty of residential schools to challenge discrimination and colonialism at the highest levels of political and religious power.

As national chief, Phil Fontaine attained apologies from both our Parliament and the Vatican for their destructive treatment of indigenous children and played a key role in negotiating the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. Under his leadership, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission paved the way for a national dialogue on healing and justice. Fontaine helped to reshape how Canada confronts its past, promoting understanding, respect and mutual recognition.

His legacy will be the inspiration for a new generation to continue the reconciliation journey toward a fair and inclusive future for all Canadians. I invite the House to join me in honouring Phil Fontaine's lifetime of service and achievement.

[Public Services and Procurement, September 17th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, perhaps the hon. member did not hear me. Just to repeat what I said, the Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Canadian tax dollars are used wisely and responsibly. The issues that have emerged around the procurement of professional IT services and the management of the ArriveCAN application are indeed deeply troubling. We know from the reports of various investigations into the matter that Canada's procurement system can be strengthened and improved, and that is exactly what we are doing. Budget 2024 outlines the important steps we are taking to enforce and uphold the highest standards of procurement to ensure sound stewardship of public funds.

We will continue to actively explore all possible ways to further bolster our processes. We are working relentlessly to make sure that what happened in the case of ArriveCAN does not happen again.

[Public Services and Procurement, September 17th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, let me start by saying that the government shares the member's concerns and his desire to hold those responsible to account. This is an issue that the government is not taking lightly.

The members of this House and all Canadians are justifiably concerned by what they have been hearing in the media and at committee. We are using many tools and following many avenues of inquiry to understand what went wrong in the case of ArriveCAN. These avenues include the rare and extraordinary measure of a public rebuke in the House, for which the government did vote in favour. This speaks to how seriously we take this issue. It is why we voted for Mr. Firth to present himself here in the House and why we will continue to support the various investigations and inquiries into this matter.

While we await the responses that Canadians need and deserve, I can tell everyone about the swift and decisive actions this government is taking to strengthen and protect the integrity of government procurement so that something like this can never ever happen again. When something goes awry, the government takes decisive action to restore trust in the system. That is exactly what our government is doing.

Budget 2024 clearly outlines the actions we are taking to enforce and uphold the highest standards of procurement to ensure sound stewardship of public funds. They include new steps to strengthen the government's procurement and conflict of interest regimes and updated procurement guidance for managers to reinforce the prudent use of public funds. This means examining human resources and staffing strategies before procuring professional services, strict evaluation criteria when a supplier is selected, clear due diligence protocols to ensure no conflict of interest and ensuring all contractual obligations are upheld by third party vendors. It also includes government-wide audits to ensure governance, decision-making and controls associated with professional service contracts uphold the highest ethical standards.

The results of these audits are expected by the end of this year. Changes are also under way to modernize the new master-level user agreements for a professional services supply arrangement to improve transparency regarding costing and subcontractors. We will launch a new risk and compliance process to ensure government-wide trends, risks and departmental performance meet the highest standards and take corrective actions whenever necessary as soon as possible. We are also bringing forward stronger accountability guidelines for managers when procuring professional services, which include robust validation that a potential contractor is the best fit for the requirements.

In closing, our government is committed to ensuring that Canadian tax dollars are used wisely and responsibly. We recognize the seriousness of the ArriveCAN issue, and I want to assure Canadians that we will be acting swiftly and decisively to ensure that it cannot happen again.

[Questions on the Order Paper, September 16th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, with regard to the change announced by the Prime Minister on May 24, 2024, that Catherine Blewett, the Secretary of the Treasury Board, was being reassigned to become a Senior Official at the Privy Council Office (PCO), the response is as follows to part (a) of the question, senior official positions at PCO are determined on a case-by-case basis in response to organizational needs and are often employed for transitions in the senior ranks of the public service.

As for part (b), senior official positions at PCO are not listed in the organizational structure chart, due to the temporary nature of the role.

With regard to part (c), senior official positions generally report to the Clerk of the Privy Council, including the position Catherine Blewett is holding.

With regard to part (d), pursuant to the Privacy Act, details of an employee’s work agreement are considered personal information and therefore cannot be disclosed.