Public Accounts committee  First of all, it's really disturbing to me that people can make comments like this in this committee, which will be published, against which a person cannot defend themselves. I find that very difficult. I don't believe I'm a corrupt person.

Public Accounts committee  First of all, Mr. Gauvin's not the only one who has used words I think were inappropriate. “Collusion”, “corrupt”, “fraud” have been used by a number of individuals in this committee towards me, which to me represent personal attacks and have been personal attacks. I've been unab

Public Accounts committee  First of all, you're telling me it's a 300% increase in the costs of Morneau Sobeco. I do not believe they had a 300% increase in cost. Their costs, let's say, were $2 million, representing a flat cost. I believe some changes in contracts were made, certainly never to the $6 mill

Public Accounts committee  He didn't build a barn. I've said that before. I think he put up eight posts and roof. That was it. A barn would have a stall and rafters.

Public Accounts committee  Actually I've had to reinforce the structure. It was falling over. So I guess I can say I was not satisfied, sir.

Public Accounts committee  Can I make one statement here? One of those supposed promotions, sir, was a reclassification involving about 20 people, of whom he was one. So it was not a promotion of Mr. Roy specifically. Jobs were looked at and rewritten, and the jobs of 20 different people doing the same fun

Public Accounts committee  Canada Post, which had gone to Towers Perrin to do the same thing.

Public Accounts committee  Finance had changed a lot of our requirements. Originally cheques were to be issued by an outsourcer. They changed it, and it had to be done through Public Works. That probably cost us over $1 million. We had no financial framework in terms of financial officers. When I asked for

Public Accounts committee  I'm just trying to tell you that--

Public Accounts committee  I thought they were accurate at the time based on the information we had given. Just for another piece of information, the first estimates for Public Works to take on the function they had been asked to take on was over $70 million. That was way beyond what we paid Morneau Sobe

Public Accounts committee  I guess we were satisfied--

Public Accounts committee  --with the information we had received.

Public Accounts committee  I was satisfied. If Mr. Koziol or any others were not, they should have brought to my attention that we should check with others. No one brought that to my attention.

Public Accounts committee  They were just that: estimates. Until such time as we saw the bids, we really didn't know what the total value of the processes and cost would be. We also included--

Public Accounts committee  I don't recall giving those exact words. We had a costing for the outsourcing. It was from a valid company. We spoke to Canada Post, which had worked with Towers and suggested that the numbers were reasonable--it was a verbal conversation--and that they were reasonable to their