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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Feb/14/24 2:39:07 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, as soon as we became aware that there were irregularities or that rules had not been followed when this contract was awarded by the public service, internal public service processes were triggered within the different departments. We know that other authorities, including the police, have taken interest in this case as well. We expect all of this work to be taken seriously to ensure that all the rules and consequences are applied if necessary and as needed.

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Feb/14/24 2:43:51 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, that is among the questions. There are direct follow-ups. Investigations are ongoing right now, both internal and external, to ensure that, as rules were evidently broken, there are consequences and there is accountability for this. There is no doubt that there are serious challenges around procurement and the public service that were evident at that time. We need to make sure that is fixed. We need to move forward in a way that takes better responsibility for the kinds of challenges we saw in this situation.

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Feb/14/24 2:44:38 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic we were there to invest, to protect Canadians and to keep their lives safe. Despite the objections and the conspiracy theories of the Conservative Party, we stepped up in many different ways. Even as we did, we expected and we continue to expect that the rules around procurement will be followed by the public service. It is obvious that this was not the case here. That is why there are ongoing investigations. There will be consequences, and there will be changes made to the public service's systems.

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)

Feb/14/24 2:47:37 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, there are ongoing investigations, both internal and external, that are following up on exactly how this unacceptable situation happened. We received the Auditor General's report last week. We are following up and we have been following up on this for months already. We are going to continue to make sure that anyone who broke the rules faces consequences and that systems and structures surrounding the public service and procurement are changed. This is something we are taking very seriously, as we must.

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

Feb/14/24 5:33:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I work with the hon. member on the status of women committee, and we have gotten some things done in that committee. I appreciate that very much. My colleague mentioned Andrea Hannen, who I know has been very critical of the national child care program, but here is the thing: Provincial licensing requirements are a floor, not a ceiling. We know that the research consensus is that non-profit and public child care delivers high-quality care and better outcomes for children than for-profit care. We know that through research. We also know that for-profit care centres, historically, have exploited workers more so than public and not-for-profit child care centres. We know that one of the reasons why the national child care strategy is not getting off the ground is that the Liberal government did not put in place a worker strategy with livable wages, benefits and pensions. People are not wanting to join the field. I have worked a lot with my hon. colleague. We have differences, though, on this. I am wondering why she thinks that public money should go toward centres that are not public and not not-for-profit. Why should we use public money for that?

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Ms. Lisa Marie Barron (Nanaimo—Ladysmith, NDP)

Feb/14/24 5:54:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first and foremost, I want to share that I agree with many of the comments made by my colleague about the importance of Canadians having access to French-language child care and early learning. The member was speaking about money not growing on trees and the importance of child care being effectively funded. I have frequently heard the Conservatives talk about privatized child care. We know that, when child care is public, it is increasingly accessible and available and that workers have livable wages, for example. Could the member share his thoughts around using public tax money for privatized child care? What is the importance of funding public child care with public funds?

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Context: House Hansard - 282 - Feb/14/24

Ms. Leah Gazan

Feb/14/24 6:32:14 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, like with any business, I certainly am not against a small business; I want to be very clear about that. However, I do believe that public monies need to be used for public, not-for-profit child care. If somebody wants to have a business, I totally support that, but if we are going to use public money, it needs to go into public institutions that are regulated. We know through research, especially when we look at a strategy for workers, that in public, not-for-profit care, workers are generally paid better than they are in private centres where the goal is to maximize profit. That is the reality of the business.

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