44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 14, 2024 02:00PM
- Feb/14/24 2:15:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General lifted the veil on the government's corrupt arrive scam, revealing that the cost of the useless app, which should have been $80,000, is $60 million and counting. The two-person company GC Strategies, which did no IT work, was paid over $19 million for arrive scam, charging over $1,000 a day, which is 60% more than a government IT employee. With insider access, it dictated the requirements for a contract it won. Today, media are reporting that the company has received over $250 million from the Liberal government since 2015. Whiskey tasting and extravagant dinners with government officials went unrecorded, documents went missing and taxpayers footed the bill.
The Prime Minister's failed arrive scam app, which wrongly sent thousands of Canadians into quarantine, was over-budget and not worth the cost. The RCMP must expand its investigation to figure out where the money is and how to get it back.
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- Feb/14/24 2:17:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as Asian Canadians welcome the year of the dragon, Richmond residents gathered to protest taxpayer-funded drug use in their community. A video from the protest has gone viral internationally. As citizens dared to speak up, they were shouted down by a vile left-wing racist screaming, “Go back to Hong Kong” and “Go back to where you came from.” These comments were outrageous and have no place in our country.
It is shameful that the Prime Minister has allowed racism to fester among his political base. People from all over the world used to dream of a day when they could bring their families to Canada, afford a home in a safe community and be part of the Canadian story. We have been blessed by the contributions of Asian immigrants for generations.
After eight years of the Prime Minister's radical drug policies, our streets are filled with crime, chaos, drugs and disorder. Conservatives stand with all Canadians who want to raise their children in a drug-free community and will always defend their right to say so.
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- Feb/14/24 2:18:17 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, with the cold and snow of winter all around us, the warm weather seems a long way off. However, I have it on good authority that spring is on the way, which means it will soon be time for that delicious symbol of warmth and joy, Quebec-made maple syrup.
Yes, the time has come once again for families, friends and visitors to gather for the maple harvest, a ritual as sweet as the syrup it celebrates. It is a celebration of Quebec cuisine, where traditional dishes are combined with the taste of fresh maple syrup. It is part of the rich tapestry of Quebec's heritage and culture.
Whether, whether they are drowning their French toast, their pancakes, their crepes, or pretty much anything their heart fancies, in fresh maple syrup at home, or visiting their local cabane à sucre, I invite all of Vaudreuil—Soulangois to enjoy the delicious gift of spring that the maple harvest brings.
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- Feb/14/24 2:19:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on every Valentine's Day since 1992, led by indigenous matriarchs, 2SLGBTQ+ members and family members in the Downtown Eastside, the community takes to the streets to honour and grieve the loss of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and the gender diverse. Each year as we march, the drumming unites our heartbeats and eagles circle in the sky. Their spirits live within us.
This act of remembrance is an expression of love, respect and solidarity for families and survivors. Our community stands united in the call for justice. We demand full implementation of all 231 calls for justice. We demand action, and not just empty words. We demand accountability and measurable progress. The CBC reported that, as of June 2023, only two of the 231 calls for justice had been completed, and more than half have not even been started. This is unconscionable.
In honour of—
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- Feb/14/24 2:20:19 p.m.
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The hon. member for Mirabel has the floor.
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- Feb/14/24 2:20:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on January 27, more than 200 people gathered at the Église de Sainte‑Scholastique to pay their respects to Louise Léonard, who died at the age of 79. She was the wife of my friend Denis Lauzon, who founded the Centre de formation agricole de Mirabel.
Denis had a very special way of introducing himself to people. For nearly 60 years, he called himself “the most happily married man in Sainte‑Scholastique”, and with good reason. He and Louise shared a wonderfully close bond. The love was palpable in their home, where I was welcomed as a son.
As a teacher, Louise Léonard touched the lives of hundreds of young people. She was a proud, accomplished and caring woman who was involved in her community and in the world around her. Like many seniors in the village, Louise was looking forward to growing old peacefully with her husband and loved ones at her side at the new seniors' residence in Sainte‑Scholastique.
As we walk around the Hill today, we may run into Denis, and if we look up to the heavens, we might see Louise tenderly watching over him and all of us, as she always did.
I wish Louise a safe journey.
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- Feb/14/24 2:21:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of a Liberal-NDP government, the RCMP is once again investigating a Liberal deal.
Two of the contractors involved in the creation of the ArriveCan app are already being investigated for their potentially criminal acts to obtain contracts, but that investigation will not even scratch the surface of everything that was hidden from Canadians. GC Strategies, an IT firm of two people that did no actual IT work, was paid over $19 million just to find people to build this $60-million app. This is not to mention it's also rigging the bidding process for a $25-million contract that only it could win, and it does not stop there.
Reports are out this morning revealing that this two-person headhunting firm has gotten as much as 250 million taxpayer dollars since 2015. This RCMP investigation needs to be expanded to understand what really happened in the building of this app and who is responsible for this huge waste of taxpayer money.
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- Feb/14/24 2:22:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, February 24 will mark two years since the beginning of Russia's further brutal invasion of Ukraine. Our government has said that Canada will stand with the Ukrainian people until they win, and victory is the only option.
Victory is the only option because Ukraine's victory is vital to Canada's security. If Russia wins, it will not stop at Ukraine. If Russia wins, Europe, the U.S. and Canada will be next in defending ourselves against Russian aggression. Therefore, every Ukrainian soldier fighting today is one less Canadian who will have to fight in the future. Every dollar we spend today is millions of dollars less that we will have to spend in the future.
Our government understands this, and that is one of the reasons Canada has been a global leader in supporting Ukraine. Unfortunately, Conservatives continue to vote against support for Ukraine and against Canada's national security.
On this two-year anniversary, I urge MPs throughout the House vote in favour of the support needed to ensure Ukraine's victory because victory is the only option for our security, our economy and our freedom.
Slava Ukraini.
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- Feb/14/24 2:24:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrive scam scandal continues to deepen. Today we learned from Joël-Denis Bellavance that a single arrive scam company received $250 million. That company has four employees and is headquartered at a cottage. This so-called IT company admits it does not do IT work.
Come on. What a mess.
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- Feb/14/24 2:24:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the pandemic, we did everything we could to try to protect Canadians and save lives, but even in an unprecedented situation, the rules must be followed. Anyone who did not follow the rules must face the consequences.
That is why we absolutely welcome the Auditor General's recommendations, and that is why the appropriate authorities are doing their job.
Yes, Canadians should know the truth, and we expect the investigators to do their job.
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- Feb/14/24 2:25:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on its web site, GC Strategies boasts about being Ottawa's fastest-growing company. After eight years of this Prime Minister, this company is growing very fast indeed. It has four employees and does no IT work, yet it received a quarter of a billion dollars for IT.
The first contract for this company was signed three weeks after this Prime Minister came to power. Why?
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- Feb/14/24 2:25:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, like the Auditor General, Canadians have questions about whether the rules were followed and how such a company could get all these contracts. We expect the authorities to conduct the appropriate investigations to find out who exactly was involved, how these processes were uncovered and which rules were broken.
It is very important to ensure that taxpayer money is invested the right way. In this situation, we all have important questions that we want answered.
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- Feb/14/24 2:26:40 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister's arrive scam is now flailing out of control. Today there are revelations from Joel-Denis Bellavance that one arrive scam company received a quarter of a billion dollars in contracts.
Let us get this straight. This company with four employees, headquartered in the basement of a tiny cottage, got IT contracts even though they admit they do no IT work. It was a quarter of a billion dollars. WTF?
Some hon. members: Oh, oh!
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- Feb/14/24 2:27:13 p.m.
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We are dangerously close to crossing the line of what is considered parliamentary language. That is an abbreviation of language that is commonly understood to be not parliamentary.
I am going to ask the hon. opposition leader to please withdraw that comment and to use parliamentary language.
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- Feb/14/24 2:28:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, “where's the funds”?
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- Feb/14/24 2:28:40 p.m.
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I appreciate that the Leader of the Opposition clarified his comment.
I will ask all members to not use that acronym because it, in the minds of Canadians, would clearly be considered unparliamentary language. I ask all members to use the full words.
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- Feb/14/24 2:29:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the time of the pandemic, the government rightly did everything it could to keep Canadians safe and keep them protected, but of course, even in the most trying times, perhaps especially in the most trying times, all the rules need to be followed.
In this case, the Auditor General has highlighted some very concerning questions that need to be answered. That is why we are expecting and supporting all relevant authorities to follow up on this irregular contracting and perhaps breaking of the rules. This is an important issue, and that is why we are taking it seriously.
[Disturbance in gallery]
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- Feb/14/24 2:31:57 p.m.
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In light of the disruption we had, we are going to suspend for a couple of minutes to allow things to calm down.
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- Feb/14/24 2:34:50 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, let us recap. A company that had never before received contracts from the federal government started getting an avalanche of contracts just three weeks after the Prime Minister took office. The company, in fact, got a quarter of a billion dollars for IT, even though it admits it does not do IT. It has four employees and a headquarters in the basement of a cottage.
Can the Prime Minister explain why this suspicious company started getting these contracts exactly 21 days after he took office?
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- Feb/14/24 2:35:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is obviously an unacceptable situation, which is why the relevant authorities are fully investigating exactly what went on here, particularly highlighted by the Auditor General's recent report. This is an issue we need to continue to understand, and we need to make sure the rules are being followed and our procurement practices across government are respectful of taxpayer money.
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