SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Apr/17/24 3:40:24 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, it is very important for you, Mr. Speaker, to understand how we got here. It is important to know that the witness was offered accommodations that have been granted; should there be further accommodations requested, in terms of breaks or any type of need to consult with any professional, we have signalled our absolute co-operation with that. These are very similar to the accommodations the witness requested when it took months for him to respond to a committee invitation and further summons. These were the same accommodations that were provided when he finally testified just recently, and that is how we arrived at where we are today. The dignity of the House and the ability for parliamentarians to do their jobs on behalf of taxpayers, many of whom lost every single cent they had during the lockdown, and on behalf of the thousands of Canadians who were ordered into quarantine because of this app, essentially— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola (Beauport—Limoilou, BQ)

Apr/17/24 3:57:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will begin this question period by reminding members of some of the things I said in my speech last week. Sadly, we are dealing with an historic situation caused by various issues. One of those issues is the inconsistencies in some of the information we received from the witness, as well as the inconsistencies between that information and the information we received from other sources. Then, there is the time it took to receive written responses and requested documents, which was unusual and, in some cases, took as long as 18 months. Having said that, I must point out that the responses were received, although they were delayed, and it took some time and urging. As I was saying, the purpose of my questions today will be to understand the processes, and to identify flaws in the public service, how it operates and its procedures. I am not a court, and have no intention of being one. I urge members not to become a people's court or be taken in, and focus on our role: find flaws in the system, organization and processes in order to correct those flaws. It is important to specify that these flaws have been around for a while. Several processes were put in place years ago, including by Ms. Ambrose, the Conservative minister at the time. Here is my first question: I would like to know what skills and training are needed to become a talent recruiter.

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola

Apr/17/24 3:58:18 p.m.
Watch

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to make a name for oneself, to become known in the huge government machinery. I would like to know how the witness' company has managed to establish itself as a key player in recruiting talent for the Government of Canada.

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola

Apr/17/24 4:01:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does the witness believe that civil servants in general, and those working on ArriveCAN in particular, followed the rules, procedures and policies related to their strategic and privileged position within the government apparatus when negotiating the contracts his company won?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola

Apr/17/24 4:02:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does the witness believe that public servants complied with the rules, procedures and policies related to their strategic and privileged position within the government apparatus in negotiating contracts for GC Strategies?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola

Apr/17/24 4:02:56 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I understand that the witness is not familiar with the rules of the public service. However, did any public servant with whom he had contact tell him, at any time, that they could not do certain things that did not abide by the rules that apply to public servants?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mrs. Julie Vignola

Apr/17/24 4:03:29 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it has been noted, particularly by the Auditor General, that people from GC Strategies helped develop the criteria for a contract that they ultimately won. Does the witness believe that any company that participates in developing criteria should withdraw from a call for tenders?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Luc Berthold (Mégantic—L'Érable, CPC)

Apr/17/24 4:29:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the witness what allegations were made by Botler AI that resulted in an RCMP search of his home this week.

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Luc Berthold

Apr/17/24 4:30:34 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the witness, Mr. Firth, is here in the wake of the Liberal scandal involving the Prime Minister's ArriveCAN application. It is an app that was supposed to cost $80,000, but ended up costing $60 million. Did the Liberal government, who paid tens of millions of dollars for work that was not done, contact Mr. Firth?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Luc Berthold

Apr/17/24 4:31:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the witness, Mr. Firth, is here in the wake of the Liberal scandal involving the Prime Minister's ArriveCAN application. It is an app that was supposed to cost $80,000, but ended up costing $60 million. Did the Liberal government, who paid tens of millions of dollars for work that was not done, ask Mr. Firth to reimburse the money or contact him to find a way to do so?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Luc Berthold

Apr/17/24 4:31:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the witness, Mr. Firth, either refused to answer questions or lied to the parliamentary committee after we learned that the Prime Minister's government had made him a multimillionaire on the backs of taxpayers. Can the witness affirm today in the House that he did not lie before the parliamentary committee?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Luc Berthold

Apr/17/24 4:32:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I understand it, the witness lied repeatedly in committee and that is why we are here today to try to find out the truth. Can Mr. Firth confirm that he purposely avoided naming his sources within the Liberal government to protect his lucrative business model, which resulted from the Liberal government's lax procurement processes?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

The Speaker

Apr/17/24 4:42:51 p.m.
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I appreciate the intervention from the parliamentary secretary to the government House leader. I am going to take a moment to consult on this matter. The Chair is going to permit the hon. member for Brantford—Brant to please put a question within 10 seconds so that the witness, Mr. Firth, can answer the question.

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:19:03 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this is a final chance to tell the truth. Will the witness tell the House about any connections and relationships between him and Jeremy Broadhurst or, that he is aware of, between Vaughn Brennan and Jeremy Broadhurst? He received texts. It is in The Globe and Mail. Will he tell the truth?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:20:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, will the witness undertake to provide a response to that question in writing to the Speaker and to the government operations committee within 14 days?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:21:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the witness has asked if he has to provide responses. I would submit to you that the whole reason he is here is that he has refused to provide responses. This is why the House is taking this matter so seriously.

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:22:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, will the witness provide the response, in writing, to the question I have asked, which he claims to be unable to answer? Will he provide it in writing, within 14 days, to the Speaker and to the committee, yes or no?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:24:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, is the witness involved with any other companies?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:24:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the witness discussed the health of contracts outside the office with Paul Girard, Treasury Board CIO. Did he discuss replacing resources or increasing resources at that time?

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Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24

Mr. Garnett Genuis

Apr/17/24 5:25:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in meetings outside the office with Paul Girard, did they discuss replacing resources or increasing resources? Did they discuss new contracts? If the witness is unable to answer that question, will he provide a response in writing?

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