SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 301

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 17, 2024 02:00PM
Context: House Hansard - 301 - Apr/17/24
Mr. Kristian Firth (Partner)
  • Apr/17/24 5:18:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have no knowledge, and I cannot remember sending that text message.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • Apr/17/24 5:18:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mr. Firth received a text message on February 1, 2021. It was reported in The Globe and Mail. That report in The Globe and Mail, along with other information, sparked subsequent hearings at the government operations committee. Is Mr. Firth claiming he did not read that article or the text?
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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:18:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I cannot remember that text message, and I cannot remember that article.
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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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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:19:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I do not know of any communications. I do not remember that text message. I have not seen the article.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • Apr/17/24 5:19:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mr. Firth claimed today that it is common practice for clients to request and to receive suggestions about the content of RFPs from those who bid on them. How many times, since 2015, has GC Strategies provided these kinds of suggestions to government clients regarding RFPs that it then bid on?
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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:19:51 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, without being elusive here, I do not have that number. I do not know.
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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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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:20:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we were spoken to previously. Do we have to provide information to the House?
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The Speaker
  • Apr/17/24 5:20:21 p.m.
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I will consult the Chair. To all hon. members, the process, which was set forth by the House, was that subsequent to the calling to the bar, the admonishment and the responding to questions and supplementary questions, the answers being provided by Mr. Firth would be referred to the House committee for it to evaluate and to make recommendations. The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan is rising on a point of order.
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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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The Speaker
  • Apr/17/24 5:21:41 p.m.
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What I understood Mr. Firth to say to the hon. member was whether he had to provide a response to the Speaker of the House. The point that I was making before, in terms of the order that the House had set out, the order that the House had passed, was that the testimony brought here will be referred to the committee. The hon. member for Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan.
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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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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:22:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, yes, I will.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • Apr/17/24 5:22:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, why did the government go to GC Strategies for this sort of advice? How did GC Strategies become a favoured contractor and adviser regarding RFPs to the Government of Canada?
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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:22:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I got my first contract in 2011 and have done that subsequently by just responding to RFPs. It is flattering to be a recognized person who can provide requirements and help for the federal government.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • Apr/17/24 5:23:20 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is very flattering indeed. According to committee testimony, Mr. Firth received $2,600 per hour spent working on ArriveCAN. That is substantially more than the earnings of an average NHL player. It is very flattering that they came to him for advice. It is very flattering that he was paid so much. Does he see this as a reasonable rate of compensation for what he did?
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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:23:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, in the testimony, they were quoting hours towards ArriveCAN. We had 22 other departments and 20 other contracts we were working on at the same time. It is impossible for me to spend 250 hours on one contract when I have to service and maintain other projects with other clients.
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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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Mr. Kristian Firth
  • Apr/17/24 5:24:10 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, just my holdco, which is the 50% owner of GC Strategies.
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