- Apr/17/24 3:47:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, GC Strategies is two guys in a basement taking 30% commissions on multi-million dollar contracts that they add no value to, but they have endorsements from senior NDP-Liberal government officials.
On the endorsements, who was the Government of Canada chief information officer who offered a quote?
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- Apr/17/24 3:46:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, does Mr. Firth know if the property of his partner, Darren Anthony, has been searched by the RCMP?
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- Apr/17/24 3:46:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, in the search of Mr. Firth's home, did the RCMP take only electronic devices, or were there documents, cellphones or any other information?
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- Apr/17/24 3:45:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have also confirmed that GC Strategies and ArriveCAN are under police investigation.
Has the RCMP contacted Mr. Firth about allegations related specifically to the Prime Minister's $60-million arrive scam?
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- Apr/17/24 3:45:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we know from committee testimony that Mr. Firth has admitted to doing exactly that. Today, media reports that Mr. Firth's property was raided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
What crime are they investigating?
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- Apr/17/24 3:45:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, for how many contracts did GC Strategies copy and paste the exact same information?
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- Apr/17/24 3:44:18 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the procurement watchdog found “numerous examples where [GC Strategies] had simply copied and pasted” information to prove the people GC Strategies found to do work on ArriveCAN actually did it.
Has the government asked GC Strategies to repay the money paid to GC Strategies for ArriveCAN?
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- Apr/17/24 3:42:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, ArriveCAN was supposed to cost taxpayers $80,000, but the NDP-Liberal government rewarded consultants and insiders, who got rich on taxpayer dollars for an app that nobody wanted. The app erroneously forced more than 10,000 people into house arrest. It did not work, and the Auditor General said it cost at least $60 million. ArriveCAN is now under 13 federal investigations. Two middlemen who do no IT work got rich in a corrupt system under the NDP-Liberal government. Some, including the witness today, became multi-millionaires.
GC Strategies is a two-person company, and it claims to find people who actually do the work by using LinkedIn. Nearly $20 million for ArriveCan is what the company was paid, roughly $2,500 per hour. The people have been paid $100 million since forming GC Strategies just after the Liberal Prime Minister was elected. This is eight years under the Liberal Prime Minister.
The Liberal government has been ordered to collect and recoup all funds paid to ArriveCAN contractors and subcontractors who did no work on the ArriveCAN app. Has the government asked Mr. Firth to repay the money paid to GC Strategies on ArriveCAN?
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- Apr/16/24 3:24:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, on the same point of order, the NDP House leader, the member for Timmins—James Bay and the member for Hamilton Centre, and we can check everyone off the list, are members of the fourth party in the House, and they create the same level of disorder as all members do. They engage in heckling, as is happening right now, but that is part of the customs that have been adopted by this place.
The matter at hand is that the Speaker made a ruling, and now, in succession, we have had NDP members standing up to chastise the Speaker for ruling the wrong way. That is not how it works in this place. Members of the official opposition, when asked to withdraw, in spite of their continuing to hold the convictions of what they said, out of deference to the Chair, have withdrawn and apologized. When they have not done so at any point in history, they have been ejected, and that is how this place works. We do not have every member then stand up and challenge the Chair's ruling because, frankly, that is unparliamentary and unbefitting of any member who does.
Order has been restored with the Chair's ruling. We thank you for that.
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- Apr/16/24 3:02:16 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, if the minister gets up and says something is not true, that points to the lie, because we know that 75% of the contractors listed on this app did no actual work. We know that two guys working out of a basement were paid tens of millions of dollars, but did no actual work. We know that every step of the way the Liberals have tried to cover it up, like how that minister and everyone on front bench, and right to the back, voted against having the Auditor General investigate.
The question is very simple. These yo-yos working out of a basement were paid tens of millions of dollars and did no actual work. What did they give the Liberals in exchange for that sweetheart deal?
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- Apr/16/24 3:01:05 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, it is clear he is not worth the cost or the corruption, like the $60-million arrive scam contractor, who is being hauled before the House of Commons tomorrow for refusing to answer committee questions about his role in the Prime Minister's latest multi-million-dollar scandal. This contractor claims that he only did Google searches and sent LinkedIn direct messages.
Therefore, what did this guy and his partner give to the Liberals in exchange for the multi-million dollars they were paid?
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- Apr/15/24 7:58:21 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, every time, it is the same thing. The Liberals want us to trust them, and they say that they have processes in place. That is what they tell us. They did not want us to look deeper into the billion dollar green slush fund. When we did, after they tried to block committee investigations, we found conflicts of interest. What happened? I wrote letters to the Ethics Commissioner, and he launched investigations into their appointees.
It is the same thing with the $60 million arrive scam. The Liberals say that everything is fine and that there is nothing to see there, yet 12 investigations later, they are still telling us to trust them. We do not. We do not trust them to keep taxes low, to build houses, to balance the budget, to bring down inflation or to return safety and sanity to our streets.
Canadians have had enough, and they want real action. They want a government that is accountable. That is why Conservatives are going to bring it home.
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- Apr/15/24 7:51:32 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to rise today, and I want to start by wishing a very happy birthday to my uncle, Wayne MacHale. Uncle Wayne is 73 years old today. Wayne is lucky to have my aunt, Aunt Michelle, as his wife. He is also the proud father of Eric and Daniel and equally proud of their wives, his daughters-in-law, Sandra and Maureen. He is proud of his grandchildren, Liam, Rory, Molly, Owen and Cameron. I think he was watching one of them play soccer tonight. Wayne is the brother to my mom, Anne. He is a tremendously nice guy and an avid golfer. I am so proud to know him and wish Uncle Wayne a very happy birthday.
I will move to the business that we find ourselves here to discuss, which, of course, is waste, scandal and mismanagement. That is what we see from the Liberals with everything they touch. It is like the reverse Midas touch. I think everyone would be surprised that it has been so long since I mentioned their billion-dollar green slush fund. What is the reason for that? It is because there are new details about Liberal scandals, such as their $60-million arrive scam, every day. The Prime Minister and his NDP-Liberal government are always enriching their friends at the expense of Canadians; tomorrow they are going to roll out their budget, which is going to cause Canadians to continue to struggle after eight years of the government.
The billion-dollar green slush fund has appointees of the Prime Minister and people with their hand on the tiller who are under investigation by the Ethics Commissioner, having admitted to enriching themselves while Canadians struggle. It is the same story for the $60-million arrive scam, with a dozen investigations, not the least of which is that of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
When we talk about accountability, let us look at the government's commitment to accountability. In November 2022, if people can go back to that time, the Leader of the Opposition put forward a motion to have the Auditor General investigate the arrive scam. The government says it is transparent and wants accountability. How did the Prime Minister vote? The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance is going to present the budget tomorrow. How did the cabinet vote? How did Liberal members vote? They voted against having the Auditor General investigate this latest scandal.
It is hard not to feel disappointed in one's government when there is a new scandal every day. On that, the Prime Minister and I agree. We are so disappointed. While Canadians line up at food banks in record numbers, they see inaction and a government that is worsening the crisis they are facing. They are going to be able to count on common-sense Conservatives to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget and stop the crime. When will the government do the right thing and do the same?
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- Apr/10/24 3:09:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the procurement system that the Liberals are presiding over is so broken that millions of dollars are being paid to firms who add no value and do no work on contracts. Just last year, $21 billion went to outside contracts. The NDP-Liberal government is not worth the cost or the corruption of its $60-million arrive scam, which saw GC Strategies paid $20 million when they did no work and added no value. For their failed arrive scam, Canadians got lies, fraud and forgery. Will the Liberals cut the corruption in their budget next Wednesday?
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- Apr/10/24 3:08:37 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, after years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister, we know that he is not worth the cost or the corruption. We have seen that with the $60 million he spent on his failed arrive scam. Last year alone, he spent $21 billion on outside consultants, and his favourite, hand-picked consultants from GC Strategies are being hauled before the bar of the House to answer questions, under threat of imprisonment, for lying to parliamentarians in the inquiries about the Liberal scandal. It is a historic tool for historic levels of corruption.
In the budget next week, will the Prime Minister cut the corruption in his government?
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- Mar/22/24 1:57:36 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the last time this was done was in 1913, which is certainly not 200 years ago. I would draw the member's attention to John Bourinot, Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada, fourth edition, at pages 70 to 74. Page 71 states:
When the witness appears at the bar of the house, each question will be written out and handed to the speaker; who, strictly speaking, should read it to the witness; but on certain occasions a considerable degree of latitude is allowed for the convenience of the house, and questions put directly by members have been supposed to be put through the speaker.
The precision with which this is done has already been laid out, not in ancient texts but in the text of precedents that are relevant to this place. A further committee study, further delay, is not what we need. Of course order and decorum will be maintained; that is the role of the Speaker of the House. Of course, like in all institutions in Canada, Canadians have confidence that the Speaker would do it in just that way, a way where decorum is maintained but that we do get answers and admonishment, and that it is done in very due course.
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- Mar/22/24 1:41:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, of course, it is devastating for all Canadians to see the waste, scandal and mismanagement after eight years of the NDP-Liberal Prime Minister. It is so important that parliamentarians recognize the incredible opportunity we have here right now to support this important motion so that anyone else thinking about engaging in some of kind of corrupt practices, cozying up with insiders, cozying up to people who are not forthright and thinking they are going to take the taxpayer for a ride, needs to understand that is unacceptable.
Canada's Conservatives will restore ethics and accountability to Ottawa, but anyone who comes before a parliamentary committee must tell the truth and give fulsome answers. If they fail to do that, there will be real consequences. Canadians are still going to get answers because Canada's Conservatives will insist on nothing less.
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- Mar/22/24 1:38:26 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, making sure that the will of Canadians is reflected in the work that we do requires incredible fortitude. This is what we have had to put forward. As the official opposition, we have to be able to withstand the tactics of a government that has found itself, after eight years, mired in scandal. It is quite plain that it is just not worth the corruption to Canadians anymore.
Pressing forward with an issue like this, though it is difficult and might seem uncomfortable to some who might want to send this off to another committee to look at, this has been dealt with at committee. The only thing another committee could do is confirm that there was prevarication, lies and a refusal to answer questions. That is why it is so important that the House is prepared to persevere, stick to it, get these answers and resolve the situation.
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- Mar/22/24 1:35:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is a question of Parliament and parliamentarians refreshing their comfort in using the tools available to them, this being an important one.
Having individuals swear an oath before they come before committee has the same effect as an individual swearing an oath in a court of law. With respect to perjury, members of the public would have an understanding, even through pop culture, as to what the prospective penalties are for the offence. When we have individuals who are flatly refusing to attend or answer questions, we need to use the tools in our parliamentary tool box today.
This tool is rarely used because it seems like it has been some time since anyone felt like they had greater power than Canada's 338 elected representatives. That is why I think it is so important that we offer the appropriate remedy in this case, and that is to get the answers for Canadians and admonish the individual who flouted the rules.
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- Mar/22/24 1:33:35 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the tools we have today allow for a range of steps. The first step, the one that is taken every day that a committee is in session in the House, is that we invite people to come to committee, whether stakeholders or people who are the subject of the report and played a part in government contracting like this.
Then there is the rare occasion where we have individuals who decline. They may have different reasons for declining, but they decline. The committee can insist on that and, of course, issue a summons. It is exceedingly rare and we have to use the power of the full House. All members have to agree to send for those individuals, which was done in this case. The tools are there.
I think the power of committees, the important work that we do, will be reinforced should this motion come to pass, because it sends an incredibly strong message about the seriousness with which all members take this matter and all matters that the House lawfully takes up at committee.
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