National Post (National Edition)
Conservatives hammer government on McKinsey
For the second day in a row, the government was grilled over pricey government contracts procured from McKinsey & Co.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre kicked off question period with a brief question in French — how much the government had paid the international consulting firm during its eight years in power.
In a marked departure from Monday's session, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the question, responding in French that he'd asked Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Public Service Minister Helena Jaczek and Treasury Board President Mona Fortier to investigate.
“We understand how important it is for Canadians have a good deal,” the Prime Minister said in French, adding the trio will ensure all rules were followed.
On Monday, Poilievre asked the Prime Minister five times to reveal how much the government had paid McKinsey, but to little avail — instead being told of the Liberal's 2015 election promise to protect Canada's middle class, and called out for not voting along government lines on policy.
The government's appetite for spending big money on outside consultants continues to haunt the Liberals, as questions on how much money the Liberals have spent on extra-governmental contracts continue to swirl.
A Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) report put that number at around $100 million, which represents a 50-fold increase spent during the nine years of the Harper Conservatives.
“Can't he just ask his own government how much he spent on contracts to this company, we're talking at least $120 million,” Poilievre asked, referring to the Prime Minister.
Trudeau then turned much of the responsibility toward the public service, saying that most of McKinsey's contracts with the federal government were signed by them, repeating his earlier assurances in French that the matter was being looked into.
“The ministers, of course, will be sharing that information with committees and parliamentarians,” he said.
“It's important for Canadians to see how government is investing their money.”