Oliver targeted over contracting
Ex-Harper aide billed government after the fact for two speeches
Finance Minister Joe Oliver came under fire Wednesday over revelations his office broke federal rules in 2013 when it paid $9,209 for two speeches written by Guy Giorno — Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s former chief of staff and Conservative party legal adviser.
The Liberals went after the finance minister in question period over documents that show in 2013 — when Oliver was Natural Resources minister — his chief of staff David Forestell sent a $9,209 bill to the department, after the fact, to pay Giorno and law firm Fasken Martineau for two speeches already written. Natural Resources Canada staff warned the speech-writing contract was “inappropriately initiated.”
Giorno, who served as Harper’s chief of staff for more than two years, is a senior partner in the firm and was cited in emails about the speech-writing contract. Giorno confirmed by email Wednesday that he wrote the speeches, which federal officials said were on the government’s responsible resource-development policy and announcement of a special representative on West Coast energy infrastructure.
Officials at Natural Resources Canada pushed back against the sole-sourced contract in March 2013 and warned Oliver’s office at the time that the contract violated federal Treasury Board rules.
A procurement official at Natural Resources Canada highlighted to Oliver’s office the “after-the-fact request” to pay for the speechwriting services “is an inappropriately initiated procurement activity,” according to the documents obtained by the Liberals through access to information.
“Please keep in mind that afterthe-fact contracting contravenes both the Treasury Board and NRCan contracting policies,” said Anne Joly, a senior procurement clerk with Natural Resources Canada, in an email to Sofie Lacroix, a supervisor in the minister’s office administrative services. “Afterthe-fact and verbal contracting pose unnecessary risks for the Crown and should be avoided.”
When department officials asked why the minister’s office chose to go with Fasken Martineau, Oliver’s chief of staff said they offered a “quick turnaround time and the minister is comfortable with the style and tone of this speech writer.”
Department officials agreed to pay the bill but told Oliver’s staff to sign a document acknowledging “the procurement activity was inappropriately actioned.”
Along with being Harper’s chief of staff from July 2008 to December 2010, Giorno also served as the Conservative party’s national campaign co-chair for the 2011 federal election campaign and has provided legal advice to the party.
In the House of Commons Wednesday, Liberal MP David McGuinty grilled the Conservatives on why they violated federal contracting rules.
“Treasury Board contracting rules are in place to prevent corruption and political favouritism,” McGuinty said.
Oliver was in the Commons for question period but didn’t answer. Instead, Paul Calandra, parliamentary secretary to Harper, responded and said the Conservatives “expect all Treasury Board guidelines to be followed.”
The $9,209 billed for the speechwriting services was just below the $10,000 level, with any federal contract over that amount required to be publicly disclosed.
The Liberals, using access-to-information laws, asked for a copy of any speeches prepared for Oliver, but the department provided nothing. The Liberals questioned what Oliver’s office got for the payment to Giorno and Fasken Martineau.
However, late Wednesday, a spokesman for Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford provided Internet links to the apparent speeches, which were delivered Nov. 28, 2012, in Vancouver and March 19, 2013, in Terrace, B.C.
Documents show Forestell would “ONLY accept delivery BEFORE March 31,” which the Liberals believe was part of what Treasury Board president Tony Clement has called “March Madness” — where federal officials are desperate to spend unused operating funds before the fiscal year ends March 31.
Forestell is now director of government relations for Barrick Gold Corp., the firm’s top lobbying job.
Contracting rules are in place to prevent corruption and political favouritism.