Parliament is again after a six-week break and the Liberal authorities is dealing with aggressive questions from the opposition bench about quite a lot of moral missteps and the sorry state of Canada’s health-care system — two points which can be poised to dominate this spring sitting.
On the ethics entrance, Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre known as on the Liberal authorities to report the quantity of cash it has funnelled to McKinsey, a consulting agency that has acquired tens of tens of millions of {dollars} in authorities contracts over the previous seven years.
The U.S.-based McKinsey, which has confronted criticism over its previous position within the opioid disaster, was as soon as run by Dominic Barton, the person tapped by Trudeau to be Canada’s ambassador to China.
WATCH | Poilievre questions Trudeau about McKinsey contracts
Conservative Chief Pierre Poilievre questions Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in regards to the federal authorities’s contract with consulting agency McKinsey.
McKinsey has supplied recommendation to the federal paperwork on immigration points, amongst different issues. Poilievre stated it isn’t clear the federal government received good worth for its cash.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is grappling with a backlog of some 2.2 million circumstances as it really works to assessment functions.
Whereas many Canadians are fighting a shaky economic system and sky-high inflation, Poilievre stated “the individuals Trudeau surrounds himself with — just like the high-priced consultants at McKinsey — are doing higher than ever.”
Trudeau ducked questions on McKinsey in query interval Monday, saying his authorities is concentrated on the center class whereas the Conservatives are pushing “cuts and austerity and never being there for Canadians.”
“He is all the time had issue defining what the center class is,” Poilievre quipped.
Procurement Minister Helena Jazceck later advised the Commons that the federal government is doing a “full assessment” of the McKinsey contracts to make sure they align with all Treasury Board insurance policies and directives.
Barton additionally has been known as to look earlier than a parliamentary committee reviewing the rise in federal outsourcing to the New York-based consulting big.
A researcher testifying earlier than that committee Monday stated the give attention to McKinsey is a distraction. Amanda Clarke, an affiliate professor of public administration at Carleton College, stated the examine ought to give attention to the general public service’s reliance on consulting companies total.
“The give attention to outsourcing and contracting within the federal authorities is the broad sufficient umbrella to get at these points and any given agency,” Clarke stated.
Commerce minister questioned over breach of ethics guidelines
Worldwide Commerce Minister Mary Ng was additionally within the scorching seat Monday. The ethics commissioner concluded she breached Canada’s battle of curiosity guidelines when her workplace signed a contract with Ng’s good friend, communications skilled and CBC’s Energy & Politics pundit Amanda Alvaro.
In 2019-2020, Ng’s workplace signed contracts for media and communications coaching with public relations company Pomp & Circumstance, co-founded and run by Alvaro.
WATCH | “I made a mistake” — minister makes assertion on battle of curiosity
Throughout query interval, Minister of Worldwide Commerce Mary Ng responds to questioning from Conservative MP Michael Barrett.
Ng was “lining the pockets of her insider good friend” by giving Alvaro’s agency some $16,950 for work, stated Conservative MP Michael Barrett, the celebration’s ethics critic.
He known as on Ng to “lower a cheque” to supply some “restitution for her corruption.”
Ng apologized for not recusing herself from inside discussions in regards to the contract however has refused to resign from cupboard.
That is not ok for the Conservatives. The Conservative chair of the ethics committee, John Brassard, will convene a gathering Tuesday which might kick off a weeks-long probe into the matter.
Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen can be dealing with mounting criticism a few contract.
World Information reported earlier this month that Hussen’s constituency workplace employed a agency with ties to one among his staffers to do communications work in his Toronto-area using.
That outlet reported Hussen’s workplace awarded $93,050 in contracts to Munch Extra Media, an organization that is normally targeted on the meals and restaurant trade.
Hussen stated Monday politicians are anticipated to speak with their constituents. He stated his workplace adopted all of the procurement guidelines.
The ethics commissioner, he added, additionally concluded there was no battle of curiosity.
One in all Munch Extra Media’s administrators is Hiba Tariq, the sister to Hussen’s director of coverage, Tia Tariq, World Information has reported.
NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh was targeted on health-care points on his first day again on Parliament Hill. He accused the Liberal authorities of permitting conservative premiers to undermine Canada’s public health-care system.
At difficulty is Ontario’s choice to ship some surgical procedures like knee and hip replacements to non-public clinics to assist clear up an enormous backlog for these procedures within the hospital system.
The NDP has stated such a plan is a slippery slope to a two-tier health-care system.
WATCH | Singh accuses Trudeau of a ‘flip flop’ on health-care privatization
Throughout the first query interval of the yr, NDP Chief Jagmeet Singh went after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for calling Ontario’s current strikes on well being care an ‘innovation.’
The Ontario PCs have defended the transfer as a prudent method that can relieve a severely strained hospital system.
Chatting with reporters on Parliament Hill, Singh stated Ontario’s plan could “cannibalize” the well being system by diverting personnel from public-run hospitals to for-profit clinics.
“The issue that we’re up in opposition to won’t be solved by an American-style, for-profit method to well being care,” Singh stated. He accused Trudeau of flip-flopping on the problem after he blasted former Conservative chief Erin O’Toole for elevating the potential for some privatization over the past federal election marketing campaign.
Trudeau has not condemned Ford’s plan and has stated he is open to “innovation” and options that alivate wait occasions.
Trudeau has stated, nonetheless, that the federal authorities will aggressively implement the Canada Well being Act.
The Canada Well being Act requires common entry to publicly funded well being providers lined by provincial and territorial plans, and bans consumer costs and extra-billing.
