Two federal ministers have been asked to look into the issue of an increasing number of government contracts going to U.S. consulting firm McKinsey, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Jan. 11 from Mexico City.
“Public officials have always reached out to external companies to help them modernize government operations, but we'll do follow-up to make sure that things were done properly, and if we need to change the rules, we will do so,” he said after concluding three days of meetings with the U.S. and Mexican presidents and business leaders.
A reporter asked Trudeau whether his government had gone too far in favouring McKinsey.
Trudeau said he asked Minister of Public Services and Procurement Helena Jaczek and Treasury Board President Mona Fortier for a follow-up on the matter and to “look at the figures, to look at the circumstances.”
CBC found $66 million in contracts for multiple departments with some still in progress with an unknown final price tab. Many of the contracts are also sole-source.
Poilievre said the Commons government operations committee would be doing the investigative work.
He noted McKinsey’s involvement in previous scandals and being currently under investigation by French authorities.
Poilievre said a government led by him would get rid of the “excessive influence of multinationals.”
For his part, Blanchet cast doubts on the idea that the government needs to outsource services to operate better.
He suggested that instead of giving contracts to McKinsey, the public service could have used the money to better train its employees.
“Why has the Canadian government ceded its prerogatives by issuing contracts to a private foreign company?” he said.
