Members of Congressional committees have voted in favor of conducting an investigation into a significant increase in federal spending on contracts awarded to consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
The Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO), along with McKinsey representatives, will also question the Federal Ministers on this issue.
The motion was introduced by Conservative MP Stephanie Cusey at a committee meeting on 18 January.
According to the motion, OGGO will review all government consulting contracts awarded to McKinsey by the federal government or Crown Corporation since 2011 and “determine their effectiveness, control and The purpose is to investigate the operation. ”
MPs voted to call on a number of Liberal Cabinet members to testify, including Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Finance Council Chairman Mona Fortier and Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jacek. .
Kusie also invited Minister of Defense Anita Anand, Minister of Public Security Marco Mendicino and Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos to attend the committee.
The commission plans to hold its first meeting to question witnesses when Congress adjourns again at the end of January.
“We also want to hear from McKinsey representatives, including Dominic Burton, so they can answer our questions,” Brock-Quebec MP Julie Vignola said at the committee meeting.
Mr. Burton is a former president of McKinsey and a former Canadian ambassador to China.
“pull the string”
CBC News reported in early January that the Trudeau administration had awarded the US multinational McKinsey a $66 million contract since it came to power in 2015.
However, Public Services and Procurement Canada said in a January 17 statement that the exact amount spent on contracts with McKinsey since 2015 was actually $101.4 million.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poirivre and Brock Quebec leader Yves-François Blanchet each announced on January 10 that they would press the government to clarify the details of the deal.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the next day that he had appointed two ministers, Jacek and Fortier, to investigate the contract with McKinsey.
Trudeau said on Jan. 11 that “we will follow up to make sure things were done properly,” adding that “if we need to change the rules, we will.”
Cusi told the commission today that Canadians “want answers” about spending so much money on contracts with McKinsey.
“Whose idea was this? Whose idea was it to start this relationship with McKinsey?” “Who’s pulling the strings?”
Noé Chartier contributed to this report.
Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.