Kelly McCauley moved, — That the committee resume consideration of the motion and the amendment moved and adjourned at Meeting 87, on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, regarding GC Strategies.

The question was put on the motion and the results of the vote was announced: YEAS: 5; NAYS: 5.

Whereupon, the Chair voted in the affirmative.

Accordingly, the motion was agreed to.

The committee resumed consideration of the motion of Kelly McCauley moved on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 which read as follows:

That, given the fact that,

• GC Strategies, a two-person company, that does not perform any actual work but exclusively subcontracts contracts they acquire, has received $59 million in taxpayer dollars from 2017 to present; and

• despite government promises to reduce outside contract spending the recently released supplementary estimates (C) show an increase in contract and services spending of $1.2 billion

That the committee initiate a six-meeting investigation concerning the value for money the Government has obtained through contracting GC Strategies and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

To facilitate its investigation, pursuant to Standing Order 108(1), the committee order the production of all contracts between GC Strategies and the Government of Canada from 2017 to 2022 in an unredacted format.

The witness list include the following:

1. All GC Strategies employees (Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony)

2. All federal departments and agencies that hired GC Strategies from 2017 to present:

· Department of National Defense

· Department of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

· Department of Innovation Science and Industry

· Courts Administration Service

· Treasury Board Secretariat

· Department of Families, Children and Social Development

· Global Affairs Canada

· Canada Border Services Agency

· Department of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

· Office of the Secretary of the Governor General

· Department of Natural Resources

· Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food

· Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

· Department of Public Safety Canada

· Department of Transport Canada

· Department of Environment and Climate Change Canada

· Public Services and Procurement Canada

Additionally, the Ministers of the aforementioned departments and agencies are invited to appear alongside their departmental contracting agencies.

and of the amendment of Nikki Ahston moved on Tuesday, November 28, 2023 which read as follows:

That the motion be amended:

(a) by adding, after the words “has received $59 million in taxpayer dollars from 2017 to present; and” the words “decades of unchecked spending on outsourcing – which accelerated in 2006 – has cost Canadians tens of billions of dollars while creating a shadow public service that works alongside the real public service—but without the same hiring practices or transparency requirements ; and,”

(b) by replacing the words “six-meetings” with the words “two-meetings”;

(c) by adding, after the words “has obtained through contracting GC Strategies” the words “– and through the practice of contracting and sub-contracting since 2006 –“

(d) by replacing the words “between GC strategies and the” with the word “with”

(e) by replacing the word “2017” with the word “2006”; and

(f) by deleting the words after point 2 and replacing with the words “And any other witnesses that the committee deems fit to call.”

Debate arose thereon.

At 11:54 a.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 12:54 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.

By unanimous consent, the motion and the amendment were withdrawn.

By unanimous consent, it was agreed, —

That, given the fact that,

• GC Strategies, a two-person company, that does not perform any actual work but exclusively subcontracts contracts they acquire, has received $59 million in taxpayer dollars from 2017 to present;

• decades of unchecked spending on outsourcing, which accelerated in 2006,has cost Canadians tens of billions of dollars while creating a shadow public service that works alongside the real public service, but without the same hiring practices or transparency requirements ; and,

• despite government promises to reduce outside contract spending the recently released supplementary estimates (C) show an increase in contract and services spending of $1.2 billion.

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee initiate a two-meeting investigation after the Auditor General Report is tabled, concerning the value for money the government has obtained through contracting GC Strategies –and through the practice of contracting and sub-contracting since 2006–and that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.

That the committee request that the government provide the Standing Committee on Public Accounts all contracts between a government department, agency or Crown Corporations and GC Strategies, Dalian, and Coradix, starting January 1, 2012; and that the documents be submitted to the clerk of the committee in both official languages.

That the committee request that the Government Operation and Estimates Committee (OGGO) provide any overlapping documents already provided to OGGO.

And that, the witness list for the study include the following:

1. All GC Strategies employees (Kristian Firth and Darren Anthony)