Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga Centre.

On behalf of the residents of my great constituency of Davenport, which is located in downtown Toronto, I am very pleased to join the debate on this opposition day motion about ArriveCAN contractor GC Strategies. It is truly an important matter for us to discuss.

Effective management in government procurement is a fundamental responsibility to Canadians. Every dollar spent by the government must reflect a commitment to transparency, accountability and value for money. Robust procurement practices ensure that taxpayer funds are used wisely. The practices must cultivate trust and deliver essential services to benefit communities. This is precisely what our government strives to achieve. We can always improve the way we work. If and when concerns are raised, we listen to them and we act.

That brings me to the audit tabled by the Office of the Auditor General on Tuesday regarding professional services contracts awarded to GC Strategies. I want to thank the Auditor General and her team for their hard work on this audit.

I can tell hon. members that public servants are committed to improving procurement practices. It is important for members to remember that the Office of Supplier Integrity and Compliance has declared GC Strategies ineligible from being awarded Government of Canada contracts for seven years, specifically from June 6, 2025, until June 6, 2032. This is a severe sanction. It reflects the seriousness of the misconduct of the supplier in its dealings with the federal government.

The Government of Canada has accepted all of the recommendations previously made by the Auditor General. In her most recent report, she made no new recommendations, but she urged the government to continue to implement previous recommendations, which is currently under way. I will go through some of the efforts that are happening right now.

Public Services and Procurement Canada, or PSPC, is in the process of transforming and modernizing how the department procures professional services by simplifying existing mandatory procurement tools. To date, the department has taken the following actions on previous recommendations from the Auditor General: improving evaluation requirements to ensure that resources are appropriately qualified; ensuring increased transparency from suppliers around their pricing and use of subcontractors; improving documentation when awarding contracts and issuing task authorizations; and finally, clarifying work requirements and activities and specifying which initiatives and projects are being worked on by contractors.

All these measures are meant to strengthen the integrity of the procurement system. They are meant to improve data collection. They are meant to increase transparency in procurement decisions. They are meant to clarify roles and responsibilities. Most of all, they are meant to strengthen oversight and accountability in procurement activities.

The Government of Canada has also taken steps to hold GC Strategies accountable. With regard to ArriveCAN, where specific allegations of misconduct have been made, the CBSA has launched an investigation that is still in process and has referred all allegations to the RCMP. The CBSA has already taken steps to strengthen the management and oversight of its work. One of these steps is to implement a procurement improvement plan. Anyone can see this plan on the CBSA website. The plan ensures that all CBSA procurement follows Government of Canada contracting rules, supports the agency's mandate and provides value for Canadians.

In addition, the CBSA has put in place an executive procurement review committee to approve contracts. This committee oversees contracts worth up to $1 million. Contracts larger than $1 million must receive approval from the agency's executive committee, which is made up of senior CBSA leaders. The plan also calls for employees with financial authority to stay up to date with mandatory procurement training, and all employees must disclose interactions with potential vendors. The CBSA has taken many other internal steps, including creating a branch dedicated to monitoring management activities and building a culture of service and program delivery excellence, including in procurement activities.

In recent years, the CBSA has been subject to several audits and reviews that covered procurement, including an internal audit of contracting and procurement. These projects resulted in 25 recommendations. As of June 2025, the agency has implemented 21 of them, with the remaining four in progress.

The government takes these matters very seriously. From the beginning, Public Services and Procurement Canada acted swiftly in response to the allegations against the company. In February 2024, GC Strategies was suspended from participating in procurement practices, including standing offers and supply arrangements. It was also barred from participating in new procurement opportunities undertaken by Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Furthermore, in March 2024, the security status of GC Strategies Inc. was suspended. At that time, PSPC informed the RCMP of its initial concerns related to some procurement irregularities. GC Strategies was declared ineligible pursuant to the ineligibility and suspension policy. This means that, as of June 6, 2025, GC Strategies is disqualified from receiving Government of Canada contracts for seven years, ending on June 6, 2032. This period is justified, based on the severity and the duration of the misconduct, as well as the significant impact on the federal procurement system. Our government has also launched legal action against GC Strategies to recoup payments made for work that was not completed.

I believe all of this illustrates how our government is committed to establishing and improving sound contract and procurement practices. Our new government believes that misconduct of any kind is completely unacceptable. In the last Parliament, parliamentarians, the Auditor General, multiple parliamentary committees and others undertook extensive work to examine and hold to account those who were found to have acted inappropriately.

With new safeguards in place, and serious action being taken to hold GC Strategies accountable, it is time for us to move forward and focus on the work ahead of us. I am thankful for the opportunity to have my say on behalf of the residents of my great riding of Davenport on this important debate that we are having today.

Julie Dzerowicz

$527,799.00