Discussion · Oral Questions
Gabriel Hardy Conservative
“The Major Projects Office has no independent oversight. The Prime Minister's own staff decide if there is a conflict of interest. The government hid the names of the companies involved, saying it would be embarrassing to release them. Will the government tell us which businesses are paying these workers to pick winners?”
“Mr. Speaker, the most alarming thing about all this is that these employees’ potential conflict of interest is not subject to any independent oversight. The Privy Council Office is staffed by employees who work directly for the Prime Minister. The Major Projects Office is the Prime Minister’s creation and tool. They are the ones who decide whether or not there is a conflict. When we asked for the names of the companies involved in all that, they responded that the information is confidential and that revealing it could cause embarrassment. Since when is transparency something to be embarrassed about? Are the Liberals going to reveal which businesses are paying employees to pick the winners, yes or no?”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, the most alarming thing about all this is that these employees’ potential conflict of interest is not subject to any independent oversight. The Privy Council Office is staffed by employees who work directly for the Prime Minister. The Major Projects Office is the Prime Minister’s creation and tool. They are the ones who decide whether or not there is a conflict. When we asked for the names of the companies involved in all that, they responded that the information is confidential and that revealing it could cause embarrassment. Since when is transparency something to be embarrassed about? Are the Liberals going to reveal which businesses are paying employees to pick the winners, yes or no?