“The government talks about buying Canadian, but it gave a tax agency security contract to an American company instead of the Commissionaires. The price difference was only $80,000. The Commissionaires is our largest employer of veterans. I want the government to explain why it is hurting Canadian veterans instead of supporting them.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is the height of hypocrisy that after all the buy Canadian, support Canadian and defend Canadian sovereignty lectures that have gone on with the Liberals that the Prime Minister would allow an American security company with ties to Donald Trump’s ICE, the very agency that has been central to Trump’s mass deportation efforts, to replace a hundred-year-old Canadian institution such as the Commissionaires for security services at the CRA over an $80,000 difference in bids. At a time when our veterans are already struggling to transition to civilian employment, why are the Liberals undermining the country’s largest veterans employer instead of supporting it?”

“The government took a tax agency contract away from the Commissionaires and gave it to an American firm over an $80,000 price difference. The Commissionaires is the largest employer of Canadian veterans, and this decision costs them good jobs. The Prime Minister should spend less on airplane food and use that money to give this contract back to Canadian veterans.”

“Mr. Speaker, hiring friends is already happening. The Commissionaires is the largest employer of veterans in the country. Taking away the CRA contract and giving it to an American firm is not just a contract that was lost. It is also meaningful employment opportunities and cultural relevance for Canadian veterans to work, after their service, with their friends and their peers. Now it has been lost, and for $80,000. Here is a solution to give the contract back to the Commissionaires and secure Canadian veterans’ jobs: How about the Prime Minister not spend $160,000 in catering on his next flight, and use that money to make up the difference that the contract was lost by?”

“The Prime Minister tells Canadians to buy Canadian, but his government gave a security contract to an American company instead of a Canadian one that employs veterans. The American company won by bidding less than one percent lower. I want to know why the Prime Minister chose an American firm over Canadian veterans.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister tells Canadians to buy Canadian, but his own government is happy to buy American. He fired the veterans guarding the Canada Revenue Agency. The Commissionaires, Canada’s largest employer of veterans, lost the contract to Allied Universal, an American firm cashing in on the ICE contract. Allied underbid the Commissionaires by $80,000, which is less than 1%. Why is the Prime Minister choosing an American firm over veterans who served this country?”

“The government took a $12-million security contract away from the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, which hires veterans, and gave it to an American-owned company instead. That is the wrong way to treat our veterans.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires was established over 100 years ago to help our veterans reintegrate into civilian life. Today, it remains Canada’s largest employer of veterans, yet the Liberal government has just withdrawn its $12-million security contract and awarded it to a subsidiary of an American company. After all that our veterans have given to Canada, is this really how the government wants to thank them?”

“The Prime Minister promised to put Canadians first. Today we learned that a Canadian company that hires veterans lost a $12-million contract to an American company. Why did that happen?”

“Mr. Speaker, does the member opposite remember “elbows up”? Does he remember the Prime Minister getting his elbows up, saying that we need to put Canadians and Canada first? Today we learned that a Canadian company, the Canadian Corps of Commissionaires, which employs Canadian veterans, lost a $12-million contract to an American subsidiary. What happened to “elbows up”?”