Statements in Debates
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use my Member’s statement to again draw attention to this Cabinet’s increasing practice of awarding lucrative contracts to former senior public servants without any competitive process.
In a reply to a written question asked by Mr. Bromley and tabled in this House earlier this session, the government highlighted an alarming number of contracts that have been awarded to former senior bureaucrats on a sole-sourced basis. The Premier told us in the House that such contracts are justified because they are a way to ensure that our most talented people earn a living...
I heard that, but I didn’t hear the commitment to make the effort to charge every hour that our departmental staff has spent on the Deh Cho Bridge Project to the Deh Cho Bridge Project so that we can recoup that money. I didn’t hear a commitment to do that. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just wondering why travel has gone up so much under executive operations from what would appear to be $183,000 in 2008-2009 to over $400,000 in the 2010-2011 mains. Thank you.
Page 5-25, Finance, activity summary, office of the comptroller general, operations expenditure summary, $21.748 million.
Mr. Speaker, I was wondering, again getting back to… Again, this is about process, Mr. Speaker. The sole-source contract to BDK, I’m just wondering whether that cooling off period was respected and I want to ask the Premier, was there any discussion at the Cabinet table about the sole-source contract to this company. Was there any political involvement in the hiring through sole-source of this company?
Thank you, Mr. Bromley. Mr. Minister.
I will now rise and report progress. Does committee agree?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’m just wondering under -- and I am on 2-17 -- just looking for an explanation on the 2008-09 actuals are $332,000 under contract services, and it’s dropped substantially to $158,000 in the 2010-11 mains. I’m just wondering, maybe -- I think that’s probably a good thing -- but maybe just an explanation on why. Thank you.
Page 5-22, Finance, activity summary, budget, treasury and debt management, grants and contributions, contributions, $34,000.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I, too, know the work that’s been done down in Vancouver with Northern House and our participation there has been good. I’m not talking about that, Mr. Speaker, I’m talking about a process that’s allowed a former deputy minister to get a sole-source contract with this government. By the sounds of it, the Premier is saying that he’s got this working group of deputy ministers that review former deputy ministers. I think, Mr. Speaker, there’s something wrong with that. Will the Premier commit to having a look at the policy when it comes to sole-sourcing contracts to former...