Parliament is back after a six-week break and the Liberal government is facing aggressive questions from the opposition bench about a number of ethical missteps and the sorry state of Canada’s health-care system — two issues that are poised to dominate this spring sitting.
On the ethics front, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre called on the Liberal government to report the amount of money it has funnelled to McKinsey, a consulting firm that has received tens of millions of dollars in government contracts over the past seven years.
The U.S.-based McKinsey, which has faced criticism over its past role in the opioid crisis, was once run by Dominic Barton, the man tapped by Trudeau to be Canada’s ambassador to China.
WATCH | Poilievre questions Trudeau about McKinsey contracts
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre questions Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the federal government’s contract with consulting firm McKinsey.
McKinsey has provided advice to the federal bureaucracy on immigration issues, among other matters. Poilievre said it’s not clear the government got good value for its money.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is grappling with a backlog of some 2.2 million cases as it works to review applications.
While many Canadians are struggling with a shaky economy and sky-high inflation, Poilievre said “the people Trudeau surrounds himself with — like the high-priced consultants at McKinsey — are doing better than ever.”
Trudeau ducked questions about McKinsey in question period Monday, saying his government is focused on the middle class while the Conservatives are pushing “cuts and austerity and not being there for Canadians.”
“He’s always had difficulty defining what the middle class is,” Poilievre quipped.
Procurement Minister Helena Jazceck later told the Commons that the government is doing a “full review”