Treasury Board President Shafqat Ali faced withering criticism from MPs who accused him of being woefully unprepared after he appeared unaware of a parliamentary committee motion calling for a ban on federal employees working as contractors. Opposition members mocked Ali as his staff handed him scripted responses during budget estimates questioning, reports Blacklock’s Reporter."This is embarrassing," said Conservative MP Garnett Genuis. "I would be embarrassed. I am almost embarrassed for him."The criticism stems from a March 6, 2024 Commons public accounts committee vote that passed 6 to 5, asking Parliament to prohibit insider contracting by federal employees. The motion followed explosive testimony from a $98,000-per-year Department of National Defence employee who simultaneously served as CEO of defence contractor Dalian Enterprises Inc. of Ottawa, which received $91 million in military contracts according to government records.When pressed about the conflict, Ali offered only generic responses about existing rules. "There are conflict of interest rules in place and I expect everyone to abide by those rules," he said.."Does the Minister think a person who is employed by the public service should be able to simultaneously work as an external contractor?" asked MP Genuis. "All public servants must follow conflict of interest rules," replied Ali."Am I to infer from the answer that the Minister thinks there are some instances where it is okay for a public servant to also be an external contractor?" asked MP Genuis. "All public servants must follow conflict of interest rules," repeated Ali."The government, as I would expect our departments to do, makes sure we are doing business with suppliers of integrity," said Ali. "The government updated its ineligibility and suspension policy."MP Genuis dismissed the repetitive answers as inadequate. "It is pretty clear from the answer that the Minister thinks there are some cases where it is acceptable to double-dip as a government employee and a contractor," said Genuis. "If he does not think that he can say so. But I think that is pretty troubling."."There is nothing virtuous or public service-minded about ignoring serious questions from members of the Opposition and repeating lines that have absolutely nothing to do with those questions," said Genuis. "This is not a gotcha. This is a basic question of government policy."The scope of the problem remains unclear. Shared Services Canada documented 329 conflicts of interest by employees in a briefing note last September 26. Then-Comptroller General Roch Huppé testified to the public accounts committee in 2024 that no government-wide tally exists of federal employees working as contractors. "Government-wide, I don't have that information," testified Huppé."These are important questions that deserve answers," said Conservative MP Andrew Lawton. "It is shameful the Minister responsible for the federal public service has no interest in talking about whether that service is operating effectively."MP Lawton criticized Ali's apparent reliance on prepared talking points during the exchange. "The Minister's aides just handed him a piece of paper," said Lawton. "I am hoping it has the answer.""How many briefings has he received?" asked MP Lawton. "I have received many briefings," replied Ali.
