A recent revelation by the Treasury Board has sparked concerns over conflicts of interest among federal managers. Blacklock's Reporter says in the past two years, 163 cases of in-house conflicts in contracting have been reported, with 79 instances in 2022 and 84 in 2023. However, the dollar amounts associated with these conflicts remain undisclosed.Heidi Kuntz, associate assistant Treasury Board deputy, testified before the Commons government operations committee that the information only covers voluntarily disclosed conflicts by federal managers. The lack of transparency has raised questions about the severity of these conflicts and the potential impact on taxpayer dollars.The issue of conflicts of interest is not new, with five employees fired from Public Works last year for engaging in sweetheart contracting. A subsequent motion passed by the Commons public accounts committee in March banned inside contracting by federal managers. However, the Value and Ethics Code for the Public Sector only mandates that staff take steps to prevent and resolve conflicts, without imposing a blanket ban.Liberal MP Charles Sousa acknowledged that non-disclosure of conflicts is a larger issue, emphasizing the importance of employees declaring potential conflicts. Samantha Tattersall, assistant comptroller general, estimated that the government processes close to 400,000 contracts, making the 79 reported conflicts seem minimal. However, she acknowledged that these may be separate issues.The practice of moonlighting as contractors is reportedly commonplace among federal managers, with many having "side gigs" to supplement their income. David Yeo, CEO of Dalian Enterprises Inc., testified that this is a widespread practice, driven by the need to make ends meet in an expensive economy..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
A recent revelation by the Treasury Board has sparked concerns over conflicts of interest among federal managers. Blacklock's Reporter says in the past two years, 163 cases of in-house conflicts in contracting have been reported, with 79 instances in 2022 and 84 in 2023. However, the dollar amounts associated with these conflicts remain undisclosed.Heidi Kuntz, associate assistant Treasury Board deputy, testified before the Commons government operations committee that the information only covers voluntarily disclosed conflicts by federal managers. The lack of transparency has raised questions about the severity of these conflicts and the potential impact on taxpayer dollars.The issue of conflicts of interest is not new, with five employees fired from Public Works last year for engaging in sweetheart contracting. A subsequent motion passed by the Commons public accounts committee in March banned inside contracting by federal managers. However, the Value and Ethics Code for the Public Sector only mandates that staff take steps to prevent and resolve conflicts, without imposing a blanket ban.Liberal MP Charles Sousa acknowledged that non-disclosure of conflicts is a larger issue, emphasizing the importance of employees declaring potential conflicts. Samantha Tattersall, assistant comptroller general, estimated that the government processes close to 400,000 contracts, making the 79 reported conflicts seem minimal. However, she acknowledged that these may be separate issues.The practice of moonlighting as contractors is reportedly commonplace among federal managers, with many having "side gigs" to supplement their income. David Yeo, CEO of Dalian Enterprises Inc., testified that this is a widespread practice, driven by the need to make ends meet in an expensive economy..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
