They’ve done it –the Liberals have been successful in their attempts to keep more than 990,000 records documenting pandemic mismanagement secret..Blacklock’s Reporter said the Commons health committee confirmed an October 26 House order compelling public release of the records expired with the dissolution of Parliament..“No additional records have been received since June,” said Jean-Marie David, clerk with the committee..“An order of the House would expire with dissolution.”.Opposition MPs earlier expressed outrage over refusal by the Privy Council Office to release the records. A small fraction of the million documents sought by the committee detailed lack of preparedness and favouritism in federal contracting..“They have withheld 990,000 documents out of a million,” New Democrat MP Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway) told a June 21 committee hearing..“They have refused to send those documents.”.No reason was given, and no sanctions were imposed..“A government that’s afraid of accountability is a government that has lost its moral compass to govern,” said Davies..“I know why the Liberals are nervous.”.The small fraction of documents that were disclosed showed the Public Health Agency misinformed cabinet on its state of readiness. The Agency also threw away 8,839,942 masks, medical gowns and other personal protective equipment to save warehouse leasing costs prior to the pandemic, resulting in critical shortages..Records also divulged heavy lobbying by Liberal Party members for lucrative federal contracts. Internal e-mails and memos earlier cited by Blacklock’s showed:.ex-Liberal MP Frank Baylis (Pierrefonds-Dollard, Que.) won a $237.3 million ventilator contract for his Baylis Medical Company, but needed a cash advance “to secure the parts”;lobbyist Kevin Bosch, former deputy director of the Liberal Research Bureau, boasted of “getting things done” for a client, the 3M Company, that received a $23.3 million grant and $118.6 million contract for masks;lobbyist Elly Alboim, a former Liberal organizer, contacted a cabinet aide seeking a contract for his son. “I vouch for Elly,” wrote Public Works Minister Anita Anand’s chief of staff;bankrupt supplier Spartan Bioscience Inc. received a $149 million contract after “a couple of good meetings” in the Prime Minister’s Office though its test kits failed clinical trials;SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. received a $150 million contract for field hospitals that no health manager asked for and none were used..But Liberal MP Jennifer O’Connell (Pickering-Uxbridge, Ont.), parliamentary secretary for health, denied cabinet had withheld any records..“I am absolutely offended,” O’Connell told the health committee..“The government has never indicated they are withholding anything.”.The Privy Council Office last November 26 said the records totaled “millions of pages.” Only 8,500 were disclosed..“I think the Conservative and NDP coalition’s big day was to try to get some ‘gotcha’ moment that just didn’t happen, because it’s not happening because the government is providing the documents,” said O’Connell.
