A former manager at the Department of Industry, Marc Primeau, has pleaded guilty to breach of trust after a five-year investigation revealed he awarded federal contracts to his own company, Access Security Logistix, earning a 39% profit. Blacklock's Reporter says the RCMP confirmed that Primeau, who was the sole owner of the firm, directed 72 sole-sourced contracts to his business and won an additional six purchase orders.The investigation revealed that Primeau personally ensured that the goods were received by the department, a role that allowed him to profit from the contracts. He was fired in 2019 after pocketing $90,000 in profits from $231,663 worth of contracts. He has since repaid the $90,000.Primeau’s case follows the recent arrest of Clara Visser, an Ottawa contractor charged with overbilling $250,000 over 18 months. Fraud within federal departments, particularly Public Works, has become an ongoing concern, with Minister Jean-Yves Duclos addressing the issue earlier this year. “Fraud undermines our ability to ensure value for money on behalf of Canadians,” Duclos stated in March, adding that proactive investigations would continue.Catherine Poulin, assistant deputy public works minister, testified at the Commons government operations committee that fraud is widespread across various departments. “No department is entirely safe from this type of fraud,” she said.When pressed on the scale of the fraud, Conservative MP Michael Barrett questioned Poulin on the total value of suspected fraudulent activity. Poulin responded, “It would be very difficult for me to estimate a total sum. The very nature of fraud is to evade detection.”Federal spending on contractors reached $21.6 billion last year, and Barrett voiced concerns over the lack of accountability. “Is it not true at this very minute there are middlemen just soaking Canadian taxpayers?” he asked, criticizing the ongoing fraud and calling for greater scrutiny over public funds..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 former manager at the Department of Industry, Marc Primeau, has pleaded guilty to breach of trust after a five-year investigation revealed he awarded federal contracts to his own company, Access Security Logistix, earning a 39% profit. Blacklock's Reporter says the RCMP confirmed that Primeau, who was the sole owner of the firm, directed 72 sole-sourced contracts to his business and won an additional six purchase orders.The investigation revealed that Primeau personally ensured that the goods were received by the department, a role that allowed him to profit from the contracts. He was fired in 2019 after pocketing $90,000 in profits from $231,663 worth of contracts. He has since repaid the $90,000.Primeau’s case follows the recent arrest of Clara Visser, an Ottawa contractor charged with overbilling $250,000 over 18 months. Fraud within federal departments, particularly Public Works, has become an ongoing concern, with Minister Jean-Yves Duclos addressing the issue earlier this year. “Fraud undermines our ability to ensure value for money on behalf of Canadians,” Duclos stated in March, adding that proactive investigations would continue.Catherine Poulin, assistant deputy public works minister, testified at the Commons government operations committee that fraud is widespread across various departments. “No department is entirely safe from this type of fraud,” she said.When pressed on the scale of the fraud, Conservative MP Michael Barrett questioned Poulin on the total value of suspected fraudulent activity. Poulin responded, “It would be very difficult for me to estimate a total sum. The very nature of fraud is to evade detection.”Federal spending on contractors reached $21.6 billion last year, and Barrett voiced concerns over the lack of accountability. “Is it not true at this very minute there are middlemen just soaking Canadian taxpayers?” he asked, criticizing the ongoing fraud and calling for greater scrutiny over public funds..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.
