Two Conservative MPs have released a scathing criticism of the Liberal Party of Canada after the Procurement Ombudsman found the Trudeau Government favoured the Liberal-connected firm McKinsey with over $100 million in government contracts.
Stephanie Kusie, Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board, and Kelly Block, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, released the statement on Monday in light of the findings.
“Since Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister, McKinsey has received over $100 million in contracts,” their joint-statement reads.
“Today, the Procurement Ombudsman found that the Trudeau Government favoured McKinsey when awarding government contracts, and reported that the Liberals changed the contract eligibility to ensure McKinsey was selected. The Liberal Government later switched to sole-sourcing these contracts directly to McKinsey without any competition.”
Their letter goes on to detail how the government allegedly rigged the procurement process to benefit McKinsey. The Conservatives argue this is an example of the Trudeau government favouring its “well-connected Liberal insiders” over the interests of struggling Canadian families.
They vowed to end the “corruption” and “fire the high-priced Liberal consultants” if elected.
Conservatives call for investigation into McKinsey
The report comes just more than a year after the Conservative Party of Canada called for an investigation by the auditor general regarding the Liberal Party’s contracts with the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
At the time, Conservative MP Garnett Genius grilled Dominic Barton during a standing committee on government operations and estimates.
Barton was McKinsey’s Global Managing Director from 2009 to 2018. Subsequently, Trudeau appointed Barton as Canada’s Global Ambassador to China from 2019 to 2021.
Barton said he did not know of his former firm’s involvement with Purdue Pharma, which has since pleaded guilty over OxyContin marketing charges.
“These were people doing billions of dollars in business that caused the opioid crisis – that invented OxyContin – they were your client for fifteen years, and you had no idea they were your client?”
Genius also alleged that McKinsey’s dealings with China are sketchy and should be looked into.
Additionally, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has speculated that McKinsey received so many contracts from the Liberals because Barton is a “personal friend” of Trudeau’s.
Barton has denied this claim.
