Aug 15 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is dismissing a Liberal plan to find $15-billion in internal savings, saying the Trudeau government has a clear record of overspending. Speaking at a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday, Mr. Poilievre was asked by reporters to comment on a Globe and Mail report that new Treasury Board President Anita Anand […]
Aug 15 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Federal cabinet ministers have been given an Oct. 2 deadline to come up with specific cuts as part of an effort to shave about $15-billion from existing spending plans, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail. New Treasury Board President Anita Anand delivered the deadline in writing to her cabinet colleagues, meaning […]
Jul 25 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The department responsible for billions of dollars in federal outsourcing contracts prepared a candid assessment of its own shortcomings when it comes to IT work, acknowledging in a note to the minister and deputy minister that its team lacks proper training and is leery of ranking outside contractors based on performance. The briefing note – […]
Jul 24 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Revelations last year that the cost of the ArriveCan app had climbed to $54-million prompted weeks of turmoil and finger-pointing as officials attempted to account for the spending, according to internal documents obtained by The Globe and Mail. Officials at Public Services and Procurement Canada – the department responsible for billions of dollars in federal […]
Jul 4 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — U.S. senator urges Canada to stand firm against Meta, Google’s threats to block Canadian news over… Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar has introduced legislation south of the border, which is similar to Bill C-18
Jun 20 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — A deputy minister’s recent departure from the federal public service occurred just weeks after a national Indigenous organization privately called for his resignation over an e-mail dismissing their description of colonialism as “a gross misreading of history.” Timothy Sargent’s nearly three-decade career in the federal public service – which included representing Canada internationally on trade […]
May 18 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — A McKinsey partner organized a workshop for the Canada Infrastructure Bank involving Dominic Barton while he was Canada’s ambassador to China, even though Mr. Barton told Parliament in February he had no contact with his former company during his brief time at Global Affairs. An e-mail dated June 17, 2020, from McKinsey & Co. partner […]
Mar 27 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2023 budget will announce plans to save about $7-billion over five years through cuts to federal travel and reduced outsourcing, with a particular focus on using fewer management consultants, according to a senior government official. The savings represent one side of what will be a challenging political balancing act for the […]
Mar 12 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Conservatives are now more trusted than the Liberals when it comes to managing Ottawa’s finances, according to a new Nanos survey conducted for The Globe and Mail ahead of the coming federal budget. Pollster Nik Nanos said the results, in which 28 per cent of respondents favoured Conservatives compared with 22 per cent for the […]
Mar 7 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — In a highly polarized political climate, Lisa Raitt and Anne McLellan are pushing for action on the big things that almost everyone agrees on: stronger growth, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and filling leadership positions with people who reflect Canada’s diversity. The former senior Conservative and Liberal politicians lead the Coalition for a Better Future, which […]
Mar 3 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — An internal Canada Revenue Agency audit of more than $5-billion in CERB and other emergency payments to individuals during the pandemic has determined that about 65 per cent went to ineligible recipients who must pay back the money. The agency says it targeted the audits to focus on high-risk cases and “fully expected” that a […]
Mar 1 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Federal Auditor-General Karen Hogan will launch an audit of the government’s ArriveCan app, her office has confirmed, adding a new layer of independent scrutiny over how the cost of the app ballooned to $54-million and counting from an initial $80,000. The decision follows a November vote in the House of Commons in favour of calling […]
Feb 24 2023 — Bill Curry — Federal outsourcing is on pace to set another record this year – $21.4-billion – and the growing expense faces increasing public scrutiny over whether the billions spent each year on outside help is providing good value for taxpayers. Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux highlighted the increase in a report Thursday that analyzes the federal government’s […]
Feb 23 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — The federal government paid $37.7-billion in pandemic wage subsidies to businesses with tax debts, and $1-billion to insolvent companies, raising new concerns about the level of screening Ottawa applied to its most generous COVID-19 support program. The $37.7-billion represents over 37 per cent of the total cost of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), which […]
Jan 27 2023 — Bill Curry — Globe and Mail — Canada Revenue Agency Commissioner Bob Hamilton says it is not worth the effort to conduct a full review of more than $15-billion in pandemic wage benefits the Auditor-General has said may have been sent to ineligible recipients. Mr. Hamilton made his comments on Thursday to MPs on the House of Commons public accounts committee, which […]