Michael Fortier ought to be asking some detailed questions of David Marshall
A major embarrassment at Public Works has Minister Michael Fortier demanding answers of this deputy minister, David Marshall. I'm amused, because I've been hoping someone would start asking Marshall some harsh questions since last summer.
From the Globe and Mail:
Public Works Minister Michael Fortier has asked for a report on the status of reforms to overhaul the federal government's procurement and real estate businesses following revelations a consulting contract mushroomed in value and controversy over a fact-finding trip by two senior advisers.
The government wants to cut $2.5-billion out of its $13-billion annual procurement budget over the next five years, in part by purchasing goods and services from a smaller number of large suppliers.
But before more reforms are made, the minister wants answers on two issues raised by The Globe and Mail this week, a senior Public Works official said: a trip to London by two high-ranking advisers that was marred by missed and cancelled meetings; and a consulting contract with A.T. Kearney Ltd. that was supposed to be worth $15-million over four years but has cost $24-million in only nine months.
The contract to A.T. Kearney was awarded by the Liberals last November. Not surprisingly, the cost overruns were approved by bureaucrats without consulting the new minister who took over in February:
The Public Works official said the increases were approved by the public service bureaucracy, not by Mr. Fortier, who now feels he needs to take more control over the reform process.
The top bureaucrat, known as a the deputy minister in the Canadian system, is David Marshall:
Mr. Fortier is expecting a briefing on the contract when his deputy minister, David Marshall, returns from holidays in Europe later this month.
David Marshall has been deputy minister for quite some time (normal, since the deputy minister is a non-political appointment that is supposed to provide continuity even as ministers come and go as the result of elections). He was deputy minister during the Abotech affair. This post helps summarize the current status of this still little understood scandal, in which David Marshall played a role:
Thanks to a reader for the heads up on this story in the Ottawa Citizen:
Ex-MP's firm was a conduit for federal hiring report
An audit report shows how a company founded by former Liberal MP David Smith was paid to serve as a middleman in 13 government contracts, even though the company had "no relationship" with the government departments issuing the contracts and "little knowledge" of the consultants hired to do the work.
The December 2005 report by the international auditing firm KPMG found evidence that Mr. Smith's company, Abotech, was used as a conduit through which government departments hired the consultants they wanted for contracts, effectively circumventing the competitive bidding process.
A key player in this conduit was David Smith's cousin, Frank Brazeau, a bureaucrat in Public Works. How he managed to get away with this, why he did it, and how the situation was handled by Marshall are still questions without satisfactory answers:
What did Frank Brazeau get out of this? That's still an unanswered question. One possibility is a kickback from David Smith and Abotech, but to find out would require examination of bank records, and for that you need a warrant. Another possibility is favoured treatment and promotions inside of CAC, but that would would implicate his supervisors. In that scenario, how far up would the trail go? To David Marshall, the Deputy Minister? To his former boss and Liberal leadership hopeful, Scott Brison? Would they involved in the scam, or if not, a subsequent coverup? We might never know.
Now this Kearney contract. I'd love to know exactly who handled the contract, and how many people it took to move the contract from Public Works to A. T. Kearney. And how David Marshall managed to keep the lid on it for ten months.
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Comments
The more we learn about the Librano machinations the steeper the hill the members of the CPC have to climb.
Aside from the cesspool the Liberal Party have left behind them, the CPC have to deal with the apathy and willful ignorance of the Canadian public. Thanks, Steve, for bringing this to our attention.
I am INFURIATED that this stuff is still happening, and blatantly too, with the onus now being on the new government to initiate an investigation--at what cost, again, to the Canadian taxpayer and at what cost to the time and energy of Michael Fortier and his staff?
Until Canadians get our collective heads out of the sinking sands everywhere present in the Canadian landscape, no amount of Auditor General Fraser's fine toothed combs or vigilance on the part of members of the CPC is going to get all the lousy nits out of departmental corruption.
St. Michael's prayer wouldn't be out of place in this situation, either.
Posted by: 'been around the block at August 18, 2006 08:41 AM
Fact is Fortier has been in office for 7 months now. Fact is that this contract was extended under Fortier's reign. Buck stops with the Minister. He should have asked for a briefing on all contracts, but particularly this one as it is front at centre at Public Works.
It is pathetically stretching to blame Liberals because they hired these numbnuts. The Conservatives are in charge now - and they should act like it. Yeesh.
Posted by: Mike at August 18, 2006 09:32 AM
Steve states: "The contract to A.T. Kearney was awarded by the Liberals last November."
The G&M passage from which this information was taken states: The contract was awarded in November by the previous Liberal government, but most of the cost increases occurred after the Conservatives came to power this year.
Why did you choose not to cite the second half of that sentence? And why is it only with Liberal-led government bureaucratic misspending that you lay the blame at the feet of the Minister (or as the case may be, Prime Minister) in charge at the time, whether there's evidence of active collusion or not. And why did you accept without criticism Mr. Fortier's pleading of ignorance over the activities of his ministry?
Is this not simply partisanship rearing its ugly head once again? You could easily have avoided accusations of holding a double standard simply by either (a) criticizing Mr. Fortier in the same way that you would if it were a Liberal minister at the helm; or (b) refrain from criticizing any minister for bureaucratic mistakes unless there is clear evidence that they were willfully negligent in their duties.
Posted by: A at August 18, 2006 10:22 AM
Certainly wasn't intentional. I was just trying to point out how long this contract has been bubbling along, and that it was already rolling when Fortier took over. As such, it might have been under his radar, filed under "Ongoing and under control" while his focus was on "New and exciting". But that's speculation and so I didn't add that in. Give me credit -- I didn't try to blame Scott Brison for this. Fortier has to handle it, as I already said, and he has to ask his deputy minister some tough questions concerning the programs he's been handling.
Posted by: Steve Janke at August 18, 2006 10:27 AM
Steve
The Abotech situation will be made public at Brazeau's hearing at the Public Staff Labour Relation Board in the Fall. However, sources tell me that Marshall has ordered that a settlement be given to Brazeau to keep this away from the public eye.
The question is will Brazeau accept it as he wants to see some heads roll at his former workplace.
The Abotech contracts were not signed by Brazeau. I obtained copies and the majority were signed by a Kevan Taylor.
People inside have told me that Brazeau did was clean.
I believe we will never know what really happened.
Posted by: at August 18, 2006 12:16 PM
Could the cost increases, which occurred after the CPC came to power have anything at all to do with David Marshall's close association with the Liberal Party? I wonder. He is, after all, an ex Liberal MP.
How nonpartisan is he likely to be, especially given that the Liberals were not exactly happy that the CPC won the election or that Michael Fortier became the Minister of Public Works?
Call me cynical, but wouldn't the Librano$$ just love to embarrass the CPC by being able to point to "their" overspending, even though it can be directly traced to Deputy Minister David Marshall? Most Canadians would never connect the dots between ex-Liberal MP...Deputy Minister David Marshall...overspending...Abotech...Brazeau
Posted by: 'been around the block at August 18, 2006 06:50 PM
As the Joker said in Batman the movie......
"This town needs an enema!
Posted by: The Missing Link at August 18, 2006 07:29 PM
 
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