Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO), Shared Services Canada – Mandate, 2019-20

Mandate

Pursuant to paragraph 108(3)(c) of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, the mandate of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates(OGGO) focusses on the effectiveness and proper functioning of government operations, and on theestimates process.

Pursuant toStanding Order 108(3)(c), the Committee's mandate primarily includes the study of:

• the effectiveness of government operations;
• the expenditure budgets of central departments and agencies;
• the format and content of all estimates documents;
• cross-departmental mandates, including programs delivered by more than one department or agency;
• new information and communication technologies adopted by the government; and
• statutory programs, tax expenditures, loan guarantees, contingency funds and private foundations deriving the majority of their funding from the Government of Canada.

The Committee is specifically mandated to examine and conduct studies related to the following organizations.

Central agencies and departments

• Privy Council Office / Prime Minister's Office
• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
• Public Services and Procurement Canada
• Shared Services Canada

Organizations related to Human Resources matters

• Public Service Commission
• Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer
• Canada School of Public Service
• Public Service Labour Relations Board
• Public Service Staffing Tribunal
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal

Other organizations

• Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
• Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
• Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
• Office of the Procurement Ombudsman

Crown corporations

• Canada Lands Company
• Defence Construction (1951) Limited
• Old Port of Montréal Corporation
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board
• Royal Canadian Mint
• Parc Downsview Park Inc.

Tom Lukiwski - Conservative

Constituency: Moose Jaw - Lake Centre - Lanigan
Province: Saskatchewan
Prior public offices held:
First elected to Parliament in 2004
Professional background: Businessman, political administrator, small business owner
Education: Not available
Date of birth: October 5, 1951

Official biography

Mr. Tom Lukiwski was born in Esterhazy, Saskatchewan. Before entering politics, he was a business man and political administrator who had his own small business.

He came to public attention in the late 1980s as executive director of the provincial Progressive Conservative Party. In 1995 he organized the Saskatchewan Party and was its first general manager. He later became named the Saskatchewan caucus chairman, then in 2007 was named Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader. Mr. Lukiwski is a staunch advocate of Saskatchewan being able to keep 100percent of its revenues from non‑renewable resources and defends the province's interests. He is well known on Parliament Hill for his ability to stall Parliamentary Committee business by filibustering.

Mr. Lukiwski's busy schedule includes a commitment to community service. Hehas served on the Labatt Brier Committee and the Saskatchewan Roughriders Marketing Board of Directors and has also played key roles with Skate Canada, the Bill Clarke Fundraiser in Support of Parkinson's Disease and the Peter Gzowski Fundraiser for Literacy.

He lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, with his wife Diane. He also has two grown sons and two granddaughters.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Past member of:

• Standing Subcommittee on Committee Budgets of the Liaison Committee
• Standing Committee on Liaison
• Standing Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs
• Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Legislative Committee on Bill C-20
• Legislative Committee on Bill C-27
• Legislative Committee on Bill C-2

Parliamentary Roles:

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2008–2015)
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform (2006–2008)

Issues of importance to the member

Urban issues

• Advocate of Saskatchewan keeping 100 percent of its revenues from non‑renewable resources

Written Questions

43rd Parliament

• Q-179—December 9, 2019—With regard to Governor-in-Council appointments, were each of the following appointments made in a manner consistent with the caretaker convention.
• Q-180—December 9, 2019—With regard to correspondence, both on paper and electronic formats, received by the Prime Minister's Office from the general public since January 1, 2019.
• Q-181—December 9, 2019—With regard to the caretaker convention, is the government observing the caretaker convention.
• Q-209—December 10, 2019—With regard to the national security exception for federal procurements, since January 1, 2016.

42nd Parliament

• Q-1701—April 24, 2018—With regard to interactions between the government and Canada 2020, since November 4, 2015.
• Q-1847—June 12, 2018—With regard to the purchase of promotional products for handouts or giveaways at trade shows, conferences and other events, since December 1, 2017, and broken down by department
• Q-2091—November 28, 2018—With regard to the government's policies and protocols in relation to spider sightings and sending government employees home
• Q-2193—January 31, 2019—With regard to government expenditures with Nesta Holding CompanyLtd. or companies owned in whole or in part by NestaHolding Company since January 1, 2016, broken down by department.
• Q-2402—April 8, 2019—With regard to concerns that federal government job advertisements on Facebook were micro-targeted at certain demographics while excluding other demographics, since November 4, 2015.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

OGGO—February 6, 2018, Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) in Federal Procurement

• What was Shared Services Canada's rationale for an eight-year time frame to evaluate the effectiveness of the managed print solution?
• Are you recommending that Shared Services Canada revisit their decision to reduce the number of qualified suppliers from twelve to two or three?

Correspondence

SSC had previously received and responded to a request for an update on SSC's progress since their June 2016 appearance at OGGO.

Media

On June 15, 2016, an article published by Metro News mentioned that Mr. Lukiwski wants a fully-independent investigation of an Ottawa public servant working at Shared Services Canada who appears to have deleted emails mentioning the Liberal Party, after an access to information request came looking for them.

Francis Drouin—Liberal

Constituency: Glengary - Prescott - Russell
Province: Ontario
Prior public offices held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional background: Political consultant, communications consultant
Education: Diploma in Business Administration, Collège La Cité; Honours Bachelor of Commerce, University of Ottawa
Date of birth: October 7, 1983

Official Biography

Mr. Drouin was born and raised Hawkesbury, Ontario and was first elected to Parliament on October 19, 2015, representing the constituency of Glengarry – Prescott - Russell. He now lives in Rockland, Ontario.

Mr. Drouin joined the Liberal party of Canada when he was 17 and for two years served as President of the Young Liberals of Glengarry – Prescott – Russell. He holds a college diploma in Business Administration-Finance from Collège La Cité and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa.

He has been the campaign manager for Liberal candidates in this riding who have run in the last federal and provincial elections. Previously, he worked as a special assistant in the Office of the Ontario Premier for four years. In 2008 he began working as a government relations consultant with Capital Hill Group and a communications consultant with Capital Comms.

As a volunteer, Mr. Drouin has been a member of the Board of Directors of Collège La Cité and worked as the government relations manager for Startup Canada, which is a non-profit organization cultivating a culture of entrepreneurship in Canada.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

Former member of:

• Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food

Issues of importance to the member

Agriculture and Immigration

Issues of importance for the member include agricultural issues and immigration. In particular, the member had previously expressed the need to attract and retain additional immigrants for rural communities.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

OGGO—February 27, 2019, Subject Matter of the Interim Estimates 2019-20

• What types of initiatives is Shared Services Canada taking with the cyber and information technology security portfolio?
• Does Shared Services Canada use best practices for cyber security from other departments and try to implement them?
• Can Shared Services Canada and the Government of Canada procure new technologies fast enough to adapt to changing threats?

OGGO—February 6, 2018, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME) in Federal Procurement

• What was the problem with printer procurement?
• Do the printers work with all operating systems?

OGGO—October 17, 2017, Briefing on Government Information Technology Transformation

• How realistic was it for the email transformation initiative to happen so quickly?
• Do you find that Shared Services Canada regularly thinks about the business of their Chief Information Officer community?
• How does agile procurement affect procurement costs? And what are the implications for small and medium enterprises.

OGGO—March 7, 2017, Supplementary Estimates (C) 2016-17

• What is the status of the email transformation initiative?
• How much time is Shared Services Canada spending with client organizations to understand what their needs are with regards to email transformation?
• What has the response rate been for the customer satisfaction questionnaire?
• Has Shared Services Canada started to develop service level agreements with client departments?

OGGO—May 31, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• What was your rationale for bringing procurement within Shared Services Canada?
• Was Shared Services Canada also subject to the deficit reduction action plan?
• Was Shared Services Canada revising their plans, because they knew that they wouldn't be able to achieve their objectives at the time, to ensure that they were investing in their legacy systems?
• How much focus was there, when you trained your employees, on ensuring that they had the buy-in, that they had that sharing culture, within your organization?

OGGO—May 19, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• What performance management metric was in place when you came in?
• Did procurement ever impede your ability to perform your job?
• Do you believe Shared Services Canada should keep procurement?
• Do you feel like you get a chance to complain or get a fair hearing with regards to procurement at Shared Services Canada?

OGGO—May 17, 2016, Supplementary Estimates (A) 2016-17

• How does the financial structure work with the Department's clients?
• How are we structuring innovation within contracts?
• Does Shared Services Canada have the right checks and balances in it's procurement model to ensure fairness?
• What recourse does a vendor have if they feel they have not been properly treated?

OGGO—May 5, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• How does the complexity of the procurement affect the email transformation initiative?
• Should your predecessors have focused on consolidating data centres prior to starting the email transformation initiative?
• What is the rationale for having procurement within Shared Services Canada?
• How do you assess your performance in communication with clients?
• Do you take into account client department's priorities when you are assessing your own priorities?

OGGO—March 10, 2016, Supplementary Estimates (C) 2015-16

• What steps are being taken by Shared Services Canada to ensure that we have a proper cybersecurity strategy?
• Does consolidating data centres make it easier to provide security with regard to cyber-threats? Other than saving costs, does that help prevent cyber-threats?
• How is Shared Services Canada managing the transition between legacy technologies and their related contracts and new technologies and their contracts?
• What other initiatives is Shared Services Canada working on beyond ETI and data centres?
• Are workplace technology applications with the Treasury Board or Shared Services Canada?

OGGO—May 5, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• How does the RFP impact the ETI right now?
• How do you assess whether your organization has done a good job with the clients?
• Do you take departments' priorities into account when you're assessing your own priorities?
• Is each employee measured in terms of delivering results for the client or department?
• Have your predecessors been focused on consolidating data centres prior to starting ETI?
• What's the rationale to still have procurement within Shared Services Canada?
• What about transparency and accountability?

OGGO—May 17, 2016, Reports on Plans and Priorities 2016-2017; Supplementary Estimates (A) 2016-2017; and Main Estimates 2016-2017

• We know that the previous government removed savings before consolidation was even done, but if you had to start over, what would you change?

OGGO—May 19, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• How did the various levels of maturity within different departments impact the performance measurement metric in place?
• You were talking about procurement did procurement ever impede your ability to slowdown process in terms of replacing or performing your job?
• Do you believe that Shared Services Canada should keep procurement?
• How do you feel now that you're in the private sector? Usually if there is a procurement challenge, when IT procurement was PWGSC [sic], you would be complain at PWGSC or make at least or get a fair hearing at PWGSC. Do you feel that you get that same chance at Shared Services Canada?

OGGO—May 31, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• What was the rationale for bringing procurement within Shared Services Canada at the time of creation?
• What was the motive around time, was it infrastructure or procurement?
• Why time? What was the timeline?
• Was Shared Services Canada revising their plans?
• How important do you believe departmental culture was in making things easier to create your shared services?
• Now that Shared Services Canada has been implemented, how would you make sure that we break barriers within the CIO community?
• How much focus did you put on training your employees to have that sharing culture?
• How would you address the problems at Shared Services Canada today?

OGGO—November 16, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• Why are other organizations, not under Shared Services Canada's mandate, working with the Department if they are considered agents of government, such as the Auditor General?
• Is Statistics Canada (StatCan) not responsible for its own applications?
• Weren't there IT issues within departments before Shared Services Canada came in (at Statistics Canada)?
• Did you (Mr. Wayne Smith) interact with Mr. Parker?
• Prior to Shared Services Canada did StatCan have its own service levels established?
• Did StatCan have an inventory of the hardware that needed to be fixed?
• So, the Census was essentially successful and Shared Services Canada understood that it was mission critical?
• We started the Study of Shared Services Canada before the summer, and I'm sure other CIOs would have issues with Shared Services Canada, but why resign?

OGGO—March 10, 2018, Shared Services Canada

• Thanks again for being here. Mme Paquet, I did have some questions for you with regard to Shared Services. First, I would ask you to speak about your role with Shared Services?

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Majid Jowhari—Liberal

Constituency: Richmond Hill
Province: Ontario
Prior public offices held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional background: Consultant
Education: Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University; Master of Business Administration, Schullich School of Business, York University.
Date of birth: October 24, 1960

Official biography

Mr. Majid Jowhari was born on October 24, 1960, in Iran; he immigrated to Canada at age18, which helped him realize the importance of hard-work and the pursuit for a better life. Hebelieves that an open and transparent government is at the core of Canadian values. He also has a deep appreciation of global diversity, which he developed during his many international travels.

Mr. Jowhari spent more than seven years as an owner, Chief Executive Officer, and managing director of his own management consulting firm, before going into politics in 2015.

Mr. Jowhari lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with his wife Homeira and their two children.

Committee Membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology
• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Issues of Importance to the Member

Environment

This member had previously asked about investments in alternatives to fossil fuels.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in Committees

OGGO—February 6, 2018, Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Federal Procurement

• Why is Shared Services reducing the number of qualified vendors from twelve to three?

INDU—March, 23, 2017, Evidence number 53

• Back in November, Mr. Smith cited three major concerns that he had, and all of them were around Shared Services Canada. Can you shed some light into the relevance of those, and whether there are points of concern?

INDU—November 2, 2016, Order-in-Council Appointment of Anil Arora to the Position of Chief Statistician of Canada

• Can you share your initial assessments of these challenges (Shared Services was a key issue in the decisions that your predecessor made)?

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Steve MacKinnon—Liberal

Constituency: Gatineau
Province: Québec
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional Background: Communications consultant, businessman, manager, political advisor
Education: Bachelor in Business Administration, Université de Moncton; Master in Business Administration, Queen’s University
Date of Birth: September 28, 1966

Official biography

Mr. Steve MacKinnon was born on September 28, 1966, in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and studied business at the Université de Moncton and Queen'sUniversity. Priorto his election to Parliament, Mr. MacKinnon was a senior vicepresident and national practice leader in the financial communications sector at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a global public relations firm. Bloomberg recognized his practice as Canada's leading mergers and acquisition advisory, which was also a recipient of the Canada-China Business Council's Gold Award.

Mr. MacKinnon is an experienced figure in the Liberal Party of Canada, in which he served as national director from 2003 to 2006, serving also as an advisor to former Prime Minister Paul Martin. In 2009, he was Co-chair of the party's Reform Committee, and he was the national returning officer for the Liberal leadership contest in 2013. Healso served as an advisor to New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna from 1988 to1995. Over the course of his career, Mr. MacKinnon has participated in constitutional negotiations, the negotiation of trade agreements, collective agreements, and major health, education and election reforms.

He first ran for office in the 2011 federal election in Gatineau, finishing third and far behind Ms. Françoise Boivin, a former Liberal MP running for the New Democratic Party, and the then-incumbent Bloc Quebecois MP Mr. Richard Nadeau.

Mr. MacKinnon ran again four years later, this time defeating Ms. Boivin, in what was one of the most shocking defeats in the 2015 federal election, winning by a 2-to-1 margin.

He lives in Gatineau, Quebec, with his spouse Janelle and their three children, Liam, Cassandra, and Alexander.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Past member of:

• Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Finance
• Standing Committee on Finance
• Public Accounts

Parliamentary roles:

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada (2017–Present)

Issues of importance to the member

Procurement—As the Parliamentary Secretary for Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, the member had previously expressed interest in agile procurement.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Kelly McCauley - Conservative

Constituency: Edmonton West
Province: Alberta
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional Background: Businessman, hospitality executive
Education: Diploma in Technology, Hospitality and Tourism, British Columbia Institute of Technology; Certificate in French Language, University of Victoria
Date of Birth: June 23, 1964

Official biography

Mr. Kelly McCauley was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, and worked as a hospitality executive for over 30 years where he gained experience managing hotels and convention centres. He is a graduate of the British Columbia Institute of Technology in the Hospitality Management program and studied French at the University of Victoria.

He has been an active Conservative volunteer since the early 1980s, volunteering as a delegate from his North Vancouver riding at the Progressive Conservative convention in1980, and actively volunteering for his local candidate in the 1984 election. In the early1990s, he campaigned with the Reform Party, and its eventual successors in theCanadian Alliance and the Conservative Party of Canada.

While living in Victoria, British Columbia, Mr. McCauley became an active volunteer for the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, eventually becoming President of the organization in 2008. Hejoined the Board of Directors of the Alberta Aviation Museum in March 2014. Inrecognition of his volunteer work, he was nominated for the Maple Leaf Award as outstanding Conservative volunteer in 2014.

Mr. McCauley lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his wife Sasha and their two sons, Jensen and Parker.

Committee Membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Issues of Importance to the Member

Environment

This member previously asked about energy efficiency and the retrofitting of buildings.

Written Questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

OGGO—June 5, 2019, Report on Plans and Priorities 2019-20 of Shared Services Canada

• What is Shared Services Canada's relationship with the IBM consultant Charles Courquin?
• What kind of advice has Charles Courquin given?
• Given the ongoing issues with Phoenix, why do we continue to give them sole‑source contracts?
• How are you holding IBM accountable?

OGGO—March 20, 2018, Shared Services Canada

• There was a report recently regarding Corrections Canada having an issue with Shared Services. Can you fill us in briefly about that? Was it a conflict?
• At the last appearance with Shared Services, Mr. Parker shared with us some of the departmental satisfaction scores. Do you have an update for us?

OGGO—May 16, 2017, Clauses 113 and 114 of Bill C-44, Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1. (Amendments to the Shared Services Canada Act)

• What is the plan for delegating procurement authority under proposed section 9.1 todepartments for items such as keyboards, etc.
• Will the model be similar to that of Public Services and Procurement Canada?
• Who would oversee the security for those items procured?
• Is the intent to push off as many regular procurement items as possible to the departments?

OGGO—March 7, 2017, Shared Services Canada

• Did the Department of National Defence project on Carling Avenue interfere with Shared Services Canada's ability to get the other work done, such as the email transformation initiative or moving data centres?
• Can you update us on data centre consolidation?
• Do you have enough resources for the data centre consolidation project, or will another ask come further down the road?
• Are you able to break down your service scores by department?
• Do you have a plan to address the low service scores?
• Are the funds for new phones and equipment for new employees or replacements for existing employees?

OGGO—November 29, 2016, Supplementary Estimates (B) 2016-2017 and PhoenixPayroll System

• Have you ruled out paying bonuses for those responsible for this mess? Have you paid any bonuses?
• Congrats to Shared Services Canada on getting service scores up. The weather services, that's $400,000. What's that for?
• The media report on the big red ten, do you have enough money to address these? Isit a resource issue where you have money and not body?
• Statistics Canada is not red?

OGGO—November 16, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• Was it a conversation or letter to the Prime Minister? Can you walk me through your letter to the Prime Minister? Did you receive a response?
• Who designed the census website that crashed?
• Can you expand on the effective veto of Shared Services Canada?
• What did Statistics Canada do operationally that impeded your work?
• What would you have liked to see done differently in the past? Or what could have been done to satisfy you?

OGGO—May 31, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• Do you believe we are on the right path now and are there any potholes that should be looked at?
• Can you give us a couple of priorities that the committee should keep an eye on?
• Can you tell us where your savings came from?
• How do you measure service levels?
• Do you break results out by cluster?
• How does software worry you?

OGGO—May 19, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• You were talking about the email, one of the pillars was the unified email. I think Ithought you said get rid of that. Could you expand on that?
• How much do you think the Shared Services Canada issues that we have are because various departments protecting their turf. I can imagine Transport, everyone else is all of a sudden being told these [Inaudible] are no longer under your control, they're now slid over. Was that a huge part? Is that just part of the planning disaster?
• What happened to the other 42 Chief Information Officers?
• One of the things we heard before is why the Shared Service want to keep their procurement, was security, to make sure that everyone was buying the right system, the right security, etc. Could that be done under a centre of excellence outside of Shared Services?

OGGO—May 5, 2016, Shared Services Canada

• Do you currently have enough funding?
• What type of risks are you preparing for?
• How many data centres are left to consolidate? Is it proportional?
• Did we fix the issue with the DND base?
• What are the service credits from Bell and CGI?

OGGO—March 10, 2016, Supplementary Estimates (C) 2015-2016

• What other resources does Shared Services Canada need to get everything working properly?
• How far down the road are we going to get all the issues at Trenton fixed? Is it lack of skilled people, a shortage of people, or a myriad of issues?

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

On May 11, 2018, an article published by iPolitics mentioned that Mr. McCauley objects to Parliament approving funds announced in the budget without the departmental plans detailing how they will be used. The Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister for the Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Shared Services Canada were singled out for the nearly $1 billion earmarked for the departments, with $653 million for Public Services and Procurement Canada, and $289 million for Shared Services Canada.

Ziad Aboultaif - Conservative

Constituency: Edmonton Manning
Province: Alberta
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional Background: Small business owner
Education: International Business Administration
Date of Birth: 1966

Official biography

Mr. Aboultaif brings more than a decade of experience as a small business owner and operator to the House of Commons. Since entering politics, Mr. Aboultaif remains a strong advocate for small business ownership and creating a regulatory system that empowers entrepreneurs to create the well-paying jobs that Canadians rely on. Elected to Parliament in 2015, and re-elected in 2019, Mr.Aboultaif was appointed Official Opposition Critic for National Revenue from 2015 to 2017, and Shadow Minister for International Development from 2017 to 2019. He presently serves as the Shadow Minister for Digital Government.

A successful business owner, devoted community leader and a strong advocate for live organ donations, Mr.Aboultaif has travelled around the world as part of his international business commitments, giving him a strong analytical understanding of what drives Canadian and international economies.

His extensive work on community boards has earned him both an Alberta Centennial Medal (2005), and a Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012). Furthermore, Mr. Aboultaif has long been an advocate for organ and tissue donation and in 2003, he made a partial-liver donation. He believes that live-organ donation is the ultimate gift and commitment to life. In Parliament, Mr. Aboultaif is working to increase awareness on the importance of organ and tissue donation and introduced legislation, Bill C-223, to establish a Canadian Organ Donor Registry to coordinate and promote organ donation throughout Canada. As someone who has experienced firsthand the extraordinary gift of living organ donation, Mr. Aboultaif is committed to standing as a role model to encourage Canadians to improve the lives of others.

Originally from Lebanon, Mr. Aboultaif immigrated to Canada in 1990. He has been married to his wife Elizabeth since 1991, and together they have two sons.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Past member of:

• Foreign Affairs and International Development

Issues of importance to the member

Small businesses

This member had previously asked about the impact of various government policies on small businesses, such as: carbon tax, tax policy changes, etc.

Written questions

• Q-95—December 6, 2019—With regard to cyberattacks on government departments and agencies since January 1, 2016.
• Q-96—December 6, 2019—With regards to government computers and cyberattacks: what is the government's policy when a ransomware attack occurs.
• Q-142—December 9, 2019—With regard to cybersecurity penetration testing, since January 1, 2016.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

• February 7, 2020, Mr. Aboultaif met with Shared Services Canada senior officials to be briefed on the Digital Government portfolio.

Media

On January 14, 2020, an article published by the Hill Times included comments from Mr. Aboultaif, stating that it is encouraging to see that the responsibility for Shared Services Canada and the new pay system has been moved to a new department, but that the success of the new portfolio and pay system remain to be seen. Mr. Aboultaif also emphasized the importance of protecting the personal information of Canadians, especially with respect to moving data to cloud storage.

Kelly Block - Conservative

Constituency: Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek
Province: Saskatchewan
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2008
Mayor for Waldheim, Saskatchewan
Councillor for Waldheim, Saskatchewan
Professional Background: Municipal government
Education: Not available
Date of Birth: November 30, 1961

Official biography

Ms. Kelly Block was first elected to the House of Commons representing the riding of Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar on October 14, 2008, and was re-elected on May 2, 2011. She was elected as the MP for the newly created riding of Carlton Trail-Eagle Creek in2015 and again in 2019.

Ms. Block has served on several standing Committees, over the past ten years, as well as Special Committees including the Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women and the Special Subcommittee on a Code of Conduct for Members.

In 2010, she was voted the Rising Star by her colleagues in the Maclean's annual Parliamentarian of the Year Awards.

Ms. Block served as the Chair of the Saskatchewan Conservative Caucus between 2011 and 2013.

In September of 2013, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, appointed Ms. Block to serve as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources. As Parliamentary Secretary, Ms. Block played an important legislative role in overseeing the passing of the Offshore Health and Safety Act, the Energy Safety and Security Act, and the Pipeline Safety Act.

Ms. Block served as the Shadow Minister for Transport between 2015 and 2019. After the 2019 election, she was appointed as the Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada.

Since 2017, Ms. Block has served as Co-Chair of CANFoRB, the Canadian branch of the International Panel of Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion and Belief (IPPFoRB).

Prior to being elected as an MP, Ms. Block served on the town council of Waldheim, Saskatchewan, for three terms, serving two of those terms as Mayor. At the same time, she was a member of the Saskatoon Regional Health Authority and the Director of Administration at Forest Grove Community Church.

Ms.Block and her husband Milton have four children, all of whom are married, and ten grandchildren.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Past member of:

• Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
• Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
• Natural Resources
• Subcommittee on a Code of Conduct for Members
• Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women
• Health
• Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Legislative Committee on Bill C-18
• Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
• Finance
• Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Legislative Committee on Bill C-32
• Procedure and House Affairs

Parliamentary roles:

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources (2013–2015)
• Member of Panel of Chairs (2011–2013)

Issues of importance to the member

Carbon tax

This Member has raised issues surrounding the carbon tax many times in the house, especially with regards to it's impact on Saskatchewan farmers and residents.

Small- and medium-sized enterprises

This member had previously asked about procurement practices in relation to small- and medium-sized enterprises.

Written questions

• Q-92—December 6, 2019—With regard to reports of bed bugs and other insect infestation in government buildings in the National Capital Region since January1,2017.
• Q-93—December 6, 2019—With regard to the capacity of 37,000 buildings owned by the government.
• Q-94—December 6, 2019—With regard to the acquisition of buildings by government departments or agencies, since June 1, 2018.
• Q-225—December 11, 2019—With regard to the 16 CC-295 fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft purchased by the government.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or her office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Matthew Green - New Democratic Party

Constituency: Hamilton Centre
Province: Ontario
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2019
Councillor for Hamilton, Ontario
Professional Background: Municipal government
Education: Certificate in Leadership, Organizing, and Action, Harvard Kennedy School; Governing for Non-Profit Excellence, Harvard Business School Executive
Education; Bachelor of Political Science and Legal Studies, Acadia University.
Date of Birth: Not available

Official biography

Mr. Matthew Green was elected in 2014 to serve as Councillor for Ward 3 (Hamilton Centre) in Hamilton, Ontario. Mr. Green is a graduate of Political Science from AcadiaUniversity. He has also attended McMaster University and received a certificate of Executive Education and Governance for Non-Profits from Harvard University.

Mr. Green is an accomplished community organizer and has served for over a decade to advocate for barrier-free access to healthy living on First Nations territory and with inner-city Hamiltonians. MrGreen was also active in the CasiNO campaign which successfully stopped a casino from opening in Hamilton's downtown.

As a City Councillor, Mr. Green's advocacy made a meaningful difference for residents. He passed the Blue Dot Motion, making Hamilton the first city in Ontario to adopt an environmental bill of rights. He is a strong advocate for affordable, dignified housing, actively supporting inclusionary zoning, and serves as Vice Chair and Treasurer for City Housing Hamilton. He fought for improved consumer protections for residents by taking on the payday loan industry's predatory lending practices and made Hamilton the first Ontario City to licence payday loan outlets. Mr. Green's advocacy opposing police carding and racial profiling had a direct impact on provincial policy resulting in more stringent regulations on how local police interact with our community.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Issues of importance to the member

Social justice

This member has raised issues of social justice in the house including civil liberties and a green new deal.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Irek Kusmierczyk - Liberal

Constituency: Windsor-Tecumseh
Province: Ontario
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2019
Councillor for Windsor, Ontario
Professional Background: Municipal government
Education: Masters degree, London School of Economics and Political Science; PhD in local government and cross-border environmental relations around the Great Lakes basin, Vanderbilt University
Date of Birth: January 16, 1978

Official biography

Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh in 2019.

Mr. Kusmierczyk's family have lived in Windsor for more than 35 years after immigrating to Canada from Poland. His parents instilled in him a passion for community service, leading him to a career on Windsor City Council, where he was elected three consecutive times. While on Council, he successfully advocated for historic investments in flood protection, road improvements, libraries, and parks.

Mr. Kusmierczyk worked as the Director of Partnerships for WEtech Alliance, a non‑profit regional innovation centre that helps grow technology companies and jobs throughout Windsor, Essex County and Chatham-Kent. He built partnerships with industry, local schools, the University of Windsor, and St. Clair College to grow the FIRST Robotics program in Windsor and Essex that prepares young people for careers in STEM and skilled trades.

Mr. Kusmierczyk earned his PhD from Vanderbilt University with a specialization in local government and cross-border environmental relations around the Great Lakes basin, and holds a Master's Degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

His wife, Shauna, is a graduate of the University of Windsor and a local nurse practitioner.

Committee Membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Parliamentary roles:

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion

Issues of importance to the member

Labour

This member has raised the impacts of various bills on workers and unions in the House.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Julie Vignola—Bloc Quebécois

Constituency: Beauport-Limoilou
Province: Quebec
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2019
Councillor for Hamilton, Ontario
Professional Background: Education, administration
Education: Not available
Date of Birth: Not available

Official biography

Ms. Julie Vignola was vice-principal of three high schools and a secondary school teacher in history, geography and English.

From a very young age, she was very involved in her community. Her volunteer work began at the age of 10 in Fermont, in Côte-Nord. At age 14, she hosted her own radio show on community radio CFMF 103.1. Whether in Côte-Nord, in the Bas‑Saint-Laurent, in Montérégie or in Centre-du-Québec, Ms. Vignola is involved in various organizations and programs: Lions Club, Canada World Youth, Flag Day, Kamouraska en Forme, Rural Emergency Coalition, etc. Her volunteer work has always focussed on the well-being of people in her community.

Before teaching, she worked in an iron mine, a grocery store, as well as a college student resident. Her varied work experiences allow her to understand the realities of various environments, which is an additional asset that she wishes to use for the benefit of service to her community. An ardent supporter of Quebec's independence, she does not miss an opportunity to discuss the rights, duties and responsibilities of Quebec and the need to have them respected.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates

Issues of importance to the member

Quebec

This member has raised the impact of various government bills on Quebec residents including aluminum producers, the phoenix pay system, etc.

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or her office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Patrick Weiler—Liberal

Constituency: West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast Sea to Sky Country
Province: British Columbia
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2019
Professional Background: Lawyer
Education: Not available
Date of Birth: 1986

Official biography

Mr. Patrick Weiler is an environmental and natural resource management lawyer with deep roots in West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country, growing up in both West Vancouver and Sechelt.

During his career, he has supported governments around the globe to improve the management of aquatic ecosystems and the governance of natural resource sectors on behalf of the United Nations and other international development agencies. Mr. Weiler has represented First Nations, municipalities, small businesses and non-profits on environmental and corporate legal matters within this riding, throughout British Columbia and around the world.

Committed to investing in our economy, Mr. Weiler understands that responsible development must take diverse viewpoints into account to secure a bright future for current and future generations. He is a champion of the Liberal government's Pan‑Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Using his knowledge and skills, he would build on this ground-breaking plan to ensure that Canadian business will seize on the immense economic opportunities in the transition to a clean economy of the 21st century and that Canada meets its obligations under the Paris Agreement.

Over the past four years, this Liberal government has made great progress in growing the economy, supporting families and the middle class, and providing national leadership to take action on climate change. As an MP, he works hard to continue this important work and ensures the voices in his riding are heard and well represented in Ottawa.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Standing Committee on Natural Resources

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

This member has not asked any questions in committee meetings pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.

Greg Fergus—Liberals (rotating member)

Constituency: Hull-Aylmer
Province: Quebec
Prior Public Offices Held:
First elected to Parliament in 2015
Professional Background: Political advisor
Education: Bachelor in Social Sciences, Bachelor in International Relations
Date of Birth: May 31, 1969

Official biography

Mr. Greg Fergus was elected as the Member of Parliament for Hull–Aylmer in 2015, and was re-elected in 2019. He served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development from 2015 to 2017, and was appointed as the current Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Digital Government in 2019.

Mr. Fergus has always wanted to make a difference in Canadians' lives. Prior to his election to Parliament, he worked as a senior policy advisor in several ministerial offices. He was also heavily involved within the Liberal Party of Canada, and served as its National Director, where he introduced change and innovation that helped make the party more engaging, inclusive, and efficient.

Since moving to the Ottawa-Gatineau area in 1988, Mr. Fergus has been an advocate for social housing and seniors. He has served as a member of the board of directors of the Aylmer Arms Residence and as a member of the parish council for a parish within his riding. In the past, he was vice president of a neighbourhood association, and was also involved with school committees, sports teams and organizations defending regional interests.

Mr. Fergus holds two Bachelor Degrees—one in Social Science and one in International Relations. He has also undertaken studies at the master's level in international relations. Over the past 25 years, he has worked in both the private and public sectors, with not‑for‑profit organizations and in the academic sector.

Mr. Fergus and his wife, Julie, have three children.

Committee membership

Current member of:

• Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics
• Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Past member of:

• Finance
• Government Operations and Estimates
• Public Accounts

Parliamentary roles:

• Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and to the Minister of Digital Government (2019-Present)
• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (2015-2017)

Written questions

This member does not have any written questions pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Private members business

This member does not have any active Private Members bills or motions this session of interest or pertaining to Shared Services Canada.

Questions in committees

OGGO

May, 10, 2018, Main Estimates 2018-19

• What does the endgame look like for you with regard to Phoenix?
• Has any serious consideration been given to hiving off the departments that do those calculations on time and accurately? Was any consideration given to hiving them off the system so that those people can get paid correctly, and then trying to devote greater resources to those cases that are more problematic?
• Has greater thought been given to working with groups of Canadians, perhaps even racialized Canadians, that have had difficulty breaking through in the system and getting contracts?

Correspondence

Shared Services Canada has not received any correspondence from this member or his office.

Media

There is no mention in the media pertaining to this member and Shared Services Canada.