About the committee: Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates—Study on Federal Government Consulting Contracts Awarded to McKinsey & Company (June 5, 2023)

Committee overview and members biographies

Committee members: At a glance

Committee mandate

The mandate of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates focuses on the estimates process as well as on the effectiveness and proper functioning of government operations.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(c), the committee's mandate includes primarily the study of:

• The format and content of all estimates documents; and
• the effectiveness, management, and expenditure plans of:
  • central departments and agencies
  • new information and communication technologies adopted by the government
  • cross-departmental mandates, including programs delivered by more than one department or agency
  • Crown corporations and agencies that have not been specifically referred to another standing committee
  • 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 mandated to examine and conduct studies related to the following organizations:

Central departments and agencies

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

Organizations related to human resources matters

• Canada School of Public Service
• Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Tribunal Canada
• Public Service Commission

Crown corporations

• Canada Lands Company Limited
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board
• Canada Post Corporation
• Defence Construction (1951) Limited (Canada)
• National Capital Commission
• Old Port of Montréal Corporation Inc.
• Parc Downsview Park Inc.

Other organizations

• Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
• Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board (Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
• Office of the Governor General's Secretary
• Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
• Office of the Procurement Ombudsman
• Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

Biographies of the committee members

Kelly McCauley (Chair)

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Edmonton West

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Edmonton West, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts
• Former Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board
• Previously served on the COVID-19 Pandemic committee as well as the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO in 2020
• Before his election in 2015, Mr. McCauley was a hospitality executive specialized in managing hotels and convention centres
• He has a graduate of BCIT in the Hospitality Management program
• He has a history of advocacy for seniors and veterans

Majid Jowhari (First Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Richmond Hill

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Richmond Hill (Ontario), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO as well as the Standing Committee on Health
• Previously served on the Stranding Committee of Industry, Science and Technology as well as the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Born in Iran, he is the first federal MP of Iranian heritage
• He has a degree in industrial engineering from Ryerson University and an MBA from York University's Schulich School of Business
• Before his election in 2015, Mr. Jowhari was a consultant and engineer

Julie Vignola (Second Vice-Chair)

Political affiliation: Bloc Québécois
Constituency: Beauport—Limoilou

• Elected as the Member for Parliament in 2019 for Beauport-Limoilou (Québec), re-elected in 2021
• Bloc Québécois Critic for Public Services, Tourism, Government Operations and Procurement
• Also serves on the Subcomittee on Agenda and Procedure of OGGO
• Previously a member of the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Before her election in 2019, she was a teacher in a private high school
• Ms. Vignola has a bachelor's degree in history and geography teaching from the Université du Québec à Rimouski
• Interested in issues affecting Quebec, notably producers and the phoenix pay system

Michael Barrett

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes
Critic for Ethics And Accountable Government

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2018 for Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government
• Also sits on the Standing committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics, as well as the Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying (Vice-Chair)
• Previously served on many committees, including Justice and Human Rights, Health and Procedure and House Affairs
• Prior to his election, Mr. Barrett served in the Canadian Army and worked as a human resources manager
• Also served as municipal councillor in Edwardsburgh/Cardinal from 2014 to 2018

Kelly Block

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek
Critic for Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2008 for Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, re-elected in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2021
• Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement
• Previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Member of Panel of Chairs during the 41st Parliament
• Previously sat on many committees, including Public Accounts, Veteran Affairs, Liaison, Health and Natural Resources
• Prior to her election, Ms. Block served two terms as mayor of Waldheim, Saskatchewan

Stephanie Kusie

Political affiliation: Conservative Party of Canada
Constituency: Calgary Midnapore
Critic for Treasury Board

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2017 for Calgary Midnapore, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Conservative Shadow Minister for Treasury Board
• Also serves as counsellor on the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas and as a member of the Canadian Group of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
• Previously sat on many committees, including Official Languages, Procedure and House Affairs and Transport
• Has a B.A in political science from the University of Calgary and an M.B.A. from Rutgers University
• Prior to her election, Ms. Kusie occupied multiple positions, including chargé d'affaires ad interim for Canada to El Salvador, consul for Canada to Dallas, Texas and senior policy advisor to Peter Kent in Latin America
• Some of her duties before her time in office included negotiating free trade deals, work related to the Keystone Pipeline project, and lobbying the United Nations to place Canada on the Security Council

Gord Johns

Political affiliation: New Democratic Party of Canada
Constituency: Courtenay—Alberni
Critic for Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament in 2015 for Courtenay—Alberni (British Columbia), re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• NDP's Mental Health, Public Services and Procurement Critic, as well as Deputy Critic for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Previously served on several standing committees, including Veterans Affairs (Vice-Chair from 2019 to 2020), and Fisheries and Oceans (Vice-Chair in 2019)
• Before his election, Mr. Johns was a businessman and city councillor in Tofino

Parm Bains

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Stevenston–Richmond East

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Stevenston–Richmond East (British Columbia) for the first time in 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates
• Prior to his election, Mr. Bains was an instructor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He also worked as a media and public relations officer with the British Columbia provincial government
• He has attended the British Columbia Institute Of Technology as well as the Royal Roads University, where he got a Masters degree

Anthony Housefather

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Mount Royal
Parliamentary Secretary to The Minister Of Public Services And Procurement

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Mont-Royal (Québec) in 2015, re-elected in 2019 and 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage
• Previously served on several standing committees, including Justice and Human Rights, Liaison, Library of Parliament and the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Before his election Mr. Housefather was a lawyer in Montreal, as well as the Vice-President of a multinational technology company, Dialogic Corporation
• He served as Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc from 2005 to 2015

Joanne Thompson

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: St. John's East

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for St. John's East (Newfoundland and Labrador) for the first time in 2021
• Also serves on the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development
• Before her election, she was an executive director of the Gathering Place in St. John's
• Has bachelor in nursing as well as an MBA specializing in Social Enterprise from the University of Fredericton
• Has a history of advocacy for Human Rights issues

Irek Kusmierczyk

Political affiliation: Liberal Party of Canada
Constituency: Windsor–Tecumseh
Parliamentary Secretary To The Minister Of Employment, Workforce Development And Disability Inclusion

• Elected as the Member of Parliament for Windsor—Tecumseh (Ontario) in 2019, re-elected in 2021
• Previously served on the COVID-19 Pandemic committee
• Born in Poland, he immigrated to Canada in 1983 after his father was imprisoned for being a member of a movement opposed to communism
• Before his election, was a city councillor for the Windsor City Council
• PhD in Political Science from Vanderbilt University, an MSc in government from the London School of Economics and a bachelor in Journalism from Carleton University