Cabinet aides have proposed an 11-year contract for consultants to manage political appointments, reported Blacklock’s. The Privy Council declined to comment.

The Privy Council is seeking a contractor to provide an applicant tracking system that can also screen and select qualified candidates for senior government appointments.

They issued a Notice Of Proposed Procurement For Applicant Tracking System, using limited tendering from qualified software suppliers only. No cost was disclosed.

Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic tells the Operations Committee that federal procurement contracts bidding requirements were rigged to favour McKinsey.
Sole-sourced contacts were awarded without justification, contract values were increased without reason, and security… pic.twitter.com/OMWOXHVcfx

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) April 29, 2024

Federal agencies were nearly "the bottom tier" in accountability to taxpayers due to sole-sourced contracting and other practices, according to Procurement Ombudsman Alexander Jeglic. The contract follows his complaints.

“I would like to take this opportunity to share my frustration regarding the current state of federal procurement,” Jeglic testified last November 26 at the Senate national finance committee. “To put it plainly, the federal procurement system requires urgent reform.”

“The system has not improved during my tenure,” said Jeglic. “I am in Year Six going into Year Seven. I have done significant volumes of reviews. I am very confident in saying it’s time to replace the car.”

Jeglic also stated that federal agencies spent $25 billion annually on consultants and that its management compared poorly to other countries. 

He made these remarks following reviews of favouritism in awarding $200.4 million in contracts to McKinsey & Company since 2015.

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Dominic Barton, ex-McKinsey managing director, testified to dining with then-finance minister Chrystia Freeland amidst scrutiny over their close relationship.

"Would you consider yourself a friend of Chrystia Freeland?" asked Conservative MP Stephanie Kusie. "I knew Chrystia Freeland," replied Barton. "I knew her from before."

During this time, McKinsey allegedly received preferential contracts. Barton later became Canada's ambassador to China.

The value of contracts awarded to the firm began increasing in 2018 and rose significantly from 2019 to 2022, according to a 2024 ombudsman report. Barton left McKinsey in 2019, having also chaired Trudeau's economic growth council in 2017. 

.@PrivyCouncilCa drafts 11-year contract for consultants' help on political appointments. Not a typo, 11 years. Cost undisclosed. Terms of the contract are secret.  https://t.co/RqtVglYHsy #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/AMLYgb7lpi

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) April 22, 2025

Ombudsman Jeglic said that most of the contracts were sole-sourced and awarded under pre-established terms and costs through a standing offer.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) never explained its decision not to entertain a competitive process. 

The Ombudsman found that the lack of documentation was a "significant" irregularity and that the federal government did not have proper PSPC oversight or descriptions of the work to be done by McKinsey.

Without documentation, departments can't prove that the contracting process followed the rules, Jeglic said. He acknowledged the McKinsey situation revealed that the system is broken. 

CONFLICT CARNEY: Mark Carney was just appointed an economic advisor to the governing Liberal Party, while the sitting chair of Brookfield.

Brookfield is applying to the government for the creation of a massive multi-billion dollar asset fund that would be extremely advantageous… pic.twitter.com/TA2srLIO3K

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) September 19, 2024

Jeglic’s office has been aware of these issues for years, but he remains “hopeful” despite the lack of progress.

“I am not suggesting I have all of the answers,” clarified the Ombudsman, “but I do think it is incredibly important to stop applying Band-Aids to the existing system.”

Mark Carney was also questioned by the Commons operations committee for his close ties to McKinsey. He served as the financial advisor to former prime minister Justin Trudeau at the time.

Carney also worked for Brookfield, a global financial management firm, which applied to the Trudeau government to create a multi-billion-dollar asset fund. He left the organization in January.

He was later selected by Liberal delegates to replace Trudeau as party leader on March 9. He called a snap election on March 23.