Meet the Liberals: Frank Baylis, the former MP embroiled in sole-sourced contract scandals

The former Liberal MP from 2015-2019 was at the heart of a controversy during the COVID-19 pandemic, when his company, Bayliss Medical, was awarded a lucrative sole-sourced ventilator contract.

Frank Baylis wants to lead the Liberal Party of Canada. The same guy embroiled in one of the most flagrant conflicts of interest scandals in recent memory is now vying for the top spot in the party that gave us SNC-Lavalin and the WE Charity debacles.

It's so perfectly Liberal — he's so ethically challenged that he's giving Trudeau a run for his money. To learn more about Baylis and the other Liberal leadership contenders, go to MeetTheLiberals.com.

Now, let’s rewind the clock to 2020.

Frank Baylis, a former Liberal MP from 2015-2019, was at the centre of a major controversy involving his company, Baylis Medical.

This company was handed a $237 million contract to produce ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sounds noble, right? Wrong.

Baylis was no longer an MP, but he was still deeply entrenched in the Liberal network. And that contract? It was awarded without competitive bidding. Let’s call it what it was — a sweetheart deal for an insider.

Now, let’s dive deeper into the details of this scandal, which only get more infuriating the more you learn.

The ventilators in question, known as the VFC-560, were described as “new” and had not been approved in any jurisdiction at the time the contract was awarded.

Yet somehow, Baylis Medical was selected as a key subcontractor through FTI Professional Grade Inc., a consortium formed to fulfill the government’s alleged urgent need for 10,000 ventilators. This raises serious questions about the safety and efficacy of the devices procured for nearly a quarter of a billion dollars.

What’s more, Canada reportedly overpaid for these ventilators by up to $100 million. Each unit cost taxpayers $23,700, a far cry from the much lower prices of approved models from competitors like Medtronic. Was this about saving lives or lining the pockets of Liberal insiders?

But wait, there's more. Then Baylis got a contract to maintain the unused vents, to the tune of a further $4 million.

Then there’s the matter of conflict of interest. Frank Baylis had only recently left politics after serving as a Liberal MP from 2015 to 2019. Under the Conflict of Interest Act, former MPs are prohibited from taking improper advantage of their previous office.

But with Baylis Medical receiving this lucrative contract, it’s hard to ignore the appearance of favouritism. After all, Baylis has been a donor to the Liberal Party, and internal memos suggest there was direct communication between his company and government officials. How convenient.

Baylis himself appeared before the House of Commons ethics committee, where he denied any backroom dealings or influence peddling.

Just another Liberal contracting scandal. Throw it on the pile with ArriveScam and Randy Boissonnault's company, GHI.

And what happened to the ventilators? Many of these overpriced devices ended up unused. Reports indicate that some were sold for scrap metal at laughable prices, with units that cost $23,700 being offloaded for as little as $6 each. Others were donated to Ukraine as “war surplus,” with at least 839 units shipped overseas.

Fast forward to today, and Frank Baylis wants to lead the Liberal Party of Canada.

The arrogance is staggering. This is a man who’s already demonstrated that he’s willing to exploit his connections for personal gain. Does anyone seriously believe that he’ll suddenly transform into a paragon of virtue as party leader? Of course not. His candidacy is just another example of the Liberals’ culture of entitlement, where rules and ethics are mere inconveniences.

More of the same, I guess. But here’s the bigger question: What does this say about the Liberal Party itself?

Baylis’s decision to run isn’t happening in a vacuum. It’s a symptom of a party that has become so detached from everyday Canadians that it no longer even bothers to pretend to care about ethics. From Justin Trudeau’s multiple personal ethics violations to the WE Charity scandal, the Liberals have made it clear that accountability is a foreign concept to them. Baylis is just the latest in a long line of insiders who think they’re above the rules.

And let’s talk about what this means for Canada. The Liberal Party is still the governing party. Their leader will likely be the next prime minister unless Canadians finally wake up and demand better.

Do we really want someone like Frank Baylis at the helm? Someone who’s already demonstrated that he’s more interested in serving himself than serving Canadians? This is a man who’s benefited from backroom deals and insider connections. How can we trust him to make decisions in the best interest of our country?

Let me be clear: This isn’t just about Frank Baylis. It’s about the rot at the core of the Liberal Party. It’s about a government that has consistently prioritized its friends and donors over hardworking Canadians.

Visit MeetTheLiberals.com, get informed, and share it far and wide. Canadians deserve to know the truth, even if the Liberals don’t want you to hear it.

Now let's Meet the Liberals

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Sheila Gunn Reid

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Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.

COMMENTS

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  • Don Hrehirchek
    commented 2025-01-16 14:30:53 -0500
    Thanks again Pat H. More corruption exposed.
  • Pat Hanney
    commented 2025-01-16 13:36:57 -0500
    Begs the major questions……. if he can’t be trusted on one level…… what makes ANYONE believe he can be trusted on anything….
    He made hundreds of millions, and in the case of ventilators, didn’t even supply them all……. That speaks volumes.
  • Pat Hanney
    commented 2025-01-16 13:34:04 -0500
    Also regarding the Lethbridge Council……… I also found out they hired Executives to form a board to MAKE the decisions FOR City Council, and the city council just approves them. I’m looking forward to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms court case, where they are also going to ask the courts to decide the “powers” of a Prime Minister, which can extend to ANY polician, who is elected by the people. Whereby they off load their responsibilities of their positions to ANYONE who was NOT elected. Like Carney and or in other levels of government our city council. Which begs the questions, how many other cities have hired bureaucrats to do the jobs of the politicians, whereby the bureaucrats are SUPPOSED to keep those who are BILLING the City Council’s approved projects, in line. Corporations do not offset their responsibilities to those who they hire to BUILD or supply ANYTHING.

    Based on the Justice Centre’s challenge it will present the British Parliamentary act which our Constitution is based on, and was successfully challenged and won in the UK against Boris Johnston, when he prorogued parliament, and was challenged, he lost. There must be a reason for proroguing, a legitimate reason, and it also brings into question the Power of a PM……. which then includes any politician at any level in Canada who offsets their responsibilities to someone the citizens didn’t vote for.
  • Pat Hanney
    commented 2025-01-16 13:24:46 -0500
    Actually The Epoch Times has.
    $4,748,336,982.00 “40,547 ventilators ordered, 500 used, at a cost of $138,106 each = $5,668,836,982.00 spent but not used now given away……….. yes that’s $5.53 Billion. Given to Ukraine
    At the beginning of the pandemic, Thornhill Medical was awarded an exclusive contract worth $200.5 million. The ventilators were stored in Ottawa and few were put to use.
    According to internal records from the Department of Health obtained by Blacklock’s, managers expressed reluctance over the Thornhill ventilator. One staffer wrote in an email that it failed to meet technical specifications. Concerns were also raised about the cost of the units. In 2021, health department officials declined to comment on reports the ventilators were billed at $138,106 each.
    A 2021 submission to the Commons government operations committee by the Department of Public Works said ventilators provided by three contractors amounted to $720 million. Those manufacturers were Thornhill Medical, CAE Inc. of Montreal, and Baylis Medical Company of Montreal, a company owned by former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.
    The contract was awarded to Baylis Medical despite the fact that the company lacked a federal licence for ventilator manufacture. Cabinet subsequently donated 350 Baylis units to India but neglected to modify them for use in Indian wall sockets.
    CAE Inc. received a ventilator contract despite its machines failing tests on two separate occasions. An aide to the prime minister wrote an email to staff at the time reporting that their ventilators were still severely defective.
    Ottawa placed rush orders for 40,547 ventilators in total, 27,025 of which were delivered within a year. The Commons government operations committee learned soon afterward that only 500 were used.”
    https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/ottawa-donates-stockpiled-ventilators-to-ukraine-5470285
    https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/freeland-reacts-to-poll-showing-canadians-support-for-ukraine-funding-waning-5581705

    I have been keeping a list since Dec 6, 2021, which started because people were asking about different potential wastes of taxpayer funding. First entry was for $54Billion…. it’s in excel, and is now 70 pages long, with a minimum of 1 link up to and exceeding 10 per entry.

    It’s taken a lot of time to put together, subdivide the entries by topic and values, so in some cases the same “text” of the entry, may end up in multiple categories but a different value to make totalling and keeping track of the values.

    The Motley Coalition claims the debt was $1.2 Trillion, Then it was $2.2 Trillion, but then mysteriously dropped to $1.3 Trillion. Why? Maybe because they are using public pensions to offset their debt? Turns out the pensions I did locate are situated in Caisse, which also holds the CPP, and QPP……….. value? $2.9 Trillion.

    Odd……. hmmmm also includes Invest Alberta who’s executive includes Ex Corrupt Conservative Premier Alison Redford, and apparently many who sit on the board are her allies/friends/cohorts. I’ve questioned Danielle Smith about why, how etc and demand that these people be removed, can’t be trusted. Smith’s MLA’s have responded that they cannot interfere in Invest Alberta, but oddly enough can in Alberta Investments board………. and have.

    Don’t get me wrong, I hold all politicians no matter the party to their records, AND any research I can find and verify.

    Canadians, you, me, our friends and family, are about to default $2.5 Trillion (up from $2.45 Trillion in the last 6 months) of personal debt, loans, mortgages, lines of credit, credit cards…. Yes, that’s with 12 Zeros. Doesn’t include Federal, Provincial and municipal debts.
    I’m having an ongoing “debate” with my city council Lethbridge, regarding 2 projects, that have been brought into question. An Agrihub that was supposed to be $70M, but had cost over-runs of $27M. that’s 1/3 the budget in overages. When asked why? We found out that the City Executives ie Executive Director Joel Sanchez, did not use our own city accounting professionals to monitor the funding and project costs, but “trusted” the project managers – yes them, to do so.
    We have another project that the city is attempting to put through. A 4th entry to the West Side of Lethbridge, at a cost of $300M……… our taxes in total this year are going up 2.45% for the “financial Agrihub fiasco” and 5.1% for a Bridge. that’s 7.5% IF there’s no cost over-runs on the bridge. And the bridge will not start for a couple of years….. Do we trust them no. Can we trust city Council, no.

    When I broached this with additional information about the $2.5Trillion in personal debt, the fact that banks have gone crawling on their knees to the Federal government for bailouts, The Government has repeatedly printed money, TD bank has been fined $3Billion US for illegal documentation of their investments, BMO has been charged $40 M for laundering, RBC (I believe has begged for funding as it is about to default on itself) etc…….. AND my list of Wasted, Unaccounted, Unaudited spending which includes the personal Debt of $2.5Trillion, but not the Provincial and Municipal debt, sits at just under $14 Trillion……….. odd it’s approx 1/10th of what the Motley Coalition claims we owe:
    Originally, the Motley coalition admitted to $1.3Trillion in Debt, then increased it to $2.2 Trillion THEN they reduced it back down….. WHY?. Ok just finished updating the list of WTF (Where’s The Funds) or what I call the Wasted, Unaccounted, Unaudited list which sits at (See attached PDF) :
    $266,299.22 – Single – meaning every man, woman, child, Senior, veteran, homeless, addict, immigrant etc. Based on population of 41M.
    $1,065,196,89 – Per a Family of 4
    $10,919,313,615,777.60 – Total Promises – includes rebranding, borrowing, paying interest on repeat “Promises”, and repeated.

    $1,091,931,361,577.76 – 10% of Total “Promises” would have provided $351,034.72 per home for the 3.1 Million homes/rentals etc needed by Canadians. OR $26,541.65 to the 41Million Canadians to put towards their own housing, rentals etc – every man, woman, child, veteran, homeless, addict, immigrant etc. Based on population of 41M.

    $26,632.41 – Value of lost housing investment per each Canadian (41 Million)
    $351,034.72 – Value of lost money for housing per existing required housing (3.1 Million)
    $2,500,000,000,000.00 – Canadian Personal Debt – Mortgages, Loans, Credit Cards that are about to be defaulted as per PBO & BOC

    $13,419,313,615,777.60 – Total Promises, and Personal Debt, does not include Provincial or Municipal debt.
    $545,965,680,788.88 – GST on Promises

    $13,965,279,296,566.50 – Total Costs to Every Canadian for “Promises”
    Yes… I can prove every entry…
    Let this soak in.
    I’m still collecting data and many are sending me links to research. Any wonder people can’t afford a Home, Food, Rent, Family, or entertainment?

    Do you know what our Municipal representatives said……..? That doesn’t concern us.
    Unfortunately, the responses at the Provincial level are no better.

    How many other politicians at EVERY level…… believe the same thing? I have 30-40 more entries to investigate to include. I’m tired, angry, and want this crap to stop, as do many other Canadians.

    Sorry, but I’m invested. I’m a senior, I get $1,600 a month, and I demand change. I was in accounting for over 30 yrs. I now suffer from CPTSD, but keeping focused, and researching keeps me sane…….. even if I’m tired.

    I’ve responded in an email and I’ve attached my most recent pdf……….. but yes. I can prove every entry. I’m confident there are no duplications, ergo why I break up an article to ensure it’s in the right “categories”.
  • Don Hrehirchek
    commented 2025-01-16 12:47:07 -0500
    Thanks Pat H. Has anybody been investigated on this corruption? Probably not and by the time much will be “redacted”. What a sorry , sad situation that We the tax payer have to put up with. It is beyond any morals . Period.
  • Pat Hanney
    commented 2025-01-16 12:43:01 -0500
    $4,748,336,982.00 “40,547 ventilators ordered, 500 used, at a cost of $138,106 each = $5,668,836,982.00 spent but not used now given away……….. yes that’s $5.53 Billion. Given to Ukraine
    At the beginning of the pandemic, Thornhill Medical was awarded an exclusive contract worth $200.5 million. The ventilators were stored in Ottawa and few were put to use.
    According to internal records from the Department of Health obtained by Blacklock’s, managers expressed reluctance over the Thornhill ventilator. One staffer wrote in an email that it failed to meet technical specifications. Concerns were also raised about the cost of the units. In 2021, health department officials declined to comment on reports the ventilators were billed at $138,106 each.
    A 2021 submission to the Commons government operations committee by the Department of Public Works said ventilators provided by three contractors amounted to $720 million. Those manufacturers were Thornhill Medical, CAE Inc. of Montreal, and Baylis Medical Company of Montreal, a company owned by former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.
    The contract was awarded to Baylis Medical despite the fact that the company lacked a federal licence for ventilator manufacture. Cabinet subsequently donated 350 Baylis units to India but neglected to modify them for use in Indian wall sockets.
    CAE Inc. received a ventilator contract despite its machines failing tests on two separate occasions. An aide to the prime minister wrote an email to staff at the time reporting that their ventilators were still severely defective.
    Ottawa placed rush orders for 40,547 ventilators in total, 27,025 of which were delivered within a year. The Commons government operations committee learned soon afterward that only 500 were used.”
  • Pat Hanney
    commented 2025-01-16 12:39:33 -0500
    $4,748,336,982.00 “40,547 ventilators ordered, 500 used, at a cost of $138,106 each = $5,668,836,982.00 spent but not used now given away……….. yes that’s $5.53 Billion. Given to Ukraine
    At the beginning of the pandemic, Thornhill Medical was awarded an exclusive contract worth $200.5 million. The ventilators were stored in Ottawa and few were put to use.
    According to internal records from the Department of Health obtained by Blacklock’s, managers expressed reluctance over the Thornhill ventilator. One staffer wrote in an email that it failed to meet technical specifications. Concerns were also raised about the cost of the units. In 2021, health department officials declined to comment on reports the ventilators were billed at $138,106 each.
    A 2021 submission to the Commons government operations committee by the Department of Public Works said ventilators provided by three contractors amounted to $720 million. Those manufacturers were Thornhill Medical, CAE Inc. of Montreal, and Baylis Medical Company of Montreal, a company owned by former Liberal MP Frank Baylis.
    The contract was awarded to Baylis Medical despite the fact that the company lacked a federal licence for ventilator manufacture. Cabinet subsequently donated 350 Baylis units to India but neglected to modify them for use in Indian wall sockets.
    CAE Inc. received a ventilator contract despite its machines failing tests on two separate occasions. An aide to the prime minister wrote an email to staff at the time reporting that their ventilators were still severely defective.
    Ottawa placed rush orders for 40,547 ventilators in total, 27,025 of which were delivered within a year. The Commons government operations committee learned soon afterward that only 500 were used.”
  • Don Hrehirchek
    commented 2025-01-16 12:16:55 -0500
    His character is preceding himself. In MY opinion He has no chance and thanks for pointing out the corruption.
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-01-15 19:29:02 -0500
    Corruption and graft have been Liberal policies for decades. That party has had scandal after scandel with nobody paying any significant consequences. The whole thing must be destroyed. I hope this upcoming election will decimate the Liberals.