Tony Martin's little chinwag with Belinda Stronach

Sault MP Tony Martin today called on the federal auditor-general to investigate the effect of the HRSDC scandal on the local branch of the Canadian Hearing Society and four other agencies.

Tony also disclosed his plans for a wee chat with new federal human resources minister Belinda Stronach, shown confabulating last year at the Upton Road home of Bruce Hollingsworth, prominent backroom boy with the local Conservatives, whose party Stronach abandoned yesterday for the chance to be a Liberal cabinet minister.

The following is the full text of a statement issued today by Tony Martin:

************************* Martin Calls for New Auditor General Investigation into HRSDC

OTTAWA – NDP MP Tony Martin wants the Auditor General to investigate HRSDC after a Parliamentary Committee tabled today a scathing indictment of its new funding process for community agencies started after the "billion-dollar boondoggle scandal."

"That bureaucratic cure to the boondoggle has now killed good programs preparing vulnerable clients for jobs and harmed communities and these agencies in the process," said Martin. "We heard heart-breaking accounts of how youth, immigrant women, persons with disabilities and others lost valuable community programs to find work, develop skills and otherwise subsidize wages."

"We received testimony that questionable contracts have been rewarded, some to Liberal-friendly companies, in Liberal ridings. The accord with the voluntary sector was ignored. Agencies with outstanding records have been discriminated against. I want the Auditor General to get to the bottom of this."

Martin said the Human Resources Committee only went halfway in its good recommendations to fix the bidding process for the future.

He said HRSDC must restore funding to any organization that has lost its contracts through the new guidelines.

He names at least five agencies affected – The Canadian Hearing Society in Sault Ste. Marie and four in Toronto: Gateway Café, helping youth; The Learning Enrichment Foundation, skills training and employment services; Link Up Employment Services, persons with disabilities; The Working Skills Centre, immigrant women.

On the Sault program in his own riding Martin noted that "incredibly, a HRSDC official testified the government will assist Ontario March of Dimes to offer this specialized service to the deaf and hard of hearing community even though it withdrew its proposal, says it is unqualified to offer this service and recommends CHS Sault Ste. Marie be given the contract."

The Committee report cited a litany of problems in the HRSDC process that was implemented after the HRSDC scandal two years ago:

- the lack of community consultation

- a rushed implementation strategy; widespread violation of the Voluntary Sector Accord

- a lack of transparency for agencies trying to work with the new process

- the under-valuing of experience and expertise from long-serving agencies; disruption of client services

- the ending of longstanding programs

- an unhealthy climate of competition among organizations that undermined previous partnerships

- a favoring of larger organizations, including private companies with their greater resources

Martin promised to discuss the report with the new Human Resources Minister Belinda Stronach.

"She is a new Minister and comes from the Greater Toronto Area whose economy and people have been greatly affected by this HRSDC mess."

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