Global News: Ottawa’s ‘Shark Tank’: Invitation-only program helped rapid test importers land billions
February 29, 2024 —
Paul Larson, a researcher in supply chain management at the University of Manitoba, said that when hundreds of millions or billions of taxpayer dollars are in play, he expects that federal workers will complete a background check and visit the applicant’s operations.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) confirmed it did neither. Various PSPC spokespeople described other forms of verification its employees had instead relied on.
Larson flagged his concerns about an exchange between Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner and Switch Health executives in May 2021, where she repeatedly asked whether Switch Health subcontractors’ employees were incorrectly identifying themselves as nurses.