XPost: can.politics, nb.general, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics   
   From: {~_~}@nyet.ca   
      
   Globe and Mail - March 21, 2014   
      
   Ottawa rethinking policy of giving veterans security-guard jobs   
      
      
   Deal for non-profit organization, which helps people returning from war   
   first right of refusal on guard contracts, nears an end   
      
   The Conservative government is evaluating the relevancy of a   
   decades-long policy meant to help veterans find work as security guards   
   at government buildings.   
      
   Since the end of the Second World War, Ottawa has directed billions of   
   dollars in federal guard contracts to the Commissionaires, a private,   
   non-profit organization that was created to help employ the thousands of   
   veterans returning from war.   
      
   Ottawa gives the Commissionaires the right of first refusal on all   
   government guard contracts, an arrangement worth about $1.35-billion   
   over five years when it was last renewed. But that deal is nearing its   
   end. Federal briefing notes provided to Treasury Board President Tony   
   Clement reveal the department's Internal Audit and Evaluation Bureau is   
   reviewing the program to "examine the relevance and performance" of the   
   arrangement.   
      
   "This is a potentially sensitive subject as the [Right-of-First   
   Refusal]'s purpose is to support veterans employment," states the memo,   
   obtained by The Globe and Mail in an Access to Information Request. The   
   undated memo is from briefing notes provided to the minister in the   
   summer of 2013.   
      
   The Commissionaires insist they provide a high-quality service at a good   
   price for taxpayers. They view the review as a routine matter and expect   
   the arrangement to be renewed when it expires in 2015-16. But private   
   sector guard companies are pushing for a change, and Mr. Clement's   
   office is non-committal about renewing the deal.   
      
   The potential sensitivity is clear. The Conservative government has been   
   under fire in the House of Commons for closing offices that serve   
   veterans. Meanwhile, Mr. Clement is looking for ways to save money   
   through greater privatization. The leading private sector competitor to   
   the Commissionaires estimates Ottawa could save at least $100-million a   
   year by opening the guard contracts to competition. Stephan Cretier,   
   president of Montreal-based Garda World Security Corporation, said   
   Ottawa could improve quality, reduce costs and still require private   
   contractors to employ a set percentage of veterans.   
      
   Mr. Cretier said Ottawa's arrangement with the Commissionaires has been   
   amended so many times the non-profit is now allowed to employ thousands   
   of workers with no connection to Canadian military. The Commissionaires   
   work force on federal contracts must be 60 per cent veterans – which can   
   include former RCMP members – but it also provides guards to the private   
   sector, which has no such requirement. Mr. Cretier estimates that, as a   
   result, the number of veterans among Commissionaires employees is well   
   below half.   
      
   "It's ridiculous," he said in an interview. "Canada is the only country   
   in the world where a non-profit organization is the largest security   
   provider, so it's just a question mark in terms of having a government   
   that is free-market driven and you see a non-profit organization being   
   the largest security provider."   
      
   John Dewar, CEO of the Commissionaires for Victoria, the Islands and   
   Yukon, answered questions from The Globe on behalf of the national   
   organization. He said taxpayers are getting a deal because of the   
   not-for-profit nature of the organization.   
      
   "This is one way of supporting veterans that doesn't cost the government   
   anything because we do all of the work under this right of first refusal   
   at cost for the government," he said in an interview, playing down   
   Ottawa's review as a "routine assessment."   
      
   Before the federal government makes its decision, the Senate   
   sub-committee on Veterans Affairs will weigh in. The sub-committee is   
   wrapping up a study on services for veterans, including a review of   
   Ottawa's relationship with the Commissionaires.   
      
   Conservative Senator David Wells, the sub-committee vice-chair, said he   
   expects the committee's report will comment on the matter but that no   
   decisions have been made on recommendations.   
      
   "Obviously, I'm a supporter of free enterprise, and any benefits that   
   the government gives to individual companies should be looked at very   
   carefully. That said, there's also that balance of doing as much as we   
   can for veterans, and that's important," he said. "So I guess, as the   
   government moves forward, that will be part of the deliberation and   
   we'll hear from all sides on it and then, of course, we'll consider it   
   internally ourselves."   
      
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