Leased land near Roxham Road | Ottawa refuses to reveal the value of contracts awarded to Liberal donor

The federal government has leased land from a major contributor to the Liberal Party of Canada for 10 years, without a call for tenders, to house migrants who cross the border irregularly by Roxham Road as well as the officials who cross the border. welcome. And Ottawa is now trying to hide the amount of the expense from taxpayers.

Vincent Larouche
Press

Roxham Road, in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, has been used in recent years by tens of thousands of migrants who wanted to enter Canada to seek political asylum, without risking being turned away at a border post.

Authorities had prevented people from passing through at the start of the pandemic for health reasons, but the passage was reopened at the end of November. Good news for businessman Pierre Guay, owner of the duty free shop located at the end of Highway 15, which owns several lots near the border.

Because since 2017, the unprecedented influx of asylum seekers, police, border services officers and federal officials responsible for managing crowds in this area has paid off for Mr. Guay.

A paying influx

The federal government initially rented rooms at the Hotel Saint-Bernard, a property it owns, a stone’s throw from the border.

“The Government of Canada sent a check to the owner of the hotel. Moreover, the latter must be gone on vacation for a year, since the rooms were rented empty and no one sleeps in them, ”denounced the Conservative MP Pierre Paul-Hus in the House.

The RCMP also awarded a half-million dollar contract to a company of Mr. Guay to help the police force improve the facilities at its local detachment.

For its part, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has set up a large camp with temporary facilities for officials and asylum seekers on Mr. Guay’s land. A first lease was signed by the federal government with its company for the years 2017 to 2021 inclusive. The CBSA refuses to say what the cost was.

“The CBSA spends $ 3 million per year for the treatment and accommodation infrastructure for asylum seekers located in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle in Quebec, which notably includes leases,” explained to Press Dominique McNeely, agency spokesperson.

Of the $ 15 million disbursed for this purpose over five years, it is necessary to subtract approximately $ 6 million granted under a public contract to another company that supplies trailers. Of the remaining 9 million, how many go to Pierre Guay for the rental of the land?

The CBSA and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) refuse to say, despite repeated requests for Press since one month.

“We cannot disclose the amount of the leases because it is confidential business information from third parties, namely the lessor,” the two government agencies wrote in response to our questions. Yet the courts have ruled more than once in the past that details of leases signed by the federal government can be made public.

Single supplier

This confidential five-year lease was signed without a call for tenders in 2017, confirms the CBSA. “The occupation of the land and buildings of the company Importations Guay Ltée from 2017 was done by awarding a single source contract, because the site met all the criteria due to its proximity to the border crossing and other sites used by the CBSA and it was necessary to proceed quickly in the context of an influx of asylum seekers, ”explains spokesperson Dominique McNeely.

Recently, as this first lease was due to expire, the federal authorities negotiated a new agreement with Pierre Guay. This time, there was no longer any urgency, but the CBSA did not see fit to solicit other potential suppliers. She agreed to build a new regional treatment center on the businessman’s land. The government recently began renovating two buildings located on Pierre Guay’s land for this purpose. The premises will be transformed into “multifunctional spaces” which can be used for processing asylum requests, as a warehouse or as a training center.

“There was no call for tenders,” confirms Mr. McNeely, who however emphasizes that negotiations have made it possible to lower the cost invoiced by Pierre Guay.

“The new rental agreement was negotiated by Public Services and Procurement Canada based on market prices to arrive at a competitive price,” said the spokesperson.

Again, the amount is kept secret by the government.

The anticipated savings come from a reduction in the cost of the lease, but also from a reduction in the rental costs of trailers and the costs of transporting drinking water and wastewater thanks to the development of a new center. processing, according to the CBSA.

Major donor

Joined by Press, Pierre Guay did not want to discuss the sums he charges the government.

“I have nothing to do with it. Call the government, call the customs department, they’ll give you everything, ”he said, although the government has already refused to do so.

Mr. Guay denies being in a monopoly position in this sector. “It’s not just me they’re dealing with at the border,” he says.

The businessman, who also owns duty-free shops in Stanstead and Stanhope, has long been a contributor to the Liberal Party of Canada. Between 2004 and today, according to Elections Canada data, he donated approximately $ 23,000 to political parties. Her son, who is also involved in the family business, donated around $ 2,500 to the party in 2018 and 2019. The two attended a fundraiser with local MP Brenda Shanahan and Minister Chrystia Freeland in March 2019.

Pierre Guay also gave nearly $ 4,000 to the Conservative Party between 2007 and 2015, while the party was in power, without stopping funding the Liberals. Since Justin Trudeau has been Prime Minister, he has stopped giving to the Conservatives.

No settlement expected in the short term

Immigration lawyer Stéphane Handfield, many of whose clients have entered the country via Roxham Road, has long called for the government to act to curb the influx of asylum seekers by this route.

He suggests that the government abandon the safe third country agreement between Canada and the United States, which forces migrants to apply for asylum in the first safe country they reach. Those who wish to continue their journey to Canada therefore cannot go through official channels, and many enter through irregular routes. Once they enter, Canada agrees to process their asylum claim. This situation results in significant costs concentrated in Quebec, he said.

“All these expenses are related to Roxham Road. Before, people used to go through border crossings. A guy who leaves from Los Angeles and wants to go to Toronto or Vancouver, he did not pass by here at the time, but now he passes by the Roxham road ”, he explains.

“What strikes me with the signing of a new five-year lease is that they obviously intend to keep it open for a long time and not to resolve the situation in the short term”, adds the lawyer. .