(Quebec) The Legault government awarded $6 billion in mutual agreement contracts under the state of health emergency, which gave it exceptional powers to award contracts during the two years of the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19.
Posted at 3:05 p.m.
Updated at 5:48 p.m.
For the entire duration of the state of health emergency, more than 4,500 contracts were concluded by the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), health establishments, the Center for Government Acquisitions and the Société québécoise des infrastructures, we learn in the event report on the state of health emergency linked to the pandemic, tabled Tuesday in the National Assembly.
The total value of these contracts concluded between March 13, 2020 and March 23, 2022 amounts to $6 billion, of which $3.4 billion was spent on the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). The rest of the contracts are mainly related to the acquisition of medical supplies, the hiring of human resources and the rental of warehouses.
We also learn that the measures to “defeat the pandemic” cost 18.84 billion, a sum from which we must subtract the 3.85 billion that the slowdown in activities such as surgical interventions cost. The net cost of the health crisis between March 13, 2020 and March 31, 2022 therefore amounts to 15 billion. These sums were invested from the Health and Social Services portfolio, it says.
Breakdown of contracts awarded
- Personal protective equipment: 3.39 billion
- Medical supplies: 1.12 billion
- Human resources: 683 million
- Real estate, construction work and building maintenance: 224 million
- Vaccination and screening: 138 million
- Information technology: 137 million
- Medical equipment: 105 million
- Warehouse and transport: 44 million
- Rental: 18 million
- Miscellaneous: 134 million
The Auditor General concluded in mid-May that Quebec had no PPE reserve at the start of the pandemic and that the government had been slow to correct the situation. He therefore had to buy masks, gowns and gloves at a high price in the midst of a global shortage, which caused the public treasury to lose nearly 1 billion.
“It is important to look back to March 2020, when we all faced a global crisis which was marked by supply difficulties in terms of personal protective equipment”, argued Minister Christian’s office on Tuesday. Dubé, who points out that the VG has also “denounced […] the poor planning of previous governments, claiming that the Department took almost 15 years to reassess the growing needs”.
“Several acquisitions were concluded quickly in order to secure the users and workers of the health network. We had to have access to compliant material, extremely quickly. It was the number one priority, and it was the right thing to do,” the cabinet added.
This is the first time that the government has published a complete portrait of the contracts awarded under the health emergency decree, which notably allowed it to circumvent the obligation to launch public calls for tenders. Last March, the government confirmed that it had awarded 4.1 billion contracts under the health emergency decree in 2020-2021 alone.
Extended contracts
Under the new law 28, which ended the health emergency last week, the government nevertheless maintains certain contracts until December 2022 and others, related to storage and transport, for a maximum duration. of five years. This provision of the legislative text made the opposition parties in Quebec wince, who all voted against the adoption of the bill.
According to the event report, a total of 193 contracts related to vaccination and screening can thus be extended until December 31, 2022 for a value of 89 million dollars. Those affecting distribution and storage may be extended and maintained for a maximum period of five years. These are 80 contracts with a value of 72 million.
This report also leaves Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois unsatisfied: “Each over-the-counter contract concluded in the context of the health emergency must be scrutinized to be sure that the CAQ has not took advantage of the situation to cut corners,” said MP Vincent Marissal.
“This sum is staggering! Quebecers are entitled to know exactly how their money was spent and if they got their money’s worth,” lamented the parliamentary leader of the PQ, Joël Arseneau.
The Legault government filed its event report on Tuesday under article 129 of the Public Health Act, which provides that the Minister of Health must make an assessment within three months of the end of the state of health emergency. Prime Minister François Legault had made a commitment to do so before the end of the parliamentary session on June 10.