Liberal government launched Phoenix with ‘no oversight’ in place; Qualtrough
OTTAWA — The estimated cost of stabilizing Phoenix, the federal government’s snafu-stricken civil service pay system, has already exceeded $600 million and will likely continue to climb, the minister responsible for the file told a Commons committee Tuesday.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough made the prediction as she acknowledged there was no mechanism in place to gauge the effectiveness of Phoenix when the Liberals launched it early last year.
“It’s clear government oversight was not in place,” Qualtrough told the Commons estimates committee before adding up the spending the government has committed to date to bring Phoenix to a so-called “steady state.”
Nonetheless, Qualtrough told the committee she expects Phoenix to be able to pay government employees “on time” by the end of 2018.