OTTAWA — Finance Minister Jim Flaherty acknowledged Monday his office broke contracting rules by awarding a contract to a one-time speechwriter for former-Ontario premier Mike Harris.
Treasury Board guidelines require multiple bids for contracts over $25,000.
But Mr. Flaherty handed an untendered contract worth more than $122,000 to Hugh MacPhie to work on last year's budget speech.
Mr. MacPhie's company “provided good value for money, I can assure taxpayers of that,” Mr. Flaherty told the House.
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080204.wflaherty0204/BNStory/National/home-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other words - "Sure I broke the law, but trust me anyway."