‘Not a matter of state secrets’: Anand dismisses concerns over McKinsey contracts

Minister of Defence Anita Anand arrives at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Government Opearions and Estimates in Ottawa, Monday, March 20, 2023. Anand says there are no security risks from her department's contracts with McKinsey. Anand told a parliamentary committee this afternoon that the Defence Department has signed about $30 million in contracts with the consulting firm.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — Defence Minister Anita Anand says there are no security risks from her department’s contracts with McKinsey & Company.

Anand told a parliamentary committee this afternoon that the Defence Department has signed about $30 million in contracts with the consulting firm.

But she says those contracts focused on helping defence and military officials with human-resources issues and data management, and did not touch on “state secrets.'”

McKinsey came under fire last year for working with the U.S. military while also under contract with Russia and China.

Its contracts in Canada have been under the microscope amid revelations its work has expanded rapidly since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government came to power in 2015.

Anand says McKinsey has been helping the Canadian military with culture-change efforts, which included organizing and reporting on recent consultations with Armed Forces members.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on March 20, 2023. 

The Canadian Press