OTTAWA—Treasury Board President Tony Clement defends the contracting out of government services, implying spending more than $10 billion a year ends up saving the federal government money.

In response to a question from NDP Treasury Board critic, Mathieu Ravignat on Tuesday, Clement told the House of Commons Tuesday that contracting out government services reduces costs.

“If we can deliver excellent services to Canadians, using in some cases external contractors, that is the smart thing to do for the taxpayer,” Clement said.

“We have to do so in a way that of course ensures health and safety, but I think this is the kind of sensibility that Canadians expect from their government.”

The Star reported Tuesday that the Conservatives have spent more than $67 billion on contracted professional services from private companies or other government departments since coming to power in 2006.

The government now spends more than $10 billion a year on those services — including everything from health and wellness services to engineering work. Under Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s tenure, spending on external professional services has increased by almost 28 per cent.

Clement did not speak to reporters after question period.

Ravignat told the Star last week that there was no evidence that turning to external contractors saves the government any money.

Critics of contracting out government services have also argued that using external services limits the public’s access to information.

Clement has pledged to eliminate 19,200 jobs from the core public service over the coming two years, with expected savings of $5.2 billion. The Conservatives have also taken a hard line with public sector unions in recent months, targeting unions’ sick day benefits and commissioning comparison studies for similar work in the private sector.