Question Period Notes
About this information
In accordance with the Access to Information Act, the government proactively publishes the package of question period notes that were prepared by a government institution for the minister and that were in use on the last sitting day in June and December.
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The recent establishment of the Office of Supplier Integrity and Compliance supports the Government of Canada’s ability to identify suppliers of concern, take appropriate action to mitigate the risk they pose, and promote ethical business practices in an evolving marketplace.
There has been media attention on federal government spending on professional services contracts.
On November 28, 2023, Canada entered into a government-to-government agreement with the United States (US) Government for the acquisition of up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Fourteen multi-mission aircraft will be procured, with options for up to an additional two. The estimated value of this government-to-government agreement, which also includes associated equipment, training devices and initial sustainment, is $5.9 billion USD including contingency.
Notes:
- All questions related to capability and costs should be answered by the Minister of National Defence
- All questions related to industrial and technological benefits should be answered by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
On November 7, 2023, the Government of Canada announced that 6 surplus federal properties will be developed into more than 2,800 new homes in Calgary, Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta and St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ottawa, Ontario.
Senator Deacon will be asking the following question in today’s Question Period:
“Despite Treasury Board's Policy on Green Procurement, in October of this year, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the department responsible for leading Canada’s national sustainability strategies, failed to incorporate detailed sustainability criteria in a $8 Million dollar purchase of laptops. The department opted for the lowest cost solution despite the availability of green alternatives. I've found this to be far from the only case where the criteria are simply the lowest cost.
The absence of sustainability criteria and consideration in government procurements is prevalent across all departments. For example, an ongoing bid for computer hardware and accessories initiated by Shared Services, or pharmaceutical refrigerators at National Defense, also does not have sustainability criteria listed on the bidder requirements.
Procurement can be a powerful tool in reducing our scope 3 carbon emissions all the way down the supply chain. Why did ECCC, the lead department responsible our national sustainability goals, fail to set an example by not including these criteria in these bids?”
- Media and MPs have raised concerns regarding the use of tools capable of extracting data from mobile devices and other assets within the Government of Canada (GC). While the media narrative makes reference to “spyware”, that is not an accurate description of these tools used by Shared Services Canada (SSC)
The Canada Border Services Agency was responsible for developing and managing the ArriveCan tool based on Public Health Agency’s health requirements enforced by the Quarantine Act.
On November 2, 2022, a motion was majority voted by the House of Commons that called the Office of the Auditor General of Canada to conduct a performance audit, including payments, contracts, and subcontracts of ArriveCan.
On November 2, 2023, the National Post published an article that raised questions about the transparency of contract costs related to an item in the Public Health Agency of Canada’s 2022-2023 public accounts. After PSPC obtained permission from the company to release commercial confidential information, the Minister of Health confirmed on November 4, 2023, that a $150 million loss as reported was for a non-refundable advance payment made to Medicago as per the COVID-19 vaccine advance purchase agreement.
On December 8, 2023, it was reported that the Government of Canada reached an agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical Group (MCG) regarding Medicago’s obligations to the Strategic Innovation Fund. The agreement between the Government of Canada and MCG recovers a $40 million payment owed to Canada in relation to the construction of the biomanufacturing facility. The $40 million repayment is not related to the COVID-19 advance purchase agreement.
Notes:
- All questions regarding the regulatory review of vaccines should be directed to Health Canada
- All vaccine and therapeutic health-related questions and questions about allocation and distribution should be directed to Public Health Agency of Canada
- All questions regarding the domestic manufacturing of vaccines and Strategic Innovation Funding investments should be directed to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
- All questions regarding the regulatory review of vaccines should be directed to Health Canada and Public Health Agency of Canada
- All questions regarding Medicago’s organization and the decision to cease Medicago operations in Canada should be directed to the Mitsubishi Chemical Group
- All questions regarding vaccine expiration should be directed to the Public Health Agency of Canada
This note focuses on efforts and progress to date to provide support to employees and stabilize the administration of pay, and on financial investments in Phoenix.
Notes:
- All questions related to the mental health of public servants, collective agreements and compensation for Phoenix damages agreements should be directed to the President of the Treasury Board
- Issues related to income tax are under the purview of the Canada Revenue Agency
This note focuses on the efforts and progress to stabilize the administration of pay, manage intake of pay transactions, and the ongoing reduction of the backlog.
Note:
All questions related to Next Generation Human Resources and Pay solution are in a separate question period card developed by Shared Services Canada