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.
The question period notes may be partially or fully redacted in accordance with the legislation; for example, if the notes contain information related to national security or personal information. (Learn more about exemptions and exclusions.)
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In the fast-paced and constantly evolving marketplace to secure necessary products and supplies to support the Government of Canada’s response to the pandemic, questions may arise as to the measures that Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) has in place to protect the integrity of the federal procurement system during this period.
Note: When we reference Canada Post, we are referring the Canada Post segment and not the group of companies that includes subsidiaries
In support of local communities in the National Capital Region, and in alignment with federal legislation, the National Capital Commission’s (NCC) pays its fair share of Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) to various municipalities where it owns real property on behalf of the Crown.
Since April 2020, Supermax Healthcare Canada was awarded contracts for the supply of nitrile gloves. Globally, the majority of nitrile gloves are manufactured in Malaysia, where there have been noted instances of forced labour. Based on allegations of forced labour, Canada and Supermax Healthcare Canada have mutually agreed to terminate two existing contracts for nitrile gloves manufactured in Malaysia.
Note: All questions regarding the import prohibition of goods that are mined, manufactured or produced by forced labour should be directed to the Minister of Public Safety, as the Minister responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)
Explaining Shared Services Canada’s role in addressing cyber security, as opposed to other agencies such as the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Communications Security Establishment.
During the previous Parliament, Parliamentarians raised concerns about procurement practices at Shared Services Canada (SSC).
Update on the Next Generation Human Resources and Pay (NextGen HR and Pay) initiative
There are concerns that when large numbers of public servants return to the worksite, the underlying information technology infrastructure will not effectively function.
In 2017, with Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) support, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) put in place a sole sourced lease with Pierre Guay, due to the location of the property, to help accommodate an increase in asylum seekers at the St-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing. When asked by La Presse in a media call received in October 2021, CBSA did not disclose the value of the lease, citing confidentiality reasons. Mr. Guay is characterised in a recent La Presse article as a supporter of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Though a number of agreements have been concluded with Mr. Guay (e.g., lease for office space, land lease, contracts for use of the hotel adjacent to the border crossing), the current media request pertains only to CBSA’s land lease. As PSPC negotiated the lease on behalf of the CBSA, it responded to the reporter’s queries.
Increasing national testing and screening capacity is instrumental to the multi-layered strategy to reopen the Canadian economy while protecting Canadians and containing future outbreaks.
On behalf of the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) continues to explore procurement strategies to support the two testing initiatives: rapid-testing and border testing. In support of the rapid-testing initiative, PSPC is pursuing additional agreements to secure access to a variety of rapid tests.