44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 19, 2022 10:00AM
- May/19/22 5:15:45 p.m.
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It being 5:15 p.m., it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings and put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of the business of supply.
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- May/19/22 6:50:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what I would acknowledge is that COVID has had an impact around the world. With respect to the shipyards, there is no question that COVID has impacted costs of labour and supply chain issues.
We always work in a way to maintain having costs match up to the quotes that are given, but COVID has presented a number of challenges, not only in shipyards but also all around the world in supply chains and labour.
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- May/19/22 7:13:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, our government has been working to address inequities by modernizing its procurement practices and encouraging suppliers from diverse backgrounds to be part of the federal supply chain.
Budget 2021 proposed $87.4 million over five years, and $18.6 million ongoing, to modernize federal procurement and to create opportunities for specific communities such as indigenous people, women, LGBTQ2+ Canadians, Black and other racialized Canadians. This included a two-year study from 2018 to 2020 that aimed to leverage the government's significant purchasing power to pursue socio-economic outcomes through procurement.
As the minister mentioned, our government also undertook a Black business procurement pilot in 2021 to expand procurement opportunities for Black entrepreneurs. We also recently released two requests for information to better understand the procurement experience of businesses owned or led by persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ2+ community.
As part of its efforts to diversify the federal supply chain, we have issued requests for information to gather input from Canadian Black businesses and businesses owned or operated by persons with disabilities, as well as businesses owned or led by members of the LGBTQ2+ community.
The feedback gathered through the RFIs will be used to expand the use of targeted approaches to increase diversity in federal procurements. PSPC's Policy on Social Procurement came into effect in May 2021. It allows the department to create targeted approaches to increase diversity and inclusion in PSPC procurement and leverage trade agreements that permit socio-economic procurement.
I know that the minister has been holding a number of round tables. Could the minister tell the House what she has been hearing first-hand from business leaders?
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- May/19/22 7:39:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, her colleague, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, told the CBC that safe supply “is going to be the way that we will save the most lives”, yet the minister is not committed to a timeline for expanding access to safe supply, saying that research is needed before it can be scaled up. Why is the government wasting time on pilot programs instead of ensuring that a safer supply is available across Canada?
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- May/19/22 7:40:31 p.m.
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Madam Chair, 20 people a day are dying in this country because of a toxic overdose, and 20 families are getting the call. If the government had the political will, how quickly could a national safe supply program be established in this country?
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- May/19/22 8:40:18 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the minister notes promises in mandate letters to bring forward future legislation. We do not have a timeline around that legislation, when it comes in, but meanwhile we are purchasing products from companies where our allies have already noticed and said that there is a problem with forced labour in their supply chain.
Minister, that simply is not good enough.
Does the government purchase any products at all that are produced in Xinjiang?
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- May/19/22 10:47:05 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, the government keeps touting a safer supply as how it is going to respond to this crisis. Has the government looked into whether bulk buying harm reduction supplies or a safer supply could help reduce costs for supervised consumption sites, which often face funding challenges?
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