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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 75

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 19, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 75 - May/19/22
The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:20:39 p.m.
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The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:20:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am not by any means questioning the work of officials. I am simply asking why it is hard to get the figures. Nevertheless, earlier, you were saying that spending is tracked very meticulously, you mentioned it just now. Why is it always so hard, either for a committee or for the Parliamentary Budget Officer, to get detailed expense reports and get clear answers to simple questions, such as explanations for cost overruns?
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:21:17 p.m.
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Before giving the floor to the minister, I would remind the hon. member to ask her questions through the Chair. The hon. Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:21:24 p.m.
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Madam Chair, with all due respect, I would disagree with the member's premise of the question. We always want to be accountable with the numbers and we will provide those numbers. If there are specific instances where the member is looking for certain numbers, then I would ask that she ask us—
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The Assistant Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:21:41 p.m.
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I have to interrupt the minister. There does not seem to be any interpretation. Is it working now? Can you hear me now in French? I can now hear the interpreters. Apologies to the hon. minister.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:22:14 p.m.
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Madam Chair, with all due respect, I would disagree with the premise of the member's question. We always want to be open and transparent with numbers. If there are certain situations where the member has not been able to get certain numbers, then I would encourage her to reach out to my team and we will provide the numbers that we are able to provide to her.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:22:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, just about every witness we heard from in committee has told us the same thing: The military procurement process is slow, inefficient and rife with political interference. Does the minister have a plan to fix this fiasco? Some witnesses think that a second department focused solely on military procurement may be needed. Does the minister believe that this would be useful and effective?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:23:13 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would repeat what I said earlier, which is that I believe that we are strong in defence procurement. In fact, members can look at what we are involved in right now: The most significant investment in the air force in 30 years is the purchase of 88 fighter jets. The first five ships have been delivered under the national shipbuilding strategy. Two-thirds of the projects under Strong, Secure and Engaged have been either implemented, completed or are near completion. That is a pretty strong record. In terms of defence procurement, I think we have a strong record.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:23:52 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it would appear that businesses do not entirely agree with what the minister. That is their right. Many in government and in the private sector have pointed out how difficult it is to do business with the government, particularly when it comes to francophone SMEs. In the past year, what proportion of government tenders and contracts were written in both official languages?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:24:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, if anyone wants translation into French, then we would provide that. If the member is asking about specific contracts that currently exist in two different languages, I am happy to have my team follow up with her and provide her with those exact details. I do not have that number off the top of my head.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:24:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have talked about Cisco and sole-source procurement several times at the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and I have asked the minister about it. What concrete action have the department and the minister taken to ensure that the government receives the best available prices for computer equipment?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:25:11 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I wish to begin by assuring the member that whenever we are procuring, we always want to ensure that we are getting the best product for the best price. We have rigorous procurement measures that take place, and we are going to continue with that. We recognize that these are taxpayers' dollars. In every procurement project, it is important that we are getting value, and that is the process that we will continue to undertake for every procurement.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:25:39 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I would like the minister to tell me what measures are in place to ensure the best price from Cisco when only that company can bid.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:25:58 p.m.
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Madam Chair, it is important to point out here that there are specific requirements with respect to each project. Whenever possible, we have competition because we know this is the best value we are going to get, and we can look at the 88 fighter jets, but there are times when it is necessary to match up the operability—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 7:26:20 p.m.
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The hon. member for Beauport—Limoilou.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:26:22 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there is not actually any competition when there is only Cisco and resellers of Cisco products. Competition would involve companies that sell something other than Cisco products. How many contracts have been offered to companies that sell something other than Cisco products?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:26:51 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I said, we always want a competitive process. If in fact there is an instance where it has to be a Cisco product because of matching up in terms of operability, then we are limited in that regard, but we are transitioning away from that. That is the approach we are taking in the future, because we know that at the end of the day we want as much competition as possible.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:27:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, Cisco is not the only company in Canada that meets international Internet and other technology standards. We should break out of this cycle. Shared Services Canada has requested an additional $60 million for its 2022-23 budget. What is the reason for this? How much of that will go to Cisco or to a company that resells Cisco products?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 7:27:48 p.m.
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Madam Chair, when we are procuring these contracts, this is the amount we have set aside. We do not know yet who is going to be the successful bidder in that. When we are looking for successful bidders, we are always looking for those that are the most competitive, have the best value and are going to meet the needs that we have in order to ensure that we are getting the product that is going to best serve Canadians.
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Mrs. Julie Vignola
  • May/19/22 7:28:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is being done to ensure that there is no dumping by any company to undercut the competition?
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