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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
Hon. Filomena Tassi (Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Lib.)
  • May/19/22 8:00:43 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I agree with the many things my hon. colleague said, specifically about the procurement success that we have had. I want to thank all the procurement specialists that have worked so very hard. Let us go back to March 2020, when COVID had descended upon us. Since that time we have procured over 100 million vaccines. We have enough vaccines in this country for every Canadian to get their full complement, those that are eligible, together with the booster. We have procured over 600 million rapid tests. Provinces and territories were in great need of those. We have procured them. We have delivered them. It is a fantastic tool. We have procured over two billion pieces of personal protective equipment to keep Canadians safe. We have now 1.7 million treatments of therapeutics. I look at what has been achieved by the team, and it is an army. Some of them are watching tonight. Some are before me here. Some are in the lobby. Some are working at home, and some are in their offices. I want to thank that army, that team that worked day and night in order to ensure that we had the supplies to keep Canadians safe. That has always been our goal, to look ahead, to plan ahead and to put in place whatever was needed so that we could deliver for Canadians. We did not want to let them down, and we wanted to be smart and prudent and forward thinking and that is exactly what we have done. How we were able to do that was by the sweat and the dedication and the commitment of so many Canadians who were working. I want to thank them together with all Canadians across this country that helped keep safe, whether that was in health care or in grocery stores making sure we had the food, but it was a fantastic effort. I am very proud of the Canadians in this country who worked so hard to get us to the place that we are in today.
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Mr. Majid Jowhari
  • May/19/22 8:03:01 p.m.
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Madam Chair, could the minister explain or comment on the multipronged approach that we have taken on making sure that we have not only secured vaccines internationally, but also build domestic capacity and investments in research and development?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:03:25 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we are making significant investments. We believe that domestic production is important. We want to have vaccines produced here, which is why agreements like the memorandum of understanding with Moderna is very important. We are going to continue to invest in domestic supply and production. I am very pleased that we are able to do that, and we will support these companies locally.
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Mr. Majid Jowhari
  • May/19/22 8:03:53 p.m.
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Madam Chair, could the minister comment on the ongoing investment and our plan going forward with the vaccine, the supplies and therapeutics that we are procuring to ensure that Canadians continue to be protected?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:04:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we do have sufficient contracts to ensure moving forward we have a supply of vaccines and those contracts also provide provisions so that, as new formulas arise, we get access to those formulas. In addition to this, as I mentioned earlier, 1.7 million doses for the therapeutics, which is extremely important. Shipments of more than 30,000 Paxlovid treatments have come in, and we expect many more in order to ensure that Canadians have access to that important treatment.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley (Edmonton West, CPC)
  • May/19/22 8:05:03 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the expected life cycle cost to purchase, operate and maintain the F-35 aircraft, assuming a 30-year life span?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi (Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Lib.)
  • May/19/22 8:05:15 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am really pleased that my hon. colleague is asking this question because we have implemented a competitive procurement process with respect to the fighter jets. We are going to get the best deal for Canadians.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:05:29 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the expected purchase cost?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:05:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I have said, we are going to get the best price for this plane because of the competitive process, and we are in negotiation now.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:05:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, Canadians deserve better than that. This is a multi-billion dollar project. What will the purchase cost be?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:05:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the amount that was set aside was $19 billion, but as I have said, this is in the negotiation stage. Those details, of course, cannot be revealed.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:05:59 p.m.
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Madam Chair, does the minister not know, or will she not share? She has stated previously that transparency is a major issue for the government.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:06:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, if we were to share, in the midst of a negotiation, what the purchase price was, that would not be in the best interests of Canadians.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:06:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the specific version or block of the F-35s Canada will be receiving?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:06:23 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, these are in negotiation. Now, they are talking about the details. They are ironing out those details. We look forward to an agreement being reached by the end of this year.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:06:34 p.m.
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Madam Chair, this is an important question. The exact type or block is not a negotiation issue, it is what is available. What will be the block or type of F-35 Canada will be procuring?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:06:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, as I have said, this is in the midst of extensive negotiations. Those details are being negotiated right now.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:06:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, what is the expected delivery date if the contract is signed this year?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:07:02 p.m.
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Madam Chair, the expected date is 2025 for the first delivery.
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Mr. Kelly McCauley
  • May/19/22 8:07:08 p.m.
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Madam Chair, sources in the U.S. tell us that we are so late in procuring the F-35 that it will not be available until 2030. Is this correct?
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