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House Hansard - 318

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 27, 2024 11:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 318 - May/28/24
Ms. Lisa Hepfner (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Lib.)
  • May/28/24 12:13:11 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, taxpayer money needs to be treated with the utmost respect. Departments and agencies must follow contracting rules and handle all procurement processes in a fair, open and transparent manner, in accordance with all policies, guidelines, regulations and trade agreements. The gaps in management processes, roles and controls that the Auditor General of Canada and the procurement ombud have identified in their reports are unacceptable. We welcome the recommendations made in the reports. The CBSA has already taken steps to strengthen its procurement activities and ensure proper oversight of them. The agency has established an executive procurement review committee tasked with approving contracts and task authorizations. This is already providing additional oversight on all contracting activities, with a focus on delivering value for money. Employees will be required to disclose interaction with potential vendors. Furthermore, Public Services and Procurement Canada will continue to strengthen all aspects of the federal procurement system; it will use findings from the Auditor General's report to improve the way the Government of Canada does business with its suppliers. The hon. member will certainly remember the unprecedented context in which the ArriveCAN application was created. After the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the app was developed and launched as quickly as possible by Canada Border Services Agency, at the request of the Public Health Agency of Canada. The data provided by ArriveCAN was essential for the government to monitor, detect and identify new COVID-19 variants of concern and to respond as these variants evolved. The CBSA was working as quickly as possible to replace a paper process that was not meeting public health needs. At the time, there were significant wait times at the border, which disrupted the essential flow of people and goods. I wish to point this out to the hon. member: In her report, the Auditor General recognized that the government improved the speed and quality of information collected at the border by using the ArriveCAN app rather than the paper form. We should not forget that this app helped ensure the continued flow of essential goods, including food and medical supplies, for all Canadians. The CBSA played a key role in facilitating the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in this country. The public health measures that were taken have supported Canadian businesses that depend on secure and timely cross-border shipments. They kept food and goods on store shelves and ensured our frontline workers were equipped with essential supplies such as personal protective equipment. I would like to emphasize the efforts of frontline border officers and all CBSA personnel, who diligently served and protected Canadian citizens during the pandemic. They continue to do so every single day in Canada and around the world.
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Context: House Hansard - 318 - May/28/24
Ms. Lisa Hepfner
  • May/28/24 12:17:23 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, despite the hyperbole and fake outrage, I will reiterate that transparency and accountability are priorities for the government. We expect that procurement processes will be properly followed and that anyone accused of wrongdoing will face the appropriate consequences. This has been and always will be the case. The gaps found by the Auditor General of Canada and the procurement ombud in their reports are unacceptable, and we welcome the recommendations. The government is taking steps to ensure that all departments are better positioned to undertake projects of this nature in the future. Some of the recommendations outlined in the report have already been addressed. The president of the CBSA has implemented measures to strengthen and improve procurement processes and internal controls, and the government has full confidence that any investigation into wrongdoing allegations will be pursued with integrity and efficiency. Mr. Speaker, I can assure you, the hon. member and all Canadians that the government remains unwavering in its commitment to prioritizing efficiency, accountability and transparency in the stewardship of public resources.
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