Senator Miville-Dechêne: You have not been the procurement minister for very long. Based on what you have seen, are our supply chains contaminated? Are you aware of any products made by forced child labour that Canada has procured around the world?

What I know right now is that we have not received — or at least I have not received — useful or clear information on the fact that some of our procurement processes have led to or supported child labour or labour done in unacceptable conditions here at home or elsewhere in the world.

[English]

Senator Loffreda: Thank you for the answer.

Last week, public servants from your department appeared before our committee, and we discussed the real estate portfolio. We learned that you want to accelerate your plan so that it’s carried out over 10 years rather than 25. They explained that there are many issues to consider. It’s not as easy or as cheap as people think to convert office space.

Once the government’s real property needs have been carefully assessed, do you think we’ll be able to sell some buildings and convert others into affordable housing?

Second, if we want to make this land and these buildings available more quickly than municipal bylaws or tools allow, as is the case here in Ottawa, then we need to work closely with the municipalities.

Senator Plett: Again, eight years of Justin Trudeau — just not worth the cost.

Canadians are having trouble paying their mortgage and keeping a roof over their heads. Yet, your government has taken all the time and money in the world to make a decision on 24 Sussex Drive, and still hasn’t done so. It’s easy to do when you have unlimited taxpayers’ dollars at your disposal — isn’t it, minister?

What is the current total amount that you’ve spent to come up with a plan? I would suspect it’s more than $800,000 by now, minister. What is it? How much?

May I also briefly speak to the National Housing Strategy which is, perhaps, more relevant to the majority of Canadians. This is a strategy that has helped over 2 million Canadians since it was put into place in 2017. It is the first-ever national housing strategy — one for which Canadians have been waiting a long time.

Almost 120,000 new units have been built, and more than that amount have been renovated to help support community housing tenants — in the order of tens of thousands of people — who otherwise would not, in 2023, be able to receive support from the federal government.

(Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, to receive a Minister of the Crown, the Honourable Jean‑Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Services and Procurement, appeared before honourable senators during Question Period.)

Senator Plett: Eight years of Justin Trudeau — not worth the cost. “How much?” was my question, minister. Last week, just as the Auditor General was beginning her testimony before a House of Commons committee regarding ArriveCAN, Liberal and NDP coalition MPs voted to shut it down. Minister, who gave the order to shut down the meeting? Was it you? Were you or your office involved in this direction? What is your government so desperate to hide, minister? What are you hiding?

The economic cost would have been billions of dollars, with hundreds of thousands of additional jobs lost because of inaction. It’s true — as you’re suggesting — that, had we been governed at that time by a Conservative government, things would have been very different. Hundreds of thousands more people would have died, as I just said, with billions more in economic costs, but that was not the situation. We invested in Canadians, supported them and had full confidence in their ability to be vaccinated and follow public health advice.

Hon. Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu: Honourable senators, almost a decade ago, a security company invited me to participate in a consultation on the creation of an organization aimed at protecting the public from dangerous criminals. The Bolo Program was subsequently created in 2018.

The Bolo Program is an unprecedented initiative that encourages citizens to be on the lookout for Canada’s most wanted. In fact, that is what Bolo stands for: “Be On The Lookout.”

Created in 2018, Bolo amplifies priority wanted notices from police services across the country. We are talking about individuals wanted for the most serious crimes like murder, attempted murder and procuring. Even after the courts issue Canada-wide arrest warrants, these suspects try to elude the authorities in order to escape from our justice system and, as is all too often the case, to make additional victims.

In collaboration with police services and Crime Stoppers, Bolo launches amplification campaigns for priority wanted notices. By any means necessary, Bolo strives to make sure that as many citizens as possible are on the lookout for these fugitives and can report them to the authorities. Bolo never interferes with police investigations.

Bolo also offers significant rewards of up to $250,000 to encourage citizens to be especially vigilant and submit tips to the authorities. Bolo campaigns don’t cost Canadian taxpayers a dime. The program is the main activity of the private foundation of Stéphan Crétier and his wife. Mr. Crétier is the founding president of well-known international security firm Garda. He is passionate about security and wanted to give back to communities by making them safer.

Since 2018, Bolo campaigns have put the faces of 57 dangerous fugitives in the spotlight, racking up close to 350 million impressions among Canadians across the country. The program’s amplification campaigns have generated almost 1,000 tips to police services, enabling them to advance their investigations and, most importantly, apprehend 19 of these dangerous fugitives.

Recently, the Bolo program was awarded the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police’s 2023 Policing Partnership Award.

Maxime Langlois has been in charge of the Bolo program since its inception. Maxime has a background working for organizations such as the United Nations and INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, and has built partnerships with the largest police services and Crime Stoppers programs in the country to make our communities safer.

Honourable senators, please join me in congratulating the Stéphan Crétier Foundation for its strong sense of social engagement and for this well-deserved recognition of the Bolo program’s undeniable success.

Senator Boisvenu: What is the budget for purchasing this polar icebreaker?

[English]

On the Order:

Resuming debate on the motion of the Honourable Senator Gerba, seconded by the Honourable Senator Klyne, for the second reading of Bill C-282, An Act to amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act (supply management).

Senator Omidvar: Thank you, minister. Am I hearing you say that you are actively considering community benefits in the awarding of government procurement programs?

[Translation]

Senator Gerba: No.

(On motion of Senator Housakos, debate adjourned.)

[English]

The Senate proceeded to consideration of the twelfth report (interim) of the Standing Senate Committee on Indigenous Peoples, entitled On the Outside Looking In: The Implementation of the Cannabis Act and its effects on Indigenous Peoples, tabled in the Senate on June 14, 2023.

Senator Forest: Thank you for the question.

I am very honoured to get a question from the sponsor of the bill. It is true that we have seen many countries do the same thing the United States is doing with sugar, for example. It has a supply management policy. It even implemented a subsidy for turning surplus stock into ethanol. Every country has the right to protect certain tariff lines, and many countries use that practice.

Senator Miville-Dechêne: I understand what you’re saying, but there is a policy. A future government could repeal or modify that environmental policy.

My question is, do you think these criteria on the environment and the circular economy should be enshrined in the Financial Administration Act to make them a priority — a real priority — and a requirement in government procurement?

As you pointed out, this way of dealing with procurement processes is based on regulations or policies. In both cases, it’s easy to make changes. It is easy for future governments to change policies. If we want to ensure that the way we’re currently addressing Canadians’ environmental concerns will continue in the future, it might be worth considering other ways of doing things.

Senator Plett: Let me just ask this, minister: Will you commit to getting the answer from the CBSA for us? It is easier for you to get than for me to get. If you can get us that answer in writing, I will accept that.

With you and your government constantly telling us how transparent you are, I would appreciate you to be transparent with us now and give us the answer to the question I asked you.

Senator Dagenais: Delays and bureaucracy are two factors that sometimes slow down the procurement of equipment for our Armed Forces. Those delays have cost Canadian taxpayers a fortune since this government came to power. Why doesn’t Canada have a procurement department exclusively for Department of Defence requirements, like Britain does, with experts who know what they’re doing, instead of sometimes granting contracts to consultants?

Senator Cardozo: I still have 45 seconds. I want to suggest a few other ideas to liven up the National Capital Region: create a state-of-the-art science and tech museum downtown; put a portrait gallery in a decommissioned office building; build an arts district and an art studio in the ByWard Market, centred around the National Gallery; and a new graffiti museum.

On 24 Sussex, can you just take that and throw it in with the renovation of Parliament Hill and have the joint all-party committee take care of that, take the politics out of it and make that all happen? Your comments, please.

I am looking forward to hearing more from you on that short list of things we can do with our social, physical and historical environment in which we have the fortune of working in almost every day.

(Pursuant to the order adopted by the Senate on December 7, 2021, to receive a Minister of the Crown, the Honourable Jean‑Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Public Services and Procurement, appeared before honourable senators during Question Period.)

Senator Forest: Thank you.

All things considered, it’s hard to argue that there’s a level playing field for Davie workers, given that Davie itself is paying for its modernization with no help from Ottawa and that a lot of money went to Irving Shipbuilding.

Senator Poirier: Could you also then inquire as to whether there are other contracts like this waiting to be discovered? You can provide assurance to Canadian taxpayers that there are no other contracts also being withheld by your government?

Senator Housakos: Based on the polling of Canadians, they seem to think that your government has been a monumental failure.

Minister Duclos, as my colleague Senator Plett mentioned, there is now an RCMP investigation into “ArriveScam” involving very serious allegations of forgery of documents, such as CVs and invoices. Minister, at a time when we’ve seen an unprecedented increase of more than 30% in government outsourcing of contracts, what assurances do Canadians have that the minimum due diligence is being exercised? Who is responsible for something as simple as verifying CVs and conducting proper reference checks? If we can’t have confidence that’s being done, minister, how can we have confidence that contracts are being awarded properly?

[Translation]