Thank you, Madam Chair, I appreciate it.
Good day to you Mr. Minister and to your key staff members, and welcome. I am pleased that you spoke about SMEs, as that will save me at least a minute and a half, since I won’t need to introduce the subject.
Mr. Minister, in the documentation you provided it says that SMEs are important to your department. Yet, suppliers tell us that almost all the Public Works and Government Services Canada bidding processes involve so much red tape that it is very difficult for them to consider doing business with the Government of Canada.
I presume that your reforms will take into consideration the enormous burden that all this red tape represents, because not only does it mean considerable costs for SMEs, it also costs a lot for your department to prepare all this paperwork and then analyze it.
Unfortunately, the Government of Canada has the bad habit of only considering businesses of a certain size or with certain total sales, arguing that, if by mischance, the business could not meet its commitments, the Government of Canada would be the loser. Your department is in the best position to put an end to this bad habit. Furthermore, smaller businesses are not being given the opportunity to build on or improve their expertise, or to win big enough contracts to be able to hire additional personnel.
We’re shooting ourselves in the foot, because if we don’t give SMEs a chance, they will never become big enough to do business internationally and to create a large number of jobs. We will have to do business with international or foreign companies.
The winter 2006 issue of that fine publication Doing Business with PWGSC refers to a well-protected piece of Canadian heritage, the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.
The Government of Canada refused to let the repair or renovation work on our monument in Vimy be done by Canadian contractors. It insisted that European contractors be put in charge of the work. If my memory serves, the contract was awarded to a Belgian contractor, even though Canadian contractors said they had the necessary expertise and as much access to the materials needed as any other contractor in Europe, as the materials were European. That was an opportunity for your department to help Canadian contractors be better considered by the Government of Canada.
I am listening very closely, because we do not often have the opportunity to hear you in the House of Commons. We do not ask questions about the Department of Public Works and Government Services because, even though your Parliamentary Secretary does the best he can, he does not have all the information. That’s why we seize the opportunity when you are before us.