Evidence of meeting #16 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was system.
A video is available from Parliament.
NDP
Pat Martin NDP Winnipeg Centre, MB
Thank you.
I did have a question about surplus lands and the Canada Lands Company. Can you shed any light? One of the things our analysts pointed out in their research was that the Old Port of Montréal Corporation was cut by $24.5 million in the main estimates, and it was amalgamated with Canada Lands Company, but where did the money go?
Is it a sale of the property? When something goes to Canada Lands Company, it's because it's surplus and it's meant to be sold off. Is that correct?
Deputy Minister, Deputy Receiver General for Canada, Department of Public Works and Government Services
In this particular instance, Mr. Chair, the Old Port of Montréal and Downsview Park were both amalgamated, not sold but amalgamated. They were integrated with the Canada Lands Company. One of the commitments made with this amalgamation was to achieve a certain degree of efficiency in terms of the appropriations that were required to support those organizations. Canada Lands is continuing to support the operations of the Old Port of Montréal but through its own holdings, through the holding company, so that the appropriations are no longer required to support the activities of the Old Port of Montréal.
The infrastructure, the services, and the activities of the Old Port of Montréal continue under the holding company, Canada Lands Company, and the activities are funded by Canada Lands.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pierre-Luc Dusseault
To wrap up, I will give the floor to Mr. Trottier. You have five minutes.
Conservative
Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
I want to follow up on my colleague's questions around small and medium-sized businesses and their ability to conduct business with the Government of Canada.
Obviously, the government is a major purchaser of goods and services. I'm looking at the report on plans and priorities which states that the government remains committed to giving small and medium-sized enterprises access to compete for government business.
You have a quantitative performance objective, which is good. That's one of the things I like about the report on plans and priorities. It's not just the cost but also the performance that goes along with the cost. There is an expected result in the RPP that says that the percentage of volume of non-military procurement contracts awarded to SMEs is targeted to be 70% by the end of March 2015. Can you share whether Public Works and Government Services Canada is on track to achieve that target of 70%? Is that 70% the number of contracts or is that a dollar volume?
Deputy Minister, Deputy Receiver General for Canada, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Mr. Chair, I will ask Mr. Sobrino to respond to the question.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Acquisitions Branch, Department of Public Works and Government Services
We are on track to meet that requirement. Through our office of small and medium enterprises we do a lot of outreach work to small and medium-sized enterprises so that they understand how to do business with the Government of Canada.
The volume is on the value. The 70% is the value of non-military procurement.
A lot of small and medium-sized enterprises actually service all of our departments through their own ability to purchase, and we set up what we can in terms of instruments, contract frameworks, standing offers, or supply arrangements in which essentially we pre-negotiate rates with different organizations and then our client departments are able to access those at those rates. It tends to be, in large measure, small and medium-sized enterprises that benefit from that.
Conservative
Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON
You mentioned that one of the measures is the new procurement platform called Buyandsell.gc.ca. I know there are other things like the use of fairness monitors and the procurement ombudsman. Can you talk about the collective set of initiatives the government has in place to help achieve that target?
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Acquisitions Branch, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Thank you for that question, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I'll speak to Buyandsell.gc.ca. That has become the Government of Canada site for all small and medium-sized businesses, and actually all businesses, to see how to do procurement with the Government of Canada.
We have a lot of information on there to guide anyone through the system so they understand what we're buying and what kind of business is already being done with the Government of Canada. That then allows small and medium-sized enterprises to actually build partnerships with others that already have business with us. We have a lot of contract information on there that people can explore to identify the kind of business we do. Business intelligence is what we're providing: the guidance to work with the department. The procurement ombudsman is there to resolve disputes that small and medium-sized enterprises may have with us and to help adjudicate or manage those things.
The office of small and medium enterprises of course manages the Buyandsell website and does all this outreach. Again, we have five regional offices and one here in the national capital area that are constantly working with small and medium-sized enterprises. In fact, whenever someone approaches me or approaches our minister's office with a concern around being able to do business with us, the office of small and medium enterprises actually reaches out to them and helps them identify that.
For instance, one of the very heightened levels of interest right now is with the defence procurement strategy. There are many small businesses that see opportunities in that space, so we have been across the country with a targeted effort to speak to communities, and in small communities, not just the main centres. We've been in Sudbury. We've been down east in a number of communities in the Maritimes. It is that kind of outreach we do to give that benefit.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pierre-Luc Dusseault
Thank you. That is all the time we have for today.
Let me thank our witnesses for joining us today and for their informed answers.
We are going to suspend the meeting for a few minutes so that the members of the committee can discuss future business in camera.
My thanks once again to our witnesses for being here and for their time.
[Proceedings continue in camera]