Thank you, Madam Chair.
In cases where recourse to the national security exception is sought, Public Services and Procurement Canada states that: it is the responsibility of the director general of procurement, in collaboration with the client, to prepare a letter to the assistant deputy minister of procurement, Public Services and Procurement Canada, for approval of the use of the exception. The letter must be signed by the deputy commissioner in charge and must specify the nature of the acquisition and the reasons for the request.
It seems to me that a first step would be to allow a group or committee of parliamentarians to have access to the letter to determine whether the exception actually makes sense in major cases such as biological warfare, terrorist acts, industrial espionage crimes, and so on.
Politically, we should also ensure that some of the reasons given by a government for making an acquisition without a call for tenders are actually legitimate.
Don’t you think it would be appropriate for this committee to have access to the letter signed by the assistant deputy minister?