Evidence of meeting #13 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was technology.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
Thank you, Mr. Buric.
Now we'll go to Mr. Green for one question.
4:55 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
In the spirit of giving, I'm going to give my time over to Mr. McCauley. Put that in the record books.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
We have socialized time here.
To any of the witnesses, we've seen the issue with Nuctech and this part of the Canadian industry around scanners. Are there other examples you could perhaps share with us where we have a state-sponsored industry, unfairly subsidized, horning in on Canadian industry, besides the scanner ones that we've been talking about?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Magnet Forensics, and Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Council of Canadian Innovators
I'll go quickly.
You might also want to take a look at Russian technologies. It's a little less clear in the cybersecurity space, the lines between the public and private sector in that country, but there's definite risk. We're seeing some of our allies starting to analyze and create risk matrices for where they will allow Russian-made technologies into their cybersecurity supply chains.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
Thank you very much.
Mr. MacKinnon, I may not have been clear. If you have one question.... I'm not seeing him.
Mr. Drouin, do you want to ask a question in Mr. MacKinnon's stead?
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
I put in a one-question rule and all of a sudden you guys are being so efficient. I'm finding that just tremendous. I'll have to do that more often.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
I'll jump back to my question for the Canadian council of innovation. My question revolves around the U.S. example they portrayed.
Mr. Desai, I think you were talking about that and all the different programs that are involved in the U.S. Do you know if that represents a similar market share for those smaller SMEs that get to participate in those potential procurements? Is it similar to Canada or is there a very big difference?
4:55 p.m.
Vice-President, Corporate Affairs, Magnet Forensics, and Senior Fellow, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Council of Canadian Innovators
I would say those are just a small sampling of the programs. I will say, however, that the non-tariff considerations that favour American SMEs are prevalent in the core of their procurement, besides those economic development programs that use procurement. This is core to their procurement system. We see it in everyday procurements: Please list your U.S. board of directors, and please list how many U.S. veterans you employ. Points are awarded for those types of things.
Eyes wide open, this is happening in other places and these are places that have the same trade agreements that we're party to.
4:55 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
This is something we had actually looked at. With women entrepreneurship and the link to government procurement, the U.S. have used some of those examples and set-asides.
Thank you very much.
4:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
Thank you, Mr. Drouin.
I'd like to thank all the witnesses for their presentations and for answering questions. It's greatly appreciated.
Committee members, we will be moving in camera. We will suspend the meeting, after which the technical staff will end this meeting in Zoom. You will have to go out and then come back in. Information with the password and the link was sent to you by the clerk.
Again, thank you very much, witnesses.
[Proceedings continue in camera]