Government Operations Committee on June 9th, 2026

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Andy Straisfeld]

Thank you, James. I appreciate it.

Very simply put, when you talk about SMEs.... James and I are old friends, and we actually worked together during COVID to supply PPE. My company was a company of four or five people and James's was a much larger SME. When you're talking about SMEs, there are going to be different levels of SMEs. You're going to have the basic SMEs, the intermediate SMEs and the senior SMEs, before they become large.

I think an open-mindedness in terms of what's good for the goose not necessarily being good for the gander.... I hate using clichés, but this is something important, Madam Rochefort.

The second one comes back to this idea of timed-out money. You have to dole it out in the sense that we need stuff, so yes, you're on the list, high up, but then, are you innovative?

In my case, I came into this industry because I was making drones and munitions. I came into the food industry because the military had a contract for MREs and 95% of it was U.S.-based. I didn't like that. I rushed to go out there and create a relationship of Canadian food suppliers so the next MRE kit was going to be 95% to 99% Canadian. I'm very proud to say that I've done that. There are a lot of people who have that innovation skill who are SMEs and might need the help at your level at that office to put people together.

One of the big criticisms I had with ISED a long time ago was that if you lose a competition, you lose, but you shouldn't lose. You should say, “You didn't make it, but we'll mention you. You can then go on to some sort of portal somewhere and put your stuff out there. If somebody thinks that your technology is good, they can work with you, and you can come back to us as a joint thing.”

SMEs, I think, require a little love. They require a bit more understanding, because a small enterprise with four or five people might not have all their financials and might not have all their stuff, but they can pull the trick and do the job, as I did.

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Well said. Thank you for that.

Yes, Mr. Yurichuk.

[James Yurichuk]

These are few things I'd love to see: Canadian-made priority, speed to contract, predictability of project pipeline, transparency on the timeline, ability to partner early in projects and innovate with Canada, and having Canada pick strategic Canadian partners from SMEs.

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

Thank you.

In your other comment, you talked a bit about your company and the opportunities internationally. You do see the Buy Canadian policy as a means to grow internationally.

Would that be correct?

[James Yurichuk]

That's correct.

We're a classic company that's exporting far more than what we sell in Canada. I can only envision now with this defence ramp-up, if we're to be supported domestically, what kinds of capabilities we could bring to Canada but also export.

We started as a $5,000 investment in the Kickstarter. We've been able to export hundreds of thousands of goods to Europe. I can only imagine—if Canada made us a meaningful partner—the things that we could do, not only here in Canada but also to bring jobs and to export and deliver Canadian-made goods elsewhere.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Madame Gaudreau.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Mr. Straisfeld and Mr. Yurichuk, I have two and a half minutes. I'll ask both of you.

Since the beginning of the study, I sometimes feel as though we talk about buying Canadian, but a little less about making, owning and innovating Canadian. It's just buying Canadian. I would like to know if, in your opinion, we have a real industrial strategy in Quebec and Canada or if we are still in procurement mode.

I'll start with you, Mr. Straisfeld.

[Andy Straisfeld]

I completely agree that, as Canadians, Quebeckers, Ontarians or citizens of any other province, we have the intelligence and spirit of innovation to do whatever we want.

As I said before, I had a 60-day contract to make meals. I'm working with companies in Quebec and Ontario to expedite the replacement of food from American companies. We don't have the technology to do it ourselves, but that's the mission I have now. I would like to work with people in Quebec to buy machines, create technology, conduct studies, do research, be a world leader in five years and no longer need to buy from the United States.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I'm an entrepreneur myself. Making bold moves is risky. Of course, buying Canadian is attractive for growing your business, but you also have to feel supported. We need to avoid the culture of market self-regulation.

Again, does buying Canadian lack teeth without manufacturing, innovation and support? What do you think?

[James Yurichuk]

We have broadly identified some of the capabilities that we want to bring into the defence industrial strategy, but what will really show it to me is when we start seeing more Canadian companies that are truly the primes within Canada.

The signals that I've been hearing, when going to the different talks, are that we're only trying to go halfway. We're only trying to get to 50% of bringing in this Canadian domestic capability. There's still a lot of attention going towards foreign-owned primes.

When it becomes a true defence industrial strategy is when we make the Canadians the primes. When we bring the Canadian companies underneath the tent, we help grow those companies, and we do those strategic partnerships.

[Marie-Hélène Gaudreau, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

I'll go back to you, Mrs. Block.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

That's why I chose the word “hopeful”, and I didn't choose “confident”.

I want to circle back to what you've been saying and ask whether, in fact, you have been engaged in, or are aware of, any consultations that have taken place across the country in regard to this small and medium-sized business strategy for the buy Canadian policy or in regard to the creation of an office. Have you been engaged in any consultations, or are you aware of any?

[James Yurichuk]

I've heard it talked about in various panels and events such as that, but spoken to in an official capacity there's been not much further than this conversation today.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

To our other witness, have you participated in any consultations in regard to the creation of an office for buy Canadian SMEs?

[Andy Straisfeld]

No, I have not, but I would love to.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

Let's hope that happens before the office is actually created.

Chair, I want to use the rest of my time to move a motion that I put on notice last Friday, if I could.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Go ahead.

[Kelly Block, Conservative, Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK]

I think everybody got a copy of this motion. It's a short motion. I will read it into the record because there is one correction I need to make at the end of it.

That, given Canada Health Infoway spent $300 million on PrescribeIT, which failed to meet its targets and was subsequently shut down, with no way to recoup the costs of the program, the committee invite the current CEO of Canada Health Infoway to testify on the work of Canada Health Infoway and PrescribeIT, and the committee summon Michael Green, former CEO of Canada Health Infoway to testify for two hours, no later than June 16, 2026.

That's the correction that I would make. I note there was a typo there. I've attached the date of June 16, so that's why I'm taking up time to do it today in this committee meeting.

I will simply say this. We know that Health Canada gave $300 million to Canada Health Infoway to develop and implement PrescribeIT, that they had every intention of replacing the fax prescribing system and that, at its height, it processed less than 5% of prescriptions. I would hope, then, that members at this committee would see the value in hearing from Mr. Green and doing a two-hour meeting to dig into this contract, which resulted in very little value for the money.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Ms. Rochefort, go ahead.

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

I'm not sure on procedure here, Mr. Chair, but we still haven't concluded our rounds with the witnesses. Is Madam Block just tabling this motion at this point, and then—

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

No. She's introduced it.

[Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming, ON]

She's introduced it. Are we going to finish, then, or...?

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

It depends on how long it takes to settle the motion. If it's within a moment, we'll continue with Mr. Gasparro, who has the last round. If it's going to be longer, we will dismiss the witnesses when we reach that time.