Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for the question. I come from a rural area as he does and share some of his concerns on this issue. I will reiterate the answer that the minister gave in the House to the question. He said:
I would like to take advantage of this opportunity to say the government has no plans to privatize services.
Governments in Canada and around the world have longstanding experience in working collaboratively with the private sector to deliver important services. In fact, in this country, dating back to the 1840s, pre-Confederation Canada partnered with the private sector to build railroads and, some would argue, build a country.
More recently, the Government of Canada has used public private partnerships, or P3s as they have come to be known, to address water and infrastructure needs on first nations reserves, to develop air force flying and combat support training, and to build the Canadian embassy in Berlin.
These partnerships fulfill national objectives when the private sector shares responsibilities, costs, risks and benefits with the government. However, we in government are still accountable for managing the contract for best results.
Public private partnerships are just one option for delivering public services. Government takes a case-by-case approach to determine which way is most appropriate to meet the needs of Canadians. Our approach is purposefully moderate and incremental, and based on sound reasoning and due diligence.
Public private partnerships work to the mutual advantage of the partners by satisfying public needs, by increasing the capacity of government to deliver programs and services, and by generating employment and economic development opportunities. P3s work best when they are based on mutual trust, reciprocal benefits and enforceable consequences.
The government does not take a final decision on any specific cases without prior consultation with employees and their unions.
Recent transition decisions by the Prime Minister have raised the profile of P3 as an important procurement option. For example, the newly created expenditure review committee assesses all program spending proposals against the criteria that include partnership, value for money, and efficiency. This makes P3s one of the options under consideration.
The position of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, with special emphasis on public private partnerships, is a newly created position to champion P3 opportunities where they make sense.
Canada's use of P3s is primarily among sub-national governments, where it is being considered for many sectors, from municipal recreation centres to hospital buildings. Five provinces have officially embraced P3 as a procurement alternative. The other provinces, the territories, and several municipalities, are poised to adopt the method.
Most P3 experience has been gained through infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, airports, water, power, et cetera. Several Canadian firms have successfully used the experience to win P3 project contracts overseas. Good examples of that would be the Cross Israel highway, and the Santiago and Budapest airports.
By contrast to a rich P3 experience, the Government of Canada has not done a fully-fledged privatization since 1996, when the Canada Communications Group was sold. Some construe shared governance corporations, like NavCan, as divestitures. However, these are examples of creating non-profit organizations with minority federal representation on the board to serve public interests more effectively.
Meanwhile, many departments and agencies continue to explore and promote P3s through their programs and initiatives. Our partners' time, expertise and funding add value to the quality of life we enjoy in this country.