Debates of May 19th, 2022

Public Works and Government Services—Main Estimates, 2022-23

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, what I would say about this is that it is a top priority. We have been working on this from the very beginning of inheriting this problem. We are going to continue to work to put supports in place to reduce the backlog and to provide satisfaction to public servants, but we believe that every public servant should be paid accurately and should be paid on time.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, the government is increasing spending on expensive consultants to fix the problems of expensive consultants, while public servants are being offered wage increases that do not even keep up with inflation.

Does the minister believe hard-working public servants who have delivered for Canadians throughout the pandemic deserve wage increases that account for the rising cost of living?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I believe every worker in this country should be paid a fair wage. Workers are working hard across the country. Of course, we want them to be paid fairly for the work that they are doing. There are different systems in place in terms of how payment is made, but I absolutely appreciate the work of public servants and think they should be paid fairly.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, does she believe they should be able to be paid and given wage increases to meet inflation and the new cost of living?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I am a big believer in negotiations and I think that any disputes with respect to that should be settled at the bargaining table. It is the best solution.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, is the minister committed to reigning in outsourcing to ensure Canadians are getting value for services and that we maintain institutional knowledge, skills and expertise in the public service?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, whenever we can use in-service, we do. We cannot say we want Phoenix fixed tomorrow even though we do not have the skills and the expertise inside to fix it, and then say that we cannot go out. We go out when we need to go out, because we need the expertise.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, the announcement of a strategic review of the public service and potential cuts of up to $6 billion has prompted concern from hard-working public servants and Canadians who rely on public services. The last time a strategic review happened, the Harper government cut service delivery for veterans, people on EI and many others, while going after 19,000 public service jobs. The lack of details about this review is concerning.

Can the minister reassure Canadians that this review will not impact service levels, and that the federal public service unions will be consulted throughout the process?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, the treasury board president is leading this process, and I believe the determination has not been made yet.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, I would like to ask the minister whether the federal contractors program requires organizations bidding on federal contracts to enter into an agreement to implement employment equity? Is this policy being followed?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I am really happy about the measures that we have undertaken as a government in terms of establishing employment equity. There is a task force that is looking at this—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, is disaggregated data being collected, and have contracts been awarded to organizations that fail to meet their obligations on employment equity?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I think that question is more appropriate for the Minister of Labour, but what I will say is that we are taking measures in order to ensure that there is equity in work and that pay is—

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

The hon. member for Courtenay—Alberni.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, as part of the strategic policy review, will her department be looking at the feasibility of permanently converting unneeded office space into affordable housing?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, with respect to office space, we are absolutely reviewing the space that we need, and we look forward to moving forward with ideas for that space.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, what is the timeline for the completion of the accessible government built environment initiative?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I do not have that answer off the top of my head, but I am happy to have my team get that information for the member.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, how much funding has she dedicated to this project?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, it is the same response.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, it was recently reported that the Royal Canadian Air Force is relocating two aircraft from Winnipeg to Vancouver Island to address a gap in search and rescue coverage created by procurement delays. The three-year delay in this case will put a strain on other air force operations.

Does the minister believe that defence procurement should be moved to a single minister to increase accountability when things like this are happening?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas, ON]

Madam Chair, I have answered this question previously. I think that defence procurement has a strong record. We are going to continue to procure as best we possibly can, recognizing what is required, and I think our defence procurement is strong.

[Majid Jowhari, Liberal, Richmond Hill, ON]

Madam Chair, I am thankful for the opportunity to address the committee on a topic we know all too well.

More than two years ago, our lives were forever changed by the emergence of COVID-19. Since that time, all Canadians have experienced immense sacrifices and loss in one form or another. Kids missed birthday parties and graduation; seniors were isolated from their families and friends; our health care and other essential workers on the front line put themselves at great risk, working long hours so that we could get the services and the care we needed, and we cannot commend them enough.

At its worst, the virus claimed the lives of so many loved ones in this country and around the world. During this crisis, Canadians remained resilient. They stepped up by following public health guidelines and getting their vaccine shot when it was their turn.

Life is getting back to a new normal, but make no mistake, our government's top priority remains protecting the health and safety of all Canadians. Since the beginning, we have worked hard to do just that. Securing life-saving personal protective equipment and ensuring that everyone could get vaccinated were top priorities, and Public Services and Procurement Canada has been vital in those efforts. I can tell members that the department's aggressive procurement approach over more than two years has ensured that Canada has a secure supply of personal protective equipment and vaccine.

When COVID-19 reached our shores, we acted promptly to get our health care professionals the supplies they required, working around the clock to procure critical personal protective equipment and other medical equipment. The entire world was scrambling to get the same material from a finite number of suppliers, making it a highly complex and competitive global environment. Procurement experts worked day and night, aggressively buying from all available suppliers and distributors at home and abroad. Lives were on the line, and every effort had to be made. Thanks to those efforts during the most crucial months, our government acquired billions of units of masks, N95 respirators, face shields, hand sanitizer, protective gowns, gloves and a lot more.

The urgent global demand meant that early supplies largely came from overseas. However, as part of the pandemic response, we also invested in Canadian companies to make the needed supplies here in Canada. Companies from across Canada did their part as well, and some even completely shifted their production lines to meet the urgent need. We should all be proud that Canadian industry stepped up in such a big way.

Medicom out of Montreal and 3M in Brockville are prime examples. Our government has a 10-year contract with Medicom to supply N95 and surgical masks, and we have a contract with 3M for 25 million N95s annually through 2026. Our investment with these companies has helped secure a domestic supply for the production of personal and protective equipment now and well into the future.

These are only two examples, but there are many more across this country. This has truly been a team Canada effort. Canadian companies that stepped up to join the fight have been and will continue to be key to our success.

When it comes to vaccine, our work has been just as effective. Our approach on this front was deliberate, strategic and comprehensive. At the onset of the pandemic, when pharmaceutical companies took on the challenge to develop a viable vaccine, we simply had no idea if it was even possible. Scientists, regulators and manufacturers from many nations worked under intense pressure to produce safe and effective vaccines and somehow make them available around the world.

Once vaccine candidates began to show promise, we knew that once again we would be dealing with a highly complex and competitive global market. That is why we pushed a diversified vaccine procurement approach, one that allowed us to reserve doses as early as possible by signing agreements in principle while the details of the final purchase agreements were being negotiated.

At the same time, we were proactive in acquiring critical goods such as needles, syringes and more in order to support provinces and territories when it came time to administer the vaccines. That work paid off. Today, if eligible Canadians want a COVID-19 vaccine shot, they can get one. Over the past year, Canadians have rolled up their sleeves and done their part during the largest vaccination campaign this country has ever seen. In fact, the Canadian vaccine rate is one of the best in the world. Securing vaccines has saved lives, and it is why Canadians can now get back to doing the things they love.

We are also better equipped for future waves. Our contracts with the world's leading vaccine maker gives us access to the supply of future formulations that will protect us against new variants. I am also proud to say that we are also investing in our capability to manufacture these life-saving vaccines right here at home. Most recently, our government announced the next step in ensuring Canada has a secure domestic supply of the latest vaccines through an agreement with Moderna to set up a manufacturing facility in the Montreal region. This new facility, which is set to be operational in two years, will be able to produce up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses annually. It will also create hundreds of good-paying jobs.

Because of the actions we have taken and the groundwork we have laid, Canada will see this pandemic through to the end, but, as the minister stated in her opening remarks, the pandemic is not over yet and there is still a lot more for her department to do. That includes working to ensure we have enough supply of rapid tests on top of the more than 600 million we have already purchased at the federal level. We also continue to pursue some therapeutics. We currently have access to some 1.7 million treatment courses.

Before I close, I would like to take a moment to thank the hard-working public servants who are behind these actions. They have served their communities well, and I cannot commend their efforts enough. I would also like to honour the memory of those we have lost, the friends and families who are grieving, those who have made incredible sacrifices and everyone who has been impacted by COVID-19. Of course, we pay tribute to Canadians across the country who continue to work hard in our fight against the virus on the front lines of our health care system.

It has been a long two years, and we know everyone is ready to move on. Public Services and Procurement Canada will continue to deliver for Canadians as we work to finish the fight against COVID. I want to thank the minister, the department and the officials for their dedication and hard work.

I have a question for the minister and here is the preamble. The COVID-19 pandemic is still fresh in the minds of Canadians, and it is still too soon to say it is completely over. We all remember seeing the hospitalization rate and, sadly, even the death tolls on the news. We remember the restrictions and safety measures that were implemented by all levels of government to keep people safe and stop the spread of COVID-19.

We remember how difficult it was to refrain from visiting loved ones, how hard it was on businesses, on children in day cares and schools, on parents, on everyone, but we also remember how Canada made it through the pandemic before many other developed countries. We remember how Canadians stepped up to help their neighbours in a time of crisis. We are proud that when the COVID-19 vaccine became available, Canadians rolled up their sleeves and did their part to protect themselves, their loved ones and their communities, giving Canada one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

Canada is now ahead of the curve on pandemic preparedness for any future outbreaks of COVID-19 and is well placed for any similar events in the future. The government has made it priority number one to keep Canadians safe, and we will continue to do so. While we are all eager to finish the fight against COVID-19 and return to normal, Canadians need to know that this government has done what was necessary during an extraordinary period to help Canadians pull through. All Canadians know this government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was timely, comprehensive and crucial to the millions of Canadians affected by the necessary restrictions implemented in Canada and across the globe at this time.

Can the minister please detail the numerous ways her department stepped up to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and keep Canadians safe?

[Filomena Tassi, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Madam Chair, I agree with the many things my hon. colleague said, specifically about the procurement success that we have had. I want to thank all the procurement specialists that have worked so very hard. Let us go back to March 2020, when COVID had descended upon us. Since that time we have procured over 100 million vaccines. We have enough vaccines in this country for every Canadian to get their full complement, those that are eligible, together with the booster.

We have procured over 600 million rapid tests. Provinces and territories were in great need of those. We have procured them. We have delivered them. It is a fantastic tool.

We have procured over two billion pieces of personal protective equipment to keep Canadians safe. We have now 1.7 million treatments of therapeutics.

I look at what has been achieved by the team, and it is an army. Some of them are watching tonight. Some are before me here. Some are in the lobby. Some are working at home, and some are in their offices. I want to thank that army, that team that worked day and night in order to ensure that we had the supplies to keep Canadians safe. That has always been our goal, to look ahead, to plan ahead and to put in place whatever was needed so that we could deliver for Canadians. We did not want to let them down, and we wanted to be smart and prudent and forward thinking and that is exactly what we have done.

How we were able to do that was by the sweat and the dedication and the commitment of so many Canadians who were working. I want to thank them together with all Canadians across this country that helped keep safe, whether that was in health care or in grocery stores making sure we had the food, but it was a fantastic effort. I am very proud of the Canadians in this country who worked so hard to get us to the place that we are in today.