Madam Speaker, we recently learned from an article in The Hill Times that under Bill C‑40, the procurement ombud's authority would not apply to procurement decisions made by a Crown corporation.
I find that rather concerning. Small SMEs often contact us and say that they have a hard time getting into the Department of Defence and understanding how the process works because of how rigid it is. Unfortunately, decisions are also sometimes made in a cavalier way and to the detriment of businesses. At that point, there can be recourse to the procurement ombud. Under Bill C‑40, there would be no more recourse.
Who is going to ensure that procurement is done properly and that businesses are not adversely affected during the process?