Government Operations committee  That's a great question. Not to dwell on the irony, but I will say that it underscores what a complex undertaking it is for a government to streamline or simplify a process. Streamlining has its limits. As you said, when you add a requirement such as assessing the economic spino

Government Operations committee  I would add, if I may, that it is possible to indirectly facilitate the participation of SMEs in government procurement. That would involve making it easier for big businesses that have landed major contracts to establish ties with SMEs. That’s something the government has done i

Government Operations committee  I’ll give you a specific example of something that is already federal practice, in the case of pre-qualification processes.

Government Operations committee  The challenge comes down to assembling a jury that is as qualified, as impartial, and, of course—ethically speaking—as independent as possible. Taking into account the bids received, it is still possible, with a qualified jury, to assess how bidders are likely to perform on the b

Government Operations committee  Our businesses say that it is entirely appropriate—

Government Operations committee  It is entirely appropriate to assess performance midway.

Government Operations committee  No, no. I understand completely. It’s appropriate to do that, but the criteria need to be known and transparent, and the information should serve a purpose afterwards.

Government Operations committee  No, not particularly. Generally speaking, the FCCQ has been an active supporter of agreements on interprovincial trade and other agreements of that nature. We tend to be in favour of anything that has the potential to increase trade. I’m not familiar with the specific draft agr

Government Operations committee  Good afternoon. The build in Canada innovation program does indeed provide a boost to that end. Although the measure may seem a bit weak, it is certainly a step in the right direction. The U.S. has a more robust program known as the small business innovation research, or SBIR