Government Operations committee  For sole-source contracts, we seek price support to ensure that the prices that we're paying are in line with market rates. That could be looking for price certification from a vendor, essentially certifying that Canada is being provided the best price in line with other preferre

Government Operations committee  I think that as a result of these proceedings and investigations, we will take stock of whatever findings there are to determine what improvements are possible. We may seek more visibility on subcontracts. Currently we rely on the private sector to organize themselves in order

Government Operations committee  Thank you again for the question. As indicated, Indigenous Services Canada is responsible for administering the program, and the PSPC procurement activity is in line with those policies. We do check to ensure that the companies with whom we contract are in fact on the indigenous

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much for the question. In the case of the procurement vehicle that we're talking about, which is the TBIPS supply arrangement, there are a number of indigenous firms that are qualified and are eligible to compete for business that is directed under that stream. Th

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. The requirements under the PSIB program are administered by Indigenous Services Canada, which periodically audits the companies to ensure that they are in line with those requirements. As indicated earlier, there are some content requirements that mus

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. It's more about the value that's delivered as opposed to the number of employees, in this instance.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. The pre-award audit that's conducted by Indigenous Services Canada would determine that they meet the requirements of the program, which would be to adhere to all of those rules. PSPC would award those contracts based on the fact that these companies

Government Operations committee  Under the vendor performance corrective measures policy, we do keep track of terminations for default. In the case of a false certification, that certainly would be grounds to terminate a contract for default, and that would remain on the record for a period of time. Depending on

Government Operations committee  It is a very severe occurrence. There's also a framework to assess the impact on the specific clients in the project and what that might cause in terms of damages to the Crown. From there, there's an assessment that is made to determine the ultimate outcome of the penalty.

Government Operations committee  That's correct.

Government Operations committee  No.

Government Operations committee  We are encouraging diversity within the supply chain to the greatest extent possible. I would also note that there is the federal program for employment equity, which is led by the Minister of Labour. That is a program whereby any company that receives a contract worth $1 millio

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. We have been looking very closely at other countries, whether the United States or those in Europe, and trying to learn some of the lessons from them. Australia has a very developed model as it relates to indigenous procurement and their certification

Government Operations committee  Yes. It was in the late 1990s, I believe, that the data started to—

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the question. Maybe I could start off—