10 mars 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
In the last election campaign the Liberals promised to create a defence procurement agency as part of its efforts to improve purchasing of equipment for the Canadian Forces. No details were released at the time.
In December, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in his mandate letter to Procurement Minister Anita Anand, outlined how she would lead an effort to bring “forward analyses and options for the creation of Defence Procurement Canada, to ensure that Canada's biggest and most complex National Defence and Canadian Coast Guard procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to Parliament.”
Anand would do this with the support of the Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, according to her mandate letter.
At the time Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan claimed much of the work was already underway. “A lot of work has already started on (Defence Procurement Canada) and the goal of this is to make sure that we get the procurement projects done as quickly as possible to make sure the Canadian Armed Forces has what they need,” Sajjan told iPolitics the day before his mandate letter was released.
Strangely, when asked about that work, Sajjan's department pointed out that he wasn't specifically referring to the DND and that Anand's Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) had the lead on the file.
So, Defense Watch requested the timetable for this effort. Among the questions asked of Anand's department was when the new agency could potentially be expected to be stood up, will there be consultations done and whether there were any concepts already put forward for the agency that could be shared with the public? If this were such an important effort then of course the department would have an idea of at least a timeline on how things might unfold.
Here is the answer provided by PSPC: “The Minister of Public Services and Procurement has been tasked to work with partner departments to bring forward analyses and options for the creation of Defence Procurement Canada. Public Services and Procurement Canada is leading this work with support from National Defence, Canadian Coast Guard, and Innovation Sciences and Economic Development Canada. This initiative is aimed at ensuring that Canada's biggest, most complex procurement projects are delivered on time and with greater transparency to Parliament. Work on this important initiative has just begun.”
This answer provides little more than what was in the mandate letter. No details on what actual work was being contemplated or taking place was provided. There is no schedule or target date for even producing options and reporting back to government on those.
In fact, this PSPC answer seems to undercut Sajjan's earlier claims that “a lot” of work had already started even before the mandate letters were released.
Some in the defence industry don't expect much to come from the Liberal election promise of a single defence procurement agency. They point out their case is bolstered when the department leading the initiative doesn't know, or can't provide, even a timetable for such an initiative.
The public, as well as industry, will have to wait and see whether Defence Procurement Canada ever becomes a reality.
(Analysis)
10 mars 2023 | Local, Autre défense
OTTAWA ? Defence Minister Anita Anand promised to fast-track the purchase of several weapon systems for Canadian soldiers in Europe on Thursday, even as senior commanders painted a stark picture of the numerous other challenges facing the Canada's mi
24 février 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, Sécurité
Defence industry representatives say they are expecting in the next several days the federal government will issue a request for bids for new pistols for the Canadian military. The new handguns will replace the Second World War-era Browning
3 décembre 2021 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
NATO Pitch Event; Reminder deadlines for 5G and CDIS Beam Me Up nets the top Made in Canada Prize at the NATO Innovation Challenge Congratulations to Beam Me Up, winner of the Made in Canada prize in the Fall 2021 NATO Innovation Challenge! The team put together a stellar performance and won a special cash prize from IDEaS. The NATO Innovation Challenge Fall 2021 Pitch Day recorded video is now available on Youtube. Deadlines for 5G, Corrosion Detection in Ships Fast Approaching 5G: The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) are seeking innovative solutions via the Faster, Stronger, More Secure: Advancing 5G capabilities and concepts for defence and security challenge. Deadline to apply is 2:00 PM (Eastern Time), Tuesday, December 7, 2021. Corrosion detection: DND/CAF is also looking for functional solutions to rapidly and easily detect and inform the operators and engineers of all corrosion in a vessel while it is in operational use. Solutions will do so in a non-destructive manner that does not rely on human visual inspection or the removal of equipment. See the Corrosion detection in ships page for details. Deadline to apply is 2:00 PM (Eastern Time), Thursday, December 16, 2021 Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN; Rappel des dates limites pour les défis 5G et CDIS Beam Me Up remporte le prix Fabriqué au Canada au Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN Félicitations à Beam Me Up, lauréat du prix Fabriqué au Canada lors du Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN de l'automne 2021! L'équipe a réalisé une performance exceptionnelle et a remporté un prix spécial en argent d'IDEeS. La vidéo de la journée de présentation du Défi de l'innovation de l'OTAN de l'automne 2021 est désormais disponible pour être visionnée dans son intégralité sur Youtube. (disponible en anglais seulement) Les dates limites pour les défis 5G et la détection de la corrosion à bord des navires approchent à grands pas 5G : Le ministère de la Défense nationale et les Forces armées canadiennes (MDN/FAC) recherchent des avancées technologiques pour les capacités 5G pour les défis de défense et de sécurité via le défi Plus rapide, plus fort, plus sécurisé : avancer les capacités et les concepts 5G pour la défense et la sécurité. La date limite pour postuler est 14h00 (HNE), le mardi 7 décembre 2021. Détection de la corrosion : Le MDN/FAC recherche également des solutions fonctionnelles pour détecter et informer rapidement et facilement les opérateurs et les ingénieurs de toute corrosion dans un navire pendant son utilisation opérationnelle. Les solutions le feront d'une manière non destructive qui ne repose pas sur une inspection visuelle humaine ou sur le retrait de l'équipement. Voir la page Détection de la corrosion à bord des navires pour plus de détails. La date limite pour postuler est 14h00 (HNE), le jeudi 16 décembre 2021.