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)
13 mars 2024 | Local, Terrestre
On Friday, March 15, 2024, Darren Fisher, Member of Parliament for Dartmouth–Cole Harbour, and Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament for Halifax, will hold a media availability on defence innovation in the Halifax Regional Municipality. They will make an announcement on behalf of the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence.
9 octobre 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
The first Airbus CC-295, purchased by the Government of Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) Fixed Wing Search and Rescue Aircraft Replacement (FWSAR) program, rolled out of the paint shop showing off its final livery at the Airbus facility in Seville, Spain. The aircraft will now go through the final preparation phase before its delivery to the customer, planned to take place in Spain before the end of the year. The aircraft adopts the yellow paint scheme following the tradition defined in the 1970s for search and rescue aircraft, giving high visibility for those in the air and on the ground. The contract, awarded in December 2016, includes 16 CC-295 aircraft and all in-service support elements including training and engineering services, the construction of a new training centre in Comox, B.C., and maintenance and support services. The aircraft will be based where search and rescue squadrons are currently located: Comox, B.C.; Winnipeg, Man.; Trenton, Ont.; and Greenwood, N.S. Considerable progress has been made since the FWSAR programme was announced two and a half years ago: the first aircraft is due to be delivered in Spain in the coming months; another six aircraft are either completing flight tests or in various stages of final assembly; and seven simulators and training devices are starting up preliminary acceptance tests. The first RCAF crews started training in late summer 2019 at Airbus' International Training Centre in Seville, Spain. https://www.skiesmag.com/press-releases/first-royal-canadian-air-force-c295-shows-off-its-final-livery
6 septembre 2018 | Local, Naval
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN There is still no word on whether the Royal Canadian Navy will receive a sixth Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship. Irving Shipbuilding is building five AOPS. There is the possibility of building a sixth ship if costs are kept in line and that vessel could be constructed within the project budget. It is unclear if the financial state of the project would allow for a sixth vessel or whether the federal government would have to contribute more funding to allow for the construction of an additional AOPS. Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough has said she is open to the idea of additional AOPS being purchased for Canada but has provided few details. It is expected a decision on the sixth ship will be made in the coming months. “We are hopeful that the Government of Canada will construct a sixth Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship at Halifax Shipyard and understand they will make a decision before the end of 2018.” Irving spokesman Sean Lewis told Defence Watch. As reported in Defence Watch recently the first AOPS will be delivered in the first week of October. There is a possibility one of the government politicians attending that ceremony might make an announcement then of the construction of a sixth ship. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/will-a-sixth-arctic-offshore-patrol-ship-be-built-for-the-royal-canadian-navy