Fairness put on back burner for infrastructure procurement
Procurement, through a Request for Proposal (RFP), is how architects and engineers are hired to design Canada’s infrastructure. This not only includes exciting new museums and libraries, but also the day-to-day infrastructure for offices, renovations, roof rehabilitations, barrier-free washroom upgrades, and thousands of regular projects. But how architects and engineers are hired is increasingly challenged. […]
Officially designed hoarding boards to take centre stage while splitting Parliament’s great front lawn in two
OTTAWA—If you thought surrounding a construction site with hoarding boards was straightforward, think again. Think of Parliament Hill, Centre Block’s redevelopment construction site, and Canada’s People’s Front Lawn. Think of the many bureaucrats, stakeholders, the National Capital Commission, and Parliamentarians getting involved. Access-to-information documents obtained from Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) show that federal […]
Freelance interpreters await new contract terms, after PSPC’s proposed changes sparked concern
The final terms of the new contract for federal freelance interpreters, including those covering Parliament Hill, are still eagerly awaited, months after an advocacy association raised the alarm over proposed changes a rep says would put the future health and safety of interpreters, and the quality of their work, at greater risk. “If this RFP […]
Not open to interpretation: virtual Parliament exacerbates pre-existing issues with vital service
Parliament’s shift to hybrid virtual proceedings as a result of COVID-19 has led to a spike in injuries for Hill interpreters, and in turn, has exposed and exacerbated pre-existing shortfalls with the “essential” service—shortfalls that MPs, industry advocates, and others are looking to address. “It [COVID] has certainly exacerbated the underlying issue of the challenges […]
Diversity and inclusion: public service hirings, promotions and separations
With the clerk of the Privy Council’s call to action on anti-racism, equity, and inclusion in the federal public service, the related 2020/2021 deputy minister commitments on diversity and inclusion, the president of the Treasury Board supplementary mandate letter, and the Public Service Commission’s audit of employment equity representation in recruitment, the government has aligned the […]
AstraZeneca vaccine approval to give Canada ‘greater flexibility’ in distributing doses widely, says health official
Health Canada’s approval of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Friday will give Canada “greater flexibility” in distributing supplies more widely across the country once it starts to receive the more than 20 million doses on order, say federal officials. The two-dose AstraZeneca vaccine co-developed with Oxford University can be stored at refrigerated temperatures and has […]
Ottawa making ‘good progress’ modernizing procurement, but auditor finds more training needed
The federal government has absorbed the lessons from the Phoenix-payroll fiasco and has made “good progress” modernizing its procurement approach to be more agile, says Canada’s auditor general, in a report examining major projects. Still, with “limited or non-existent” training for staff on Ottawa’s new approach to agile procurement, federal Auditor General Karen Hogan’s office […]
A week of frosty strolls and dire variant warnings
RCMP, union stand behind plan to deploy body-worn cameras for front-line officers, but critics warn drawbacks may outweigh benefits
The federal government, the RCMP’s top brass, and the police force’s union are all squarely behind a recent push to see more than 10,000 body-worn cameras deployed nationwide to help “pull the police services into the 21st century,” says the force’s union head, while others have questioned its perceived benefits. Brian Sauvé, president of the […]
Davie shipyard funding more equitable since 2015, but long-term contracts needed for stability, say experts
As federal shipbuilding funds for the Quebec-based Chantier Davie shipyard have increasingly become more equitable in comparison to Nova Scotia’s Irving shipyard and B.C.’s Seaspan shipyard, Quebec MPs are pushing for more contracts for the shipyard and for it to be formally brought into the National Shipbuilding Strategy. The lack of funds for Davie shipyard […]
