Public Services and Procurement Canada
Minister’s message: 2022 to 2023 Departmental Results Report
I am pleased to present Public Services and Procurement Canada’s (PSPC) Departmental Results Report for 2022 to 2023, which highlights the department’s achievements in delivering on its diverse mandate.
Throughout the fiscal year, PSPC ensured delivery of high quality services to Canadians by supporting the daily work of the Government of Canada as its central purchasing agent, real property manager, linguistic authority, government’s pay and pension administrator, treasurer, and accountant.
A strategic partner to the government with expertise in a wide variety of fields, the department delivers high-quality, central programs and services to help build an inclusive, innovative, accessible and greener Canada for all.
As central purchasing agent, PSPC continued to work with the Public Health Agency of Canada and suppliers to support a supply management strategy focused on ensuring sufficient supply of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics for Canadians.
Important work was accomplished to modernize procurement and to advance the green procurement efforts in support of the Government of Canada’s goal of zero plastic waste. Various initiatives supporting those key objectives were advanced in 2022 to 2023, notably, the implementation of the Electronic Procurement Solution and the launch of CanadaBuys. In addition, PSPC explored a new approach to allow the department to purchase zero-emission and hybrid vehicles in an expedited manner on behalf of other government departments, and implemented 2 new standards on embodied carbon and on the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions under the Policy on Green Procurement.
Recognizing that small and medium businesses drive growth and innovation, modernizing procurement will open opportunities to more businesses, particularly to small and medium businesses. In 2022 to 2023, PSPC procured approximately 24% of $4.8 billion worth of goods and services from small and medium businesses. Simplifying procurement also supports PSPC in its efforts to increase the diversity of bidders on government contracts. Over the last year, the department continued to work with federal partners towards awarding at least 5% of the value of federal contracts to Indigenous businesses.
PSPC also made steady progress in delivering on key defence procurements in support of Canada’s defence policy: Strong, Secure, Engaged and the National Shipbuilding Strategy. In 2022 to 2023, the department finalized 2 important agreements: 1 to purchase 88 F-35 advanced fighter jets to replace Canada’s existing CF-18 fighter jet fleet, and the other for Chantier Davie of Lévis, Québec, to become Canada’s 3rd strategic shipbuilding partner.
In its role as treasurer and accountant to the government, PSPC made progress in resolving outstanding pay issues for public servants. Since March 2022, the department hired 525 employees to fill vacancies and increase capacity at the Pay Centre, and implemented technical solutions, such as increased automation, to improve payroll processing.
As the government’s real property custodian, in 2022 to 2023, PSPC continued to gather client intelligence to inform the Office Long Term Plan and future of work and developed reports, processes and tools to support the return to the workplace and the implementation of the hybrid work model. The department also continued to integrate climate adaptation and sustainability as key objectives of the federal portfolio of office space and special-purpose buildings across the country, including design and operations of the Parliamentary Precinct and Laboratories Canada buildings. Construction also began on the Modernized Gatineau Energy Centre, 1 of 4 sites that make up the federal district energy system in the National Capital Region. The centre leverages Hydro-Québec’s 99% carbon-free grid to become one of the few carbon-neutral heating and cooling plants of this scale in North America. As part of the Federal Lands Initiative, PSPC also recently transferred a property to Northwest Territories Housing Corporation to convert former federal staff housing into 36 permanent affordable housing units.
Important work was accomplished in the rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Precinct through the Long Term Vision and Plan, with the completion of the main excavation for the new Parliament Welcome Centre, as well as the completion of the Centre Block’s north façade masonry and 85% of the interior demolition and abatement of hazardous materials like asbestos. The international design competition for the redevelopment of block 2, the city block across from Parliament Hill, was also completed and PSPC subsequently awarded a contract to the winning team.
As the provider of translation and interpretation services to Parliament and government, the department continued to provide quality linguistic services, providing a record translation volume of more than 55 million words translated to the Parliament of Canada and 324 million words to Government of Canada departments. PSPC redoubled its focus on increasing interpretation capacity while protecting the health and safety of its interpreters thanks to a host of new initiatives developed in concert with clients and external stakeholders.
These are just a few highlights of PSPC’s achievements for 2022 to 2023. I invite you to continue reading to learn more about the department’s progress and to witness the extent of PSPC’s employees daily work and dedication to build a healthier, greener, and more prosperous future for all Canadians.
Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Public Services and Procurement