Is Canada’s military procurement system broken? Some defence experts say it is, others say it works as designed

Ottawa has revealed that the cost of building the Navy’s long-delayed supply ships has surged by nearly $1-billion, reaching a total of over $5.2-billion. This is the latest episode in the ongoing issues plaguing Canada’s defence procurement system.
Public servant denies fault in controversial ArriveCan contract, says she is ‘muzzled’ with job at risk

Diane Daly denies involvement in developing the contracting criteria that ‘favoured’ GC Strategies, and secured the two-person IT firm a $25-million contract for its staffing work on ArriveCan.
Planned submarine buy will be ‘eye-wateringly expensive,’ but the Navy ‘desperately’ needs them, say defence experts

‘Finding the money for this weapon system will be the biggest hurdle,’ says Canadian Forces College professor Paul Mitchell.
What to do with the public-service pension surplus piling up?

Now that the surplus has reached a ‘non-permissible’ level, Ottawa will have to reduce it. But who is entitled to the tens of millions of dollars?
‘ArriveCan is different than other scandals,’ say experts, warning improprieties ‘erode public confidence’

‘If we repeat the same mistakes, obviously we’re not doing the right thing,’ says Patrice Poitevin, a retired senior RCMP investigator.
Conservative MPs push officials for answers after RCMP lays fraud charges against consultant

‘No department is safe from fraud,’ says Catherine Poulin, assistant deputy minister of the departmental oversight branch at Public Services and Procurement Canada.
Bottom line? We’re procuring ships for two-to-three times their real costs

In addition to the ships’ more than doubled price tag, delivery will take twice as long. Worse, to date no one has been held accountable for this fiasco.
We must prioritize sustainable procurement to meet climate targets

Our values shape who we are. If we are going to realize a net-zero future, we need to deeply consider what we value and what it’s worth to us.
PSPC official gives pay system update

New cranes coming for Centre Block site this fall as project health trackers tick closer to trouble

For the first time since 2022, health trackers for the multibillion-dollar Centre Block project have slipped, pointing to mounting concerns over progress.