Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I’m very pleased to be with you here today. Thank you for the lovely invitation to participate in your meeting.
Before we begin, I would like to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
With me today are officials in important positions, including Ms. Arianne Reza, deputy minister of Public Works and Government Services, and Mr. Scott Jones, president of Shared Services Canada.
Also with me today is Mr. Matthew Tapscott, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Canada Lands Company Limited. This is a very important company in terms of investments in affordable housing. We may get to that issue today.
With me as well is Ms. Rindala El‑Hage, vice president of finance and controller of the Canada Post Corporation, as well as many other officials who are here to serve you.
Public Services and Procurement Canada, or PSPC, is seeking a net increase of $448.6 million, bringing the total opening net budget to approximately $4.8 billion for 2024‑2025.
Of that amount, more than $3.3 billion will be spent on property and infrastructure activities, including major rehabilitation projects across Canada.
For Shared Services Canada, or SSC, reference levels will decrease by $112 million for a total of $2.48 billion.
As you know, SSC is working with central agencies, partners and clients to build an efficient and modern information technology framework, with defined and optimized processes, as well as consolidated systems and networks.
PSPC and SSC have many priorities, including continued efforts to modernize procurement with a focus on simplifying processes and increasing support for small and medium-sized enterprises.
As this committee is well aware, the government is also reducing spending on professional services by 15%, and that work is well under way. For the remaining contracts in this area, we are improving oversight and integrity. That is why PSPC has made important process changes to ensure decision-making and controls associated with professional service contracts uphold the highest procurement standards.
Earlier this year, along with the President of the Treasury Board, I announced a series of new actions to strengthen the government's procurement and integrity regimes. I am pleased to update the committee on PSPC's new office of supplier integrity and compliance, which will formally come into being in just two days, on May 31. This will allow us to better respond to supplier misconduct and unethical behaviour.
Of course, service delivery remains one of our priorities.
At PSPC, that includes resolving outstanding pay issues for public servants and advancing work on the next generation pay and human resources system. Federal public service employees deserve to be paid correctly and on time.
At SSC, all efforts are made to ensure that departments are equipped with the digital tools they need to deliver programs and benefits to eligible Canadians. Furthermore, SSC will continue providing the technological services that allow public servants to work collaboratively and seamlessly across government.
Of course, one of our top priorities is to continue to support our government's response to the housing crisis. We've already taken action to accelerate the process of turning federal lands and buildings into housing. With our new public lands for homes plan, which we announced in budget 2024, we have the potential to unlock hundreds of thousands of new, affordable homes.
PSPC is leading on this plan, and work is already well under way. The plan includes identifying and even acquiring underutilized public lands and leasing them out to ensure they are set aside for the building of affordable homes that Canadians need.
Mr. Chair, we also continue to work in close collaboration with key partners to implement the Canadian dental care plan, which is already making oral health care more affordable and more accessible to middle-class and lower-income Canadians.
Since the launch of the Canadian Dental Care Plan, more than two million seniors successfully completed their application. To date, more than 120,000 claims have been processed. Beyond the numbers, seniors can now take better care of their oral health and respond to dental needs neglected too often, for too long.
Mr. Chair, those are but a few examples of important ongoing work.
I am now happy to answer your questions.
