Thank you, Mr. Jowhari.
Certainly trying to improve diversity of indigenous businesses is something I think our government takes very seriously. In fact, it's almost a hallmark of our government's ambition.
At PSPC—and I looked into this quite closely—we set a target that at least 5% of federal contracts should be awarded to businesses managed and led by indigenous peoples. We are modernizing procurement practices in a way that supports members of our communities who have been historically left out, including indigenous businesses. Obviously over the years, there have been various barriers to indigenous businesses entering into the opportunity to have business with government projects.
Specifically in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, PSPC awarded 42 contracts to self-identified indigenous businesses, collectively worth over $197 million, including for logistics, air charter services, accommodation, cleaning services, IT professional services, medical and laboratory supplies, masks, hand sanitizers and thermometers.
We're continuing to look at what barriers exist so that we can continue this trend. Of course, if we can possibly get over the 5%, we would be extremely happy to do that. That's an ongoing piece of work that our department is focusing on.