Government Operations and Estimates

This House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (OGGO) meeting, held on December 4, 2025, studied the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) agreement with Stellantis and the supplementary estimates (B) and departmental results reports for Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Shared Services Canada (SSC). Witnesses included Teresa Piruzza from Stellantis, and officials from PSPC and SSC.

Teresa Piruzza, Director of External Affairs for Stellantis, stated that the company did not propose or suggest redactions to the SIF agreement, but rather reviewed and agreed to redactions proposed by the government to protect commercially sensitive information. She maintained that Stellantis is honouring its commitments under the agreement, citing investments in the Windsor assembly plant and the Automotive Research and Development Centre, and described the Brampton plant's closure as an "operational pause" while working with the government on a solution. She disagreed with the minister's characterization of a breach of contract, and when asked about the dispute resolution process, she said conversations with the government were ongoing.

Michael Hammond, Chief Financial Officer of PSPC, presented the department's supplementary estimates (B) request, including $11 million for an emerging needs advertising fund, a $2 million reprofile for a settlement, and a $3 million transfer to Indigenous Services Canada for procurement initiatives. He noted that PSPC met 27 of its 42 departmental results indicators, with efforts ongoing to improve in areas like contracts to small businesses and pay accuracy. Officials later clarified that $4.1 million of $4.5 million in identified overbilling had been recovered, with seven cases referred to the RCMP.

Scott Davis, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer of SSC, outlined SSC's request for a net increase of $48.5 million in supplementary estimates (B), primarily for core IT services and cloud operations. He highlighted cost savings of $174 million from 2023-24 to 2024-25, including $20 million from bulk mobile device management, and noted SSC is developing a sovereign AI platform and will realize $318.5 million in ongoing savings under the comprehensive expenditure review. He also reported that 65.9% of SSC's contracts, by value, were awarded to Canadian small and medium-sized businesses.

Lorenzo Ieraci, Assistant Deputy Minister at PSPC, addressed questions on Canada Post, confirming that the corporation submitted a transformation plan to the minister, which is under review, and that conversations about additional financial support are ongoing. He noted that the government made a $1 billion repayable loan available to Canada Post this year and that the corporation has other mechanisms to access funding.

Dominic Laporte, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of PSPC's Procurement Branch, attributed improved procurement efficiency to the electronic procurement solution and investments in training, and discussed the new vendor performance management framework. He outlined the "Buy Canadian" policy, including prioritizing Canadian steel, aluminum, and wood in procurement, and said the department is working to simplify procurement regulations through harmonization.

Nathalie Bertrand, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of PSPC's Receiver General and Pension Branch, explained that the $11 million advertising fund is a subset of a central fund managed by the Privy Council Office, used for urgent or unforeseen needs such as a recent campaign on temporary EI benefits for workers impacted by tariffs.

The committee also dealt with procedural matters: a motion was put on notice by Kyle Seeback to order ISED to produce a redacted copy of the SIF agreement without confidentiality requirements, and a motion by Jenna Sudds to reinvite ISED officials to appear on December 9 was agreed to.