QUESTION PERIOD — Public Services and Procurement
Indigenous Procurement
November 4, 2025
Senator Moreau, welcome back. I am glad to see you here again.
The government committed to ensuring that at least 5% of the total value of federal contracts each year is awarded to Indigenous businesses. This initiative — to be implemented in three phases — was set for full implementation by the end of 2024-25. How are the departments performing overall? Have they met the deadline? Do you have an estimate of how many Indigenous businesses have benefited from this policy so far and what the total economic value of these contracts has been?
I read in the news just yesterday that over the last few years, about 60% of roughly $1 billion in contracts annually was awarded to Indigenous businesses in Ottawa. Communities across all of Canada should be benefiting from this program.
Thank you for your question, Senator Loffreda.
The adoption of the 5% procurement target has resulted in billions of dollars in contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses, which is a crucial part of the government’s support for Indigenous economic development and the way we want to do business with Indigenous communities.
In the last fiscal year, the federal government exceeded the 5% procurement target, awarding over $1.2 billion to Indigenous businesses, allowing them to enter supply chains and scale their businesses, thereby creating more jobs across Canada and bringing wealth to Indigenous communities as well.
Thank you for that response. In support of this initiative, the government committed to co-developing a transformative Indigenous procurement strategy with Indigenous partners. Launched in fall 2022, the department’s website notes this dialogue remains open, but there’s no indication that engagement sessions have been scheduled since March 2025. When can we expect a report of these sessions? Could you share some preliminary findings or themes that have emerged from the discussions so far?
Unfortunately, I cannot share any preliminary findings at this time. I will say that Canada’s new government was elected with a clear mandate to ensure programs and policies deliver smarter, faster and more effectively, and that includes Indigenous communities. With Procurement Assistance Canada, the government is helping Indigenous businesses from across Canada access federal procurement contracts, but there is work left to be done and the government recognizes this.
