Senator Donna Dasko: Community benefits and the pursuit of sustainable development
On May 7, 2019 Senator Donna Dasko spoke in support of Bill C-344 and community benefits in the Senate of Canada. Her remarks focused on Canada’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how community benefits at the federal level could help Public Services and Procurement Canada amplify the impacts of their investments in communities across the country. Senator Omidvar is the sponsor of Bill C-344 in the Senate.
Watch an clip from Senator Dean’s speech or read the full text of his remarks below:
Hon. Donna Dasko: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak in support of Bill C-344, An Act to amend the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act (community benefit).
Senator Omidvar is the sponsor of Bill C-344 in this chamber and she has well described its purpose and function. The Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada may ask bidders and contractors about community benefits relating to certain projects. That is whether and how a project will deliver economic and social benefits to the host community during and beyond the duration of the project.
Bill C-344 applies to the construction, maintenance and repair of federally owned or leased properties, not the much broader category of infrastructure projects supported by federal funds. The minister is required to keep Canadians informed about developments in community benefits by tabling an annual report with each House of Parliament.
Senator Omidvar, on leading the second reading of the bill, said:
. . . community benefits maximize the potential of companies and communities. They take public and private dollars that are already earmarked and use them in a way to deliver a double, triple, quadruple bottom line.
. . . community benefits are an innovative and cost-effective way of achieving multiple benefits through public expenditures without increasing procurement costs.
According to the senator, Bill C-344 is a modest bill that will have far-reaching impact. Bill C-344 is a small start on a big idea.
I would like to open the lens to connect this small start to a much bigger idea that I think is relevant to the bill before us and to our deliberations more generally. Honourable senators, I support this bill because I believe that the federal government must use every opportunity, direct and indirect, large or small, to contribute to a sustainable future for all.
Canada has committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 for implementation by 2030.
The 17 sustainable development goals are governed by four guiding principles and they are: universality, which means that the goals apply in every country, including Canada; integration, which means that the achievement of any one goal is linked to the achievement of others; aspiration, which means that there is a need to move past business as usual and seek transformational solutions; and leaving no one behind, in which success depends on the inclusion of the poorest and most vulnerable.
I will not quote all 17 goals here. Indeed, the goals and how they are being implemented are worthy of a review by this chamber at some point. I would like to draw your attention to the goals that I think are particularly relevant to a discussion of community benefits and to Bill C-344. They are:
Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive sustainable industrialization and foster innovation . . .
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
We often associate the goal of sustainability with the environment and environmental best practices. Wisely, the UN Sustainable Development Goals fully encompass what is necessary for quality of life in all respects. Bill C-344 is an incremental step we can take that is consistent with these lofty goals.
The federal government owns or leases some 20,000 properties. These include 17 large public infrastructure projects, including the Alaska Highway, bridges and dams, and over 36,000 buildings. The 2018-19 Department Plan for Public Services and Procurement Canada, PSPC, indicates that planned spending for 2019-20 on real property services is over $2 billion.
PSPC is already working on a range of sustainability initiatives, including “smart” building technology, energy reduction and greenhouse gas reduction, contaminated sites management and universal accessibility. I note with particular interest that in 2017 PSPC engaged an external firm to undertake a GBA+ analysis of the Long Term Vision and Plan for the parliamentary buildings. That analysis noted, among other things, that PSPC is leveraging novel procurement strategies that target increasing the participation of youth, Indigenous people and women in its work on the parliamentary precinct.
Bill C-344 confirms for PSPC that it has an important and valued role to play in growing the community benefits that can be generated when constructing, maintaining or repairing federal real property. Bill C-344 encourages the department to do more.
Senator Wells has asked Senator Omidvar why legislation was needed when the minister could simply add community benefits as a condition of funding. This is a good question. Yes, the minister could add such a condition now. I think, for instance, of the Federal Contractors Program administered by the Labour Program of Employment and Social Development Canada. It relies on the client and contractual power of the federal government as a big buyer of goods and services. The program ensures that provincially regulated contractors maintain a workforce that is representative of the Canadian workforce, including the members of the four designated groups under the Employment Equity Act, if they wish to work on federal projects.
However, I do agree with Senator Omidvar that there is added value in this legislation beyond current administrative initiatives. I do not believe in this bill creates red tape, and as someone who had a career in the private sector, I would say that red tape is clearly not something that contractors and bidders want to see. In many cases where community benefits will be articulated, bidders will be asked to recognize what they are and to bring it forward. Transparency will add value.
In other cases and as the program matures, contractors and communities will come to the table to voluntarily design, implement and assess the benefits. Projects and community interests and objectives will vary widely and will be purpose-built. Sharing information on how this tool is being used will support implementation and innovation.
Bill C-344, as pointed out by Senator Omidvar, is about adding tailored, incremental value to communities on a project-by-project basis. It seems to me that it parallels the Infrastructure Canada Community Employment Benefits General Guidance, which has similar aims but similarly is not mandatory. Looked at together, they put the federal government in a position to encourage innovation, to monitor experience and to contribute to best practices in this emerging area. The federal government can and should show leadership in this emerging tool.
The importance of sustainability is understood by Canadians, who are going through these same processes in their own lives. It is also understood by Canadian corporations, which are embracing corporate social responsibility. I note the International Standard Organization Guidance on Social Responsibility, ISO 26000, which sets out best practices on how businesses and organizations can operate in an ethical and transparent way that contributes to sustainable development.
Businesses and the communities in which they operate are changing business as usual when it comes to community benefits. I support Bill C-344 because it keeps the federal government, as a property owner and manager, current with evolving business practices, increased wealth creation and economic growth, and improved societal outcomes.
Innovative business practices and sustainable development goals — there’s much to like about this bill and I urge that it be sent to committee for study as soon as possible. Thank you very much.