Are we buying the future we want?

Leveraging public procurement for the benefit of the whole community

It took MEC — Mountain Equipment Co-op — just a few days to realign their supply chain with member values and concerns about gun control, raising the question of how well aligned our taxpayer-funded supply chains are with Canadian values. Are we putting our money where our mouth is? How well are we harnessing the collective power of our purchasing to drive innovation, eliminate poverty, reduce youth unemployment, support Indigenous reconciliation and gender equality?

What can we each be doing to better align spending with our values?

In becoming the first province in Canada to pass Community Benefit legislation, Ontario has taken a positive first step in this direction. Bill 6, the Ontario Infrastructure for Jobs and Prosperity Act (IJPA) enables the consideration of community benefits in infrastructure planning and investment. At the federal level, Prime Minister Trudeau has suggested that in addition to setting aside contracts for Indigenous businesses, a percentage of federal contracts could be set aside for businesses owned by women. But are set-asides the best way to achieve reconciliation and key public policy goals?

Building a more sustainable and inclusive society is among today’s most significant challenges, yet we have been slow to join up the dots between procurement and policy. Does a low bid equate to maximum public value? Over the last 20 years, we appear to have accepted that taxpayer-funded contracts should do no harm to the planet. But what about people? Do low-bid taxpayerfunded contracts drive people into poverty and precarious work situations?

Public procurement can, and should be, better leveraged to support horizontal public policy objectives, such as the elimination of poverty, gender equity, Indigenous reconciliation, youth unemployment, and inclusive, sustainable economic development.

At the very least, publicly funded supply chains should not be causing us more problems than we have. But they could also be much better leveraged to proactively solve problems. I imagine procurement as a golden thread, improving society by strengthening the horizontal linkages between ministries, between governments, business and the nonprofit sector. I envision Canada as a global leader in committing to leverage public procurement, which is approximately 14 per cent of GDP.

Could government contracts be better designed to support Canadian innovation? In addition to price and capability, should companies also be evaluated by their location, their ownership, their social responsibility or for their commitment to the creation of public value? How can business, nonprofits and individuals make a difference? It took Mountain Equipment Co-op only a few days to realign their supply chain with their values; it may take the Halton Region a little longer, but it’s an important conversation to start.