North Island – Powell River’s MP is now the NDP critic for Public Services and Procurement.
In a release on Thursday, it was announced that Rachel Blaney has been appointed as the party’s critic for Public Services after the NDP won a by-election recently in Winnipeg.
The party says Blaney will become a member of the Standing Committee for Government Operations and Estimates, a committee for the House of Commons, that review government operations effectiveness, co-ordinate cross departmental mandates, and review programs.
A priority for this committee is indigenous procurement, which Blaney says is a big issue.
“The Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB) has been plagued by confusion, contradictions, and a serious lack of transparency,” said Blaney.
“With more than 20 First Nations in my riding, I’ve witnessed firsthand how poorly designed programs like PSIB negatively affect Indigenous communities.”
She says this comes after data showed billions of dollars in federal contracts meant for indigenous businesses were given to bidders without verifying their Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit status.
The goal of the strategy was to support Indigenous businesses as part of economic reconciliation.
Blaney says they will focus on bringing transparency and accountability in policies about Indigenous procurement, with hopes of supporting affected groups.
Along with Public Service, Blaney will still be the NDP critic for Veteran Affairs, while Bonita Zarillo takes her place as critic for Seniors.
