As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada internally review and map the defence procurement process from start to finish, across all relevant departments and agencies, with the purpose of simplifying Treasury Board Secretariat guidelines and removing any points of duplication.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada convene a Secretariat within the Privy Council Office to bring together all relevant public servants and ensure defence procurement remains a top priority for the Prime Minister’s Office.

Recommendation 3

That the Government of Canada depoliticize procurement decisions and increase the chances of them persisting across changes in government by redesigning the procurement process to allow specialists to create procurement policy subject to periodic review by Parliament.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada increase defence funding to match planned defence priorities articulated in Canada’s defence policies.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada honour its commitments to its NATO Allies and meet the Alliance’s 2% defence spending target.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada prioritize the efforts to maintain a 20% minimum investment in capital projects, as defined by NATO’s minimum obligations laid out to members states in the Wales pledge in 2014.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada review the lifecycle costing of procurement to ensure the process for foreign bidders considers the relevant findings of international audit agencies.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada acknowledge the danger posed by emerging geopolitical threats, the attendant urgency of replacing aging and/or obsolete platforms, such as ships for Arctic surveillance and security, and the need to keep pace with technological development and newer platforms like drones in a timely manner, and that it takes concrete steps to accelerate procurement.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada move away from a transactional model of procurement for major platforms like ships and aircraft to a continuous replacement model in which new generations of platforms are designed and ready for delivery before current models reach the end of their useful lives.

Recommendation 10

That the Government of Canada sign firm contracts with the Canadian defence industry to produce materiel associated with the conflict in Ukraine and to re-equip the Canadian Armed Forces.

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada direct the Department of National Defence to review the process for contracting out base maintenance and service contracts to ensure the department can adequately complete a Value-For-Money analysis.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada direct the Department of National Defence to establish an electronic system that accurately tracks, controls, and reports on its contracting activities, including documentation related to any ongoing and completed procurement projects, and ensures all contracts that are required to be proactively disclosed are disclosed.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada investigate the use of a procurement tracking software system to increase accountability between departments, reduce delays and track internal performance measures.

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada consider adopting a digital technology platform that would contribute to: standardized defence procurement processes; improved management of defence procurement projects; enhanced transparency and accountability; and the identification of cost‑saving opportunities.

Recommendation 15

That the Government of Canada, when advisable, delegate some decision-making responsibilities for defence procurement to lower-level federal managers with the goal of meeting two objectives: reducing the number of approvals needed; and accelerating decisions relating to defence procurement projects.

Recommendation 16

That the Government of Canada make the Canadian procurement process more strategic and efficient by simplifying the criteria and focusing on performance-based criteria that will help deliver the mission rather than on prescriptive, detail-oriented criteria, so as to produce faster and better results that respond to the rapidly evolving international security threats and emerging capability requirements.

Recommendation 17

That the Government of Canada consider adopting a risk-based procurement approach and increasing the use of risk-based contract approvals to streamline defence procurement and reduce unnecessary process requirements.

Recommendation 18

That the Government of Canada update the defence procurement process to ensure that the use of the National Security Exception automatically triggers additional oversight by independent agencies.

Recommendation 19

That the Government of Canada re-examine the personnel posting structure to increase retention, continuity, and institutional memory in defence procurement, and ensure that an adequate number of qualified and trained procurement personnel are employed to perform all needed procurement duties.

Recommendation 20

That the Government of Canada recognize the distinct needs of women in the Canadian Armed Forces by conducting and publicly reporting a GBA+ analysis.

Recommendation 21

That the Government of Canada make a greater effort to communicate major procurement projects in a transparent manner that articulates the risks of cost overruns and other issues.

Recommendation 22

That the Government of Canada adopt all six recommendations made by the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman in their report titled “Procurement practice review of the Department of National Defence.”.

Recommendation 23

That the Government of Canada empower the Procurement Ombudsman with the authority to compel documentation from federal departments.

Recommendation 24

That the Government of Canada create a Defence Industrial Strategy to maintain and build Canada's defence industrial base.

Recommendation 25

That the Government of Canada create a framework for the establishment of a long-term National Aerospace Strategy that centers around collaboration between the government and industry to plan for and position Canada and the aerospace industry for the defence requirements of the future.

Recommendation 26

That the Government of Canada make the procurement process more open, unbiased, and transparent with objective and realistic selection criteria to acquire the best equipment possible, and that it prioritize Canadian companies before opening the competition to other global competitors, especially for industries that are well-developed, competitive globally, and where Canada is a leader, such as the Canadian aerospace industry.

Recommendation 27

That the Government of Canada champion Canadian industry within NATO and to all of our allies to ensure that Canadian companies are benefiting from interoperability requirements.

Recommendation 28

That the Government of Canada recommend that NATO develop a database of NATO member defence equipment and supplies available for sale to NATO member countries.

Recommendation 29

That the Government of Canada support the domestic defence industry by increasing communication outside of specific procurement projects, assisting with international sales opportunities, and providing annual forecasts of what defence procurements will be needed in the short-, medium- and long‑term.

Recommendation 30

That the Government of Canada proactively collaborate with industry and universities early on to determine current capabilities and to come up with a made-in-Canada solution by leveraging our innovation and industrial strengths to meet our growing defence and security needs and to work collaboratively towards developing the tools and technology that will be needed by the Canadian Armed Forces in the years to come.

Recommendation 31

That the Government of Canada build strong strategic relationships with industry and academia through ongoing and sustained engagement to enhance government procurement capacity through collaborative training and skills development by developing mechanisms for sharing skills, talent and risk management approaches.

Recommendation 32

That the Government of Canada undertake comprehensive measures to integrate industry and academia into the procurement process.

Recommendation 33

That the Government of Canada work to bring our Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements in line with allies to reduce overwhelming number of pages per application.

Recommendation 34

That the Government of Canada not base its conclusions regarding the capacity of the Canadian defence industry until an RFP is released and Canadian defence companies have had an opportunity to apply and be evaluated by a qualified defence engineer.

Recommendation 35

That the Government of Canada facilitate more research through Defence Research and Development Canada to ensure Canada stays at the cutting edge of defence and security innovation.

Recommendation 36

That the Government of Canada conduct a review into the effectiveness of the Industrial Technological Benefits (ITBs) program and the impact it has had on growing Canada’s defence industry, and table this report with the House of Commons.