Canada’s Integrity Framework Needs To Be Revised

Canada's recent changes to its Integrity Framework for federal government contracts have made it one of the most restrictive debarment regimes in the world, if not the most restrictive. While everyone acknowledges the need for the federal government to contract with only "responsible" suppliers, the changes introduced on March 14, 2014, have caused significant damage and uncertainty for many of Canada's largest government contractors.

The government needs to revise several problematic provisions and clarify many of the ambiguities littered throughout the Integrity Framework. In addition, their application needs to be more consistent and predictable in order to avoid suspicions of arbitrariness on the part of the bureaucrats implementing them.