The federal government is a significant purchaser in Canada. As such, its activities impact the national economy and can influence both the price and the availability of goods and services, including construction services, in the marketplace.

In 1978, the Canadian province of Quebec passed the Environmental Quality Act, establishing the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (Bureau of Public Hearings on the Environment). The Bureau’s core mission is to consult citizens on the environmental, social, and economic impact of proposed policies in order to advise Quebec’s environmental ministry. Since 1990, the Bureau has held public hearings on a wide variety of topics, including on the question of shale gas exploitation.