Evidence of meeting #62 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was contracts.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:15 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
It can be, when we're working with individual suppliers. When we're talking to them about the kind of business we have with them, we find it's useful to know what the total number is. That way we know where we....
10:15 a.m.
Conservative
10:15 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
Exactly: as the ministers mentioned when they announced the creation of the department, leveraging the government's buying power is one of the objectives of Shared Services Canada.
With respect to your second question about SMEs, we do expect to continue to have solid relationships with SMEs, and you will always find SMEs reflected in any kind of list that comes from us, no matter how it's organized, because we believe in the value of a diversity of suppliers. An SME is not going to be providing the telecommunications that Rogers or Telus would, but they do provide us with some very valuable.... In fact, we just recently signed an agreement, a contract for Internet-hosting, with an SME here in the national capital region. They are interested by the kinds of opportunities we make available, and we're interested in maintaining a relationship with them.
10:15 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Forand, thank you for the answers that you have given us until now. I really like your frankness.
My only question pertains to the $10.8 million earmarked for cybersecurity. A year has gone by. You have access to sensitive material that you must build on.
Did your strategic planning not take this security into account?
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
That is an excellent question, thank you.
The $10.8 million that you alluded to are to be used to add to the already existing capacity. There was already capacity and this amount will be used to strengthen it.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Why do you need a reinforcement if this was included in the initial planning? Were there some issues that you could not foresee? Did new factors surface?
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
There are two things here.
First of all, the initial planning obviously was not done by Shared Services Canada. Departments organized themselves, on an individual basis, to provide this security capacity. So, initially, just bringing together everything under Shared Services Canada alone gave us a different perspective as well as a more global overview of what we could do and what we were going to have to do.
Secondly, this is part of the initiatives announced by the government in 2010, which included the Canadian Cybersecurity Strategy. We are therefore a player in this strategy. You no doubt know that—
10:20 a.m.
NDP
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
Yes, obviously. We are not, however, the only one; the other partners are as well.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Have you estimated the size of the increase required over the next few years? If this amount is only to do basic planning, we might find ourselves with some problems. Earlier, you acknowledged the changing technologies. The private sector has an influence over research and development. Tomorrow, we may wind up with interactive glasses. How are we going to incorporate those into our system?
You said that you were going to be saving money. However, if it is impossible to calculate these factors, how are you going to manage to do long-term financial planning?
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
As far as security is concerned, we have done planning over a five-year term. We will therefore be receiving additional amounts over a five-year period and on an ongoing basis after that.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
No, it is quantified. You will recall that Mr. Toews announced an additional $155 million over five years for cybersecurity. Of this amount, we will receive $47 million over five years and, after that, $18 million, I believe, on an ongoing basis. This is so we can do things, so that we can increase—
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
That would be the case if all these factors remained constant, obviously.
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
That gives us the opportunity to strengthen our monitoring systems and our capacity to respond to cybercrime incidents.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Given the magnitude of what you are doing, $10.8 million does not really appear to be all that much, in all honesty. Indeed, you have an enormous undertaking.
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
The $10.8 million amount is an additional amount for one year. This is an additional amount to what we already had.
As Mr. Westcott explained earlier, this will enable us to create, over the next three years, coordinated capacity to protect information, which used to be the responsibility of 20 different departments. We will be able to coordinate that. We will have an additional centre to ensure that if something happens to the first centre, the backup centre will always be there. That will also enable us to open a second secure Internet access which, once again, will ensure that should something happen to the first access, the backup access will be there. This money will enable us to do this type of thing.
10:20 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
Let's use the example of this project that was undertaken in Australia in 2003. According to some figures, this country was supposed to achieve $56.6 million in savings annually. Finally, in July, the government had to cancel the project when it realized that the initiative would cost more than the amount saved.
Have you got a plan B? Let us not forget that we are talking about taxpayers' money. Given all of the investment that has been made and all of the fluctuations in planning, we do not want to be left in the lurch. We need to have something in our back pocket, a plan B. Is there a plan B?
10:20 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
In everything that we do, we invest heavily in the planning process, be it for the transformation pertaining to the email system, the data centres or the networks. We will not have just one plan for an eight-year period. For example, we will have a transformation plan for data centres that will be implemented in a phased-in manner. We are of course working with Treasury Board. You no doubt already know that large undertakings are monitored very closely by Treasury Board. We are going to have to make return visits to see Treasury Board officials on a frequent basis. We are going to have things—
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
My time is limited and I would like to ask you one final question. Could we have access to these documents as they are produced, and not just when you make your presentation? In the overall scheme of things, it would be good if we could see this planning.
10:25 a.m.
President, Shared Services Canada
The documents that we submit to Treasury Board are obviously confidential cabinet documents. However, we are going to be discussing our transformation plans, be it with industry or others, as we proceed. We are expecting that we will have documents that we could share sometime in the first half of 2013.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Thank you very much, Jean-François.
Thank you to our witnesses and guests today. We appreciate the frank presentation and the exchange we've had. I think there's a much better understanding of your efforts and the progress made to date. Thank you very much for being here, Madam Forand, Madam Rallis, and Mr. Westcott. We appreciate it very much.
I will excuse the witnesses and ask members to stay put for a few minutes. There's a vote coming up. I believe the bells will start to ring at about 10:40, although I don't believe we need that much time.
Thank you very much, Madam Forand.
I'd like to give the floor to Linda, who would like to serve notice of a motion. Copies are being circulated.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
It's pretty straightforward. I'll read it out. Copies have been provided in French and English.
My motion is as follows:That, the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates invite witnesses from Parliamentary Precinct Branch, Public Works and Government Services Canada to appear before committee in order to provide an update on the status of renovations and associated costs for the Parliamentary Precinct Renovation Project.
We can potentially discuss that in our steering committee today.
