Evidence of meeting #17 for Industry, Science and Technology in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was program.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Richard Dicerni  Deputy Minister, Department of Industry
Kelly Gillis  Chief Financial Officer, Comptrollership and Administration Sector, Department of Industry
Michael Jenkin  Director General, Office of Consumer Affairs, Department of Industry

3:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

I was answering the second part of your question—

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Fair enough.

3:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

—because you asked if there were any job cuts, and until any decisions are made, it is not useful to speculate as to what the impact would be on jobs.

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

So does that mean no report has been submitted?

3:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

Here you're into a small, delicate matter. It obviously will be presented to a cabinet committee, and when bureaucrats present documents and ministers sign them off, they become cabinet memos.

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

If I were to ask what programs are to be cut or what programs are on the table, I'm going to get a similar answer, I presume.

3:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

3:55 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

What are the current staff levels? How many full-time equivalents do you have now?

3:55 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

We have about 4,000. There are 4,000 within Industry Canada, and then we have other organizations like CIPO, which are revenue generating. They operate on their own basis. If you put in the revenue-generating units, it's about 5,600.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Have they changed since the last fiscal year?

4 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

Not materially.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Can you tell us what they were in 2006–07 and subsequent fiscal years? Maybe you could provide us with those details on what the numbers were, the totals.

The other thing is, how much have you budgeted for severance packages or buyouts?

4 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

I don't think we budgeted, partially because I don't know if we will have any—

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

So that's next year maybe. See you next year.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer has provided a document that tracks all of the 2010 strategic review savings initiatives identified in the 2011–12 estimates documents. According to these documents, the targeted budgetary reductions for Industry Canada for 2011–12 were $6.1 million, of which $5.9 million were identified. The documents from the PBO also indicate that these cuts did not include any full-time equivalent reductions or program eliminations, as identified in the quarterly reports. Is that correct?

4 p.m.

Chief Financial Officer, Comptrollership and Administration Sector, Department of Industry

Kelly Gillis

We identified in the quarterly report the financial aspects of the reductions and explained the financial aspects of the reductions.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

I know the PBO indicated that 42 positions were eliminated at ACOA as part of the $5.4 million in identified savings. Is that correct?

4 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

Richard Dicerni

I regretfully will have to disappoint you again and say that we are not accountable for ACOA. Therefore, I have no data.

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Your minister is, so if he were here—

4 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

Isn't your minister...?

4 p.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Industry

4 p.m.

Liberal

Geoff Regan Liberal Halifax West, NS

The minister for ACOA would be, and I guess he reports to this committee? He'd have to report to this committee. So I guess there's no one coming from ACOA to answer the estimates. That's problematic.

4 p.m.

A voice

I'm sure they'd welcome the chance.

4 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative David Sweet

That's all of the time, Mr. Regan.

Now I'm getting the nod from the government, so we'll go back to the NDP for five minutes.

4 p.m.

NDP

Philip Toone NDP Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, QC

I'd like to come back to the question I asked before. You said that some mapping will be done for the program, which is ending in 2012, and that there will be mapping on what there will be.