Evidence of meeting #33 for Canadian Heritage in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was cbc.
A recording is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Well, as I said, these things are normally taken up as part of the budgetary process.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Right--but see, this is where you have to fill in the details for someone like me.
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Annual budgets.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
It would be part of the annual budget cycle.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Right. So you're talking about when it's announced in the budget, as done for 2001.
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Then for the next exercise, it would be for the next budget cycle. This particular $60 million was part of the last budget cycle, and the supplementary estimates are recording this and seeking approval of Parliament for its expenditure.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
So you'll find out about next year's $60 million at the announcement of the next budget.
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Normally speaking, that's part of the preparations for the next federal budget.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Okay. That's it. You hear it so often, and you just want to delve into it.
I look at the number of the savings...and I don't mean to belabour the point again about this, but you're talking about a lot of salaries that were done in advance, is that correct?
Because there's been a freeze on administrative costs, then that's where that $13 million comes from, the CBC number?
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Correct, as with other government departments; this is just part of a normal clawback to announce...that follows that budget 2010 announcement.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Right. But with those advance salaries given to the CBC....
I'm just having a hard time trying to understand how this works. These are advance salaries by whom?
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
In last year's 2009-10 appropriations, money was provided for the CBC for these planned salary increases, and this was done for Canadian Heritage and other departments as well; and because it was done in a previous budgetary exercise and a subsequent decision was taken—
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
But wouldn't that be a decision of the CBC?
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
The appropriations? No, the appropriations process--
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
No, I mean the salaries themselves, the advance on the salaries that you're talking about.
4:35 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
CBC is subject to the rest of the government's decision on the freeze of the salary budget.
4:35 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
Ah, right. We're getting to it now.
When it comes to the savings themselves, it seems to me there hasn't been.... There was a request by the Parliamentary Budget Officer for details regarding the remaining operating budget reductions. Do you have any idea, in your mind, how this is going to play out to March 31, how you're going to make these savings?
4:40 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
I think we're in pretty good shape, to tell you the truth, on this year's exercise. We actually publish our forecast as part of the report on plans and priorities, so you'd be able to get the figures on this. It's our responsibility to manage our resources as prudently as we possibly can and come in on budget.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
Scott Simms Liberal Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL
It's the impacts on existing departmental operations that I worry about. Have the reductions affected corporate risk, as measured by the management accountability framework?
4:40 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
I think we've done fairly well on the management accountability framework.
4:40 p.m.
Liberal
4:40 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
We expect to continue, and we will work hard to do well in the future.
