Environment Committee on March 5th, 2013

[Carol Najm]

Some of these examples include the reduction in travel expenditures, reduction in the use of professional services, consolidation of our locations, saving $5 million—

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Could you be more specific? I'm hearing some of these cuts. I'd like to know program cuts.

[Carol Najm]

The proposals are over three years and 2012-13 is the first year of implementation, so what have been implemented to date are mostly on the administrative efficiencies side, and the programs have three years to completely implement those changes. So year one is a lot of the administrative efficiencies to date.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

What is it in year two and three?

[Carol Najm]

In year two and three, we look for reducing redundancies in our reporting, focusing on our core mandate and where services can be provided by other parties—stakeholders and more appropriate levels of government. Those types of programs will be reduced.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Can you specify what the programs are? I'm hearing redundancies in reporting. I'd really like the specifics here, please.

[Bob Hamilton]

We can provide you with that. Just to take one step between the full detail, which we will do in writing, as Carol said, this is a three-year program so we see a $13-million reduction this year; that's going to grow to $31 million and ultimately I believe $58 million over the three-year period. That's about a 5% cut for Environment Canada. About 70% of those savings are going to come from streamlining administrative efficiencies, and the balance will come from our getting out of programs, activities that were not core.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Could we know what that 30% is?

[Bob Hamilton]

Yes, we will provide the information.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Thank you very much.

I have just a few business items to take care of, as a committee. You've all received a second draft of the report on urban conservation. I just want to remind you that these are confidential documents. If you don't want either the English or the French, you can return that to the clerk. We will be dealing with that at our next meeting on Thursday.

We now need to move through the votes on the supplementary estimates (C) and the main estimates. You have these documents in front of you, supplied by our analysts and clerk, and so we're going to move through those beginning with—

Yes, Madam Leslie?

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Thanks. Before we begin, owing to the fact that we haven't had the report on plans and priorities tabled and the minister has indicated a willingness to come back and speak to the main estimates once that report is tabled, I ask that we defer the votes on the main estimates until a later date. We have until June to adopt the main estimates. I don't think there would be a problem with that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Is there any response from committee members on that?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

No. We're in agreement.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Let's move then to the first section, the supplementary estimates (C) 2012-13.

Shall vote 1c, under Environment, carry?

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Actually, Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

I would like to ask perhaps a bit of an unorthodox question to our chief financial officer.

Are there any implications to the business of supply in deferring the main estimates?

[Carol Najm]

Ordinarily, we look for the main estimates to be approved as soon as possible to allow us to then work through our own budgets and planning for the coming year. We will go on the basis that these numbers are approved, but to wait until June may be a little difficult for us to manage the year.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Mr. Chair, given that information, I request that we vote on the main estimates today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Unless we hear further, we're going to take that as a request. We can vote on the suggestion, if you want to make that a motion.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

Is there agreement to proceed with both the supplementary estimates (C) and the main estimates?

[Megan Leslie, NDP, Halifax, NS]

Mr. Chair, it certainly wouldn't be anybody's intention to wait until June.

Certainly we'd like to get your numbers as soon as possible. But we are going to have the minister back at committee to speak to the main estimates, from our perspective, as soon as the report on plans and priorities is tabled—

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

The question is that we don't know when that is, so I think that means an open-ended—

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

Mr. Chair, I move that we move in camera so we can discuss future business.

[The Chair, Conservative, Harold Albrecht]

I think we need to deal with the estimates, though.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Centre-North, AB]

I move that we move in camera.