Evidence of meeting #89 for Environment and Sustainable Development in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was right.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
I want to note that section 12 of the current act, which refers to performance-based contracts, does not pertain to performance agreements of senior officials but to procurement. As a result, it duplicates the existing Treasury Board and Public Services and Procurement Canada's policies, and Bill C-57 proposes to delete it for this reason. It's because it's referring strictly to procurement. It's not referring to anything above and beyond that.
Our revision, replacing “environment” with “sustainable development”, makes it more consistent with the revised purpose.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'm sorry. Can you say that again, how you're reading section 12?
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
Section 12 of the current act refers to “performance-based contracts”, but that does not pertain to performance agreements of senior officials. It refers to procurement only.
NDP
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
No, but what we're saying is it duplicates the existing Treasury Board and Public Services and Procurement Canada policies.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
Okay, let me speak to that, because you're raising a very good point.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
In fact, we looked into whether the Treasury Board right now has policies and directives on exactly that. We couldn't find any.
What this provision would allow—it's not mandatory—is for Treasury Board to in fact provide policies and directives in how you apply section 12.
Liberal
Mike Bossio Liberal Hastings—Lennox and Addington, ON
The changes that we're proposing to make would give Treasury Board the ability to look at all sustainable development related to its purview. It just simplifies it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Section 12 says:
Performance-based contracts with the Government of Canada shall include provisions for meeting the applicable targets referred to in the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies.
That's what you're referring to.
Liberal
Director General, Sustainability Directorate, Strategic Policy Branch, Department of the Environment
Thank you very much.
Section 12 of the current act has similar language, and the application of it for the last eight years has been related to performance-based contracts, which have been deemed to be contracts we sign for procuring services, buying goods, and those sorts of things. They are not in fact related to what you think of as deputy ministers' performance agreements.
There is a big distinction. The application of section 12 as it now stands in the act relates to procurement. It does not relate to performance-based agreements with senior executives.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
How is my amendment in any way affecting that? It's consistent with the language. Are they striking section 12?
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Deb Schulte
Okay. I'm just trying to respect the order of speakers.
Go ahead, Linda, and I do get your point.
NDP
Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB
I'm trying to remember. Does this bill strike out section 12 of the act? It doesn't.
