Evidence of meeting #28 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was complaints.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
Why is it not included in the main estimates as base funding?
Information Commissioner of Canada
It's because of the cycle of preparation of this. The mains get prepared and roughly closed in September, and our supplementary estimate submission came before the panel in December and Treasury Board in January.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
You're preparing next year's mains in September. Is that what you're telling me?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
So you weren't sure if you got your supplementary estimates, which would have come in supplementary estimates A, I guess--Is that right?--
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
—in the fall, so they're not included in this book that we have in front of us. Is that correct?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
But you included the number of people that you hope to get, so there's extra money that supplementary estimates A allotted to you over a three-year period. Is that right? Is it over one year or three years?
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
So the $660,000 is over three years. You've spent some of it.
Information Commissioner of Canada
Yes. Last year we lapsed it. This year we spent most of it. This year, this actual year that has begun, will be our last--
Conservative
Information Commissioner of Canada
Not for the time being. The supplementaries we've asked for cover the Federal Accountability Act increases as well as the internal audit. Now, in the third year out, because of that special allotment, we go back to 82.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
So you're reducing staff based on the income you think you will have.
Information Commissioner of Canada
That's right. I will be engaging the committee some time in the fall about what the future looks like with that reduction, particularly when I have the A-base analysis of our staff levels.
Conservative
Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON
This is why I don't understand. I hate supplementaries, and I've said this many times. I don't understand. You know what the FAA is. You know that it's adding 70 new units of things to look at.
We have to remind the committee that you're just looking at complaints. Who knows--maybe you know, but I don't know--in terms of requests, how much they're up in terms of percentage? You're looking at complaints on your side. Why is that not built into your future plans for spending if you know that this is going to be a requirement? Why do I have to wait to say...?
I know that you are small peanuts compared to some of the other departments around here, but we're approving a 19% increase this year. You're saying that you're going down. It's a kind of feel-good sort of thing, but in actual fact you are going to be back asking for more money to keep the 90.
Information Commissioner of Canada
I can say that I'll probably be asking for at least the status quo.
Information Commissioner of Canada
It will be for the 90. Now, our peanuts are important to us--
Information Commissioner of Canada
--and we do count them, and we look forward to their consumption in order to deliver our services.
If you go to page 6 of the RPP, the performance cycle of government asks us to plan three years out.