Finance Committee on Dec. 3rd, 2012

[Jean-Michel Catta]

As I said, it was $16 million. That is how much was allocated to the Department of Finance this year for advertising. The money was to be used for an advertising campaign for the Economic Action Plan.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

Can you tell us the total overall amount?

[Jean-Michel Catta]

Yes.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

What would that amount be? Are we talking about the $16 million?

[Jean-Michel Catta]

It is the $16 million.

[Hoang Mai, NDP, Brossard—La Prairie, QC]

That is a lot of money when services are being cut and restricted. There are fewer services being provided. We think this is a lot of money invested in advertising instead of in services.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

I just want to clarify as the chair that, for the economic action plan, the spending was in supplementary estimates (A). With respect to the votes the committee will have to do today, we will not be asked to vote on additional funds for that program.

Am I correct in that?

[Sherry Harrison]

That's correct.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you.

Ms. Glover, please.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to make some clarifications as well.

Perhaps, Mr. Catta, you can help me. I've received a number of letters from constituents over the last several years with regard to how they might take advantage of tax credits that have been put in budgets and how they might take advantage of some of the measures to create jobs. Small business owners in particular have contacted me numerous times with regard to the hiring credit for small business and that kind of thing. Many of them have absolutely no clue on how to access those things. Some are very appreciative of the advertising that's been done.

Have you received any suggestions from opposition parties on how we might educate Canadians if we don't use advertising tools to educate Canadians on how they might benefit from these measures? Have you received any suggestions from opposition parties on how we might do that?

[Jean-Michel Catta]

No, I haven't received any.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Very good.

As Mr. Jean quite precisely indicated, you said 53% of Canadians indicated that they are familiar with—

[Jean-Michel Catta]

Or that at least they recalled seeing the economic action plan ad that the department produced.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I think what I heard from Mr. Simms today is that he thinks we ought to have spent more money so that more people are aware. I certainly am glad the advertising is helping Canadians, particularly those who are most vulnerable and those who are attempting to make sure that jobs are created. I thank you for that.

If ever you do get some suggestions, I'm happy to work with the opposition parties, in any way, to make sure Canadians do have the opportunities that are available in the budgets. I throw that out there to opposition members if ever they have any ideas on how to better do this. In the meantime, the $16 million, I think, is well spent.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Thank you, Mrs. Glover.

Mr. Marston, please.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It's a little sooner than I was expecting, but I am ready.

You seem to be in the hot seat today, Mr. Catta, so we'll leave you there for a minute or two.

First of all, I want to start by saying that all the officials here today are doing what they're directed to do by the government of the day, and the work you do is appreciated. We're asking you straightforward questions and maybe verging on political questions; don't take it personally.

I think Mr. Jean hit it dead-on in his interventions with you when he talked about top of mind branding and how the economic action plan helped brand the government. The $16 million we heard about came from an order in council. For those people at home who won't know, that's a direct order that comes from the government itself. It hasn't gone through the House. It's the government's directive on what to do. You were delivering, and the information you have given back to us, the effectiveness of doing that—even though there was a little debate with Mr. Simms—was the effectiveness of branding the Conservatives.

Now, it may be used in the sense of people talking about the economic action plan, but I will tell you, in my riding people kept asking me why we are spending that kind of money. I am not making that accusation at you because you are doing as you're directed, but because it was raised again by—

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

It's through the chair, please.

[Wayne Marston, NDP, Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, ON]

Sorry, Mr. Chair, I tend to get a little excited. For all that, I just wanted to get to that point.

I just received a note that Ms. Nash would like to split time with me and I will always do what Ms. Nash asks.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

You have about three minutes.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

I will not take advantage of that generous offer.

In response, through you, Mr. Chair, to Ms. Glover, our recommendation was that we add greater transparency to both the budgeting and the estimates process so that Canadians, through their parliamentarians and through the Parliamentary Budget Officer, have the best and most thorough information possible in order to do our jobs.

With that, as I have the floor, I would like to introduce a motion on this subject, given that we have the Finance officials here today. I move that the Standing Committee on Finance ask the Minister of Finance to release to the committee the information that the Parliamentary Budget Officer has requested on the cuts in his department.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Chair, I have a point of order. We are here talking about supplementary estimates (B), so I would certainly welcome your decision in terms of whether this is even an appropriate motion to bring forward at this time.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

At first glance, this does not seem to be on the topic of the day. We are dealing with supplementary estimates (B). Maybe Ms. Nash would want to speak to exactly how the motion relates to the business of the day.

If it does relate to the business of the day, it's in order. But if it doesn't, it's not. I'm not seeing, on first glance, how it relates to the estimates before us today.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Well, it relates to the business of the day because if we don't have the information from the budget process about how the government intends to spend money, it's difficult for us to determine whether these estimates are in keeping with the specific budget plans of the government.

Given that we have the Finance officials here today and given that it is the finance department that is crucially important to providing accurate information to the Parliamentary Budget Officer for him to be able to do his job, I thought it was in fact in order that we ask them to provide the information that the Parliamentary Budget Officer is looking for.

[The Chair, Conservative, James Rajotte]

Well, unless I'm getting advice to the contrary, the orders of the day are, pursuant to Standing Order 81(5), supplementary estimates (B), 2012-13, votes 5b and 25b under finance referred to the committee on Thursday, November 8, 2012.

I don't see how this motion refers to either one of those votes. That's my problem with this motion.

Ms. Glover, do you want to speak to this?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I just want to help my colleague across the way. The finance department has already complied with the requests from the PBO and much of the information was, in fact, put on the website.

I'm in agreement with you, Chair, I don't see this topic on any of these pages, so it's a bit of a stretch. But, as I say, it's already been complied with. It's on the website and she can check that.