Evidence of meeting #41 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was volunteer.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Gina Wilson  Senior Associate Deputy Minister, Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, Department of Canadian Heritage
Clerk of the Committee  Ms. Caroline Bosc
Rachel Wernick  Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Stephanie Hébert  Assistant Deputy Minister, Program Operations Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Paula Speevak  President and Chief Executive Officer, Volunteer Canada

3 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

We will officially call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 41, the first panel of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance. We are meeting on government spending, the WE Charity and the Canada student service grant. Today's meeting is taking place by video conference and the proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website.

We are pleased to have on this first panel, Minister Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth. Accompanying her is Gina Wilson, senior associate deputy minister, diversity and inclusion and youth, with the Department of Canadian Heritage.

Before I turn to you, Minister, I know you have an opening statement, but we do have a bit of committee business that we must complete first.

I believe all members have a copy of the subcommittee report. The subcommittee met on Thursday, July 9 to consider the business of the committee and agreed to a number of recommendations:

That, in relation to the study of the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the awarding of the sole-source contract to WE Charity:

(a) the committee hold meetings on Thursday, July 16, Tuesday, July 21, Wednesday, July 22, and Tuesday, July 28;

(b) that for the meeting on Thursday, July 16, the first panel be comprised of the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and the Deputy Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth, and that the second panel be comprised of the Clerk of the Privy Council and the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch at Employment and Social Development Canada;

(c) that preliminary priority witness lists be submitted to the clerk no later than 12:00 p.m. on Monday, July 13;

(d) that final priority witness lists be submitted to the clerk no later than 12:00 p.m. on Friday, July 17; and

(e) that over the course of the remaining three meetings, the committee hear from a maximum of 18 witnesses.

That was the motion that was moved. I have just one word of explanation: The clerk is on holiday and is not available for today's meeting. I said that would be fine and we would have him on the 21st. That has been established.

Does somebody want to move that report? Who wants to move it? Okay, Peter Fragiskatos.

Is there any discussion on it?

(Motion agreed to)

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

With that, Madam Minister, we will turn to you. If you hold your remarks as tight as possible, certainly no more than 10 minutes, we'll have more time for questions.

Minister Chagger, the floor is yours.

July 16th, 2020 / 3:05 p.m.

Waterloo Ontario

Liberal

Bardish Chagger LiberalMinister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the members of this committee for your ongoing work during these extremely challenging and unprecedented times.

I also want to thank you for inviting me today to speak to Canadians about the measures we've taken as a government to support young Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Accompanying me today is my senior associate deputy minister, Gina Wilson. Moving forward, I will acknowledge her as “my deputy”.

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the daily lives of all Canadians and disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable.

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Minister, I don't want to interrupt you, but just check to make sure that when you're speaking French, you're on the French interpretation channel, because both languages are coming through at the same level. When you're on English, you have to click the English translation channel at the bottom of Zoom; and when you're on French, you have to use the French. Otherwise, they come through equally.

3:05 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected the daily lives of all Canadians and disproportionately impacted the most vulnerable. Canada's youth are no exception.

Mr. Chair, Canadians are hurting.

As a member of Parliament for Waterloo, I have three post-secondary institutions in my riding that I was elected to represent. I know first-hand that students are facing a unique set of challenges during this pandemic, be they their studies, disruptions to work opportunities, internships and co-op placements, or, like most Canadians, uncertainty about what comes next.

When the pandemic hit, our government acted by immediately placing a moratorium on Canada student loan repayments, including interest relief. Then in April, the Prime Minister announced a $9-billion investment in students and youth, including the Canada emergency student benefit.

We also doubled Canada student grants and increased the Canada student loans program so that students facing financial challenges could access and afford post-secondary education. We increased employment opportunities and supports for youth across the country through the youth employment and skills strategy. We increased our investment in the student work placement program to help create 20,000 job placements for post-secondary students in their fields of study.

As part of this suite of supports for students and youth, the Government of Canada created the Canada student service grant. At the time the grant was developed, the pandemic had reshaped our reality, creating a number of overarching challenges.

First, the country was in lockdown. Post-secondary students and recent graduates, like all Canadians, were facing unprecedented challenges. There was economic uncertainty, and it became apparent that there would be difficulties for students to find employment over the summer months, employment that would be crucial to helping them pay for school in the fall, pay down student debt, or pay for related expenses such as housing and utilities.

Second, we heard from many not-for-profits that they were struggling to provide services in their communities. Almost half of not-for-profits were having trouble finding volunteers at the same time that they were seeing an increased demand for their services. With public health guidelines requiring physical distancing, many not-for-profits needed to find new ways to engage volunteers while continuing to support their local communities within the context of COVID-19.

Third, we also heard very clearly from students that they want to work, yet they also want to serve their communities.

Mr. Chair, we've seen young Canadians roll up their sleeves to assist their vulnerable neighbours, drop off groceries and help people around them connect using technology. They have stepped up to help in this time of need.

As a result of this reality, our policy objectives in creating this grant during the crisis were all-encompassing. We endeavoured to provide a way for students to both serve their communities and develop skills, while also rewarding their contribution and supporting their post-secondary education. It was important to me that the design of the program reflect the diversity of our country and be inclusive to students, regardless of their ability, region or socio-economic status. I pushed to ensure that a diverse range of students and a wide range of not-for-profits could participate in this new initiative.

Given the scope and scale of the program, it was recommended by the public service that entering into a contribution agreement with a third party was the best approach to ensure that both students and not-for-profits could receive the necessary support to deliver this program successfully, and as quickly as possible. The contribution agreement that was negotiated by the public service and signed by the Government of Canada and WE Charity allocated funding to different cohorts.

The first announcement we made was for 20,000 placements, and $19.5 million was allocated. Of this $19.5 million, $5 million was for not-for-profits for the creation and support they needed, and $300,000 was for accessibility supports, so that every student, regardless of their ability, could participate.

There were two other categories of funding envisioned in the contribution agreement. There was $10.5 million to be provided to WE Charity to administer the program for smaller, local not-for-profits that would want to participate. This money was provided to WE in anticipation of a desire by these groups to participate in the program.

Additionally, as we've always stated, our intent was for this program to scale up. Had that occurred, there could have been another $13.53 million provided to WE for an additional 20,000 placements. Going ahead with this would only have been authorized if the demand was there and the program was proceeding as planned. There were checks and balances put in place, and they would have had to approve it for it to move forward. We had not moved to the second cohort.

The maximum amount that WE Charity could have received was $43.53 million out of the total budget of $912 million. The vast majority of the monies were for grants that would have been issued as one-time payments for students to pay for their post-secondary education costs.

Mr. Chair, I would like it noted for the record that our public service entered into a contribution agreement with WE Charity, and not a contract, as the opposition continues to imply.

Mr. Chair, I'd like to make something clear once and for all: our public service entered into a contribution agreement with WE Charity, not a contract, as the opposition continues to imply.

A contribution agreement allowed the department to leverage the network and digital capacity of a national organization to swiftly implement the CSSG program. The non-partisan and professional public service made a clear recommendation that WE Charity was the organization that was able to deliver this program in the timeline that was needed.

Mr. Chair, as you know, WE Charity is no longer delivering the CSSG. There are tens of thousands of students and hundreds of not-for-profit—

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

The interpreter is indicating that she didn't receive the statement in advance, which is making her job harder, as I can appreciate. Is that true? If so, I would point out that the rules of the committee dictate that the interpreters be provided with statements in advance, so they can do the best possible job.

Can we get some clarity on that, please?

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

There isn't a rule that ministers have to do that. It's better if they can. It make things happen more easily in Ottawa.

I'd ask the minister to maybe slow down a little bit to give the translators a better opportunity to translate.

Go ahead, Minister.

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

A contribution agreement allowed the department to leverage the network and digital capacity of a national organization to swiftly implement the CSSG program. The non-partisan and professional public service made a clear recommendation that WE Charity was the organization that was able to deliver this program in the timeline that was needed.

Mr. Chair, as you know, WE Charity is no longer delivering the CSSG. There are tens of thousands of students and hundreds of not-for-profits that expressed—

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Mr. Chair, she's speaking too quickly.

3:10 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

You're still going fairly fast, Minister.

Go ahead, Mr. Fortin.

3:10 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

We should have her statement in writing. If not, she should slow down enough so that the interpreter can hear what she's saying and do her job properly. I'm very fond of Ms. Chagger. She has a lovely voice, but I'm listening to her statement in French, so I'd like to be able to understand what she's saying. It seems to me that's important.

Can we have the French version of her statement?

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

It's too late at this point in time to get it to the translators. It isn't an absolute policy of committees that ministers come with their prepared text for committee members and translators.

That's the problem. We will have to deal with it as we can at the moment.

Go ahead, Minister Chagger.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

Mr. Chair, I can offer my words at the end, if you would like, so they can be shared. I will stick to English so there are no translation issues.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

The problem, I think, Minister, is that when you're speaking English you're going a little fast and the translators are having a difficult job getting it into French. When you're speaking French, I'm hearing it okay in English, so just slow down while you're speaking English, please.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

I will slow down.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you.

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

If we're going to claim this is a bilingual Parliament, we have to walk the talk, as they say. We need to make sure everyone can hear and understand what's being said just as well in French as in English, but unfortunately, that's not the case.

Whether I can understand what the minister is saying doesn't seem to matter as much. Does she think she's speaking only to anglophone Canadians? Does she not care about francophones? She should say so, if that's the case.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Order, Mr. Fortin. I don't believe that's proper.

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

I don't believe it either, Mr. Chair.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

She is speaking in both official languages. The reason we are using Zoom through the parliamentary channel is so that bilingualism will be upheld. If Ms. Chagger is speaking a little fast for the translators, we understand that, but I do not want it to be implied that either the minister or this committee is not abiding by the rules of bilingualism. We are.

Madam Minister, you have the floor.

3:15 p.m.

Bloc

Rhéal Fortin Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

That's not what I was implying, Mr. Chair. I was simply asking the question.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

To continue, there are tens of thousands of students and hundreds of not-for-profits that expressed interest in participating in this innovative program. It is unfortunate and regrettable that these placements are currently on hold. We acknowledge that this process was not perfect and we remain committed to providing this additional support to both students and not-for-profits. We are working around the clock to find a new way to serve these needs.

Our government’s objective remains the same: to connect the skills and abilities that young people are looking to develop and strengthen, with service opportunities to help heal communities. Our goal remains to get money to those in need as quickly as possible.

Mr. Chair, I represent the voices of Canada’s youth at the cabinet table. I am committed to providing students and youth with the supports and opportunities they need, because when Canada's youth succeed, our entire country thrives. That has always been my priority. The measures I have mentioned are only some of the programs that we have put in place. These are necessary supports that students and youth need during this crisis.

Mr. Chair, committee members, Canadians, thank you for your attention. We are happy to answer any questions. We hope we are afforded the opportunity to provide the answers that members are looking for.

3:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you, Madam Minister.

The first round of questions will be for six minutes each. We'll start with Mr. Poilievre, Mr. Fragiskatos, Mr. Fortin and Mr. Angus.

I will say at the beginning that we will follow as closely as we can the rules established in the House. We expect the answers to be relatively the same length as the questions. I will go back to the questions when that time limit has been reached, as has been done in the House with the COVID-19 committee.

With that said, I usually try to give a little bit of flexibility or a little more leniency on substantive issues. We'll try to do that, but we want to stick as closely to the time as we can.

Mr. Poilievre, the floor is yours.

3:15 p.m.

Conservative

Pierre Poilievre Conservative Carleton, ON

What is the name of the public servant who recommended that we deliver the Canada student service grant? Just the name, please.

3:20 p.m.

Liberal

Bardish Chagger Liberal Waterloo, ON

Rachel Wernick.