Evidence of meeting #53 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was chair.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
It's just a quick one, Mr. Chair. Thank you.
Can our officials just let us know which stakeholders support these revised provisions?
4:15 p.m.
Executive Director, People Management and Community Engagement, Workplace Policies and Services Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We have conducted consultations and engagement with different groups of stakeholders. In particular, we spoke with the employee diversity networks within the public service to understand the concerns of their members about the staffing process. We also conducted consultations with bargaining agents to understand the challenges their members were facing and with senior officials regarding diversity and inclusion. In crafting these amendments, we took into account the concerns they had raised.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
Julie Dzerowicz Liberal Davenport, ON
Ms. Beattie, has this measure been informed by the findings on diversity detailed in this year's public service employee survey?
4:15 p.m.
Executive Director, People Management and Community Engagement, Workplace Policies and Services Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
This was prepared before the results of the public service employee survey were available.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Thank you.
(Clauses 280 to 287 inclusive agreed to on division)
(On clause 288)
Thank you, Ms. Beattie. I don't believe you're here for the next one. Thank you for being here all along.
Division 34 is on early learning and child care.
We have Ms. Karen Hall.
4:15 p.m.
Karen Hall Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Hello, Mr. Chair.
4:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
If you want to give us an explanation, go ahead. You will have to hold your mike up for the interpreters.
June 3rd, 2021 / 4:15 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Thank you.
Please just let me know if there are any issues with the sound quality.
I am here to speak to clause 288.
This clause provides for the appropriation of funding for early learning and child care to provinces and territories for fiscal year 2021-22. It includes three elements: first, statutory authority for payments to be made to provinces or territories in connection with the bilateral agreement for early learning and child care in this fiscal year; second, that the minister may establish terms and conditions in respect of those payments; and third, that the maximum total amount that may be paid to the provinces and territories be $2.95 billion.
The purpose of the statutory appropriations for this fiscal year is to ensure that the federal government is able to transfer funding to provinces and territories as soon as bilateral agreements are reached. Funding for future years will be provided through voted appropriations on an annual basis through the estimates process, as has been the case for the existing bilateral agreements.
I'm happy to take your questions.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
Okay. I just want to be sure of the numbers. It's $2.948 billion. Is that right?
4:20 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
That's right.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
You guys in the public service round it higher than I do. I usually round it lower.
We'll have Mr. Fraser first and then Mr. Fast.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to those who've been helping to shepherd us through the meeting while I was absent. I appreciate your support.
My question relates to the figure the chair just referred to: $2.9 billion. The commitment in the recent budget for the national early learning and child care framework is in excess of $30 billion over the next number of years. Can you just give us some clue as to how the figure of $2.9 billion was arrived at and what goal it's seeking to achieve?
4:20 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Thank you for the question.
Mr. Chair, within the $30 billion that Mr. Fraser referred to, there is $27.2 billion over five years for provinces and territories. Within that, the $2.9 billion is the first year of that five years of funding. With regard to how the funding was arrived at, I think that is perhaps not a question for me today. I think I'll just leave that there.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
Yes.
In effect, there have been a couple of commitments made by the government in respect of the child care strategy. One is to reduce the cost by a half in the next year, and I'm wondering if this $2.9 billion will get us there or whether there will be additional supports required through the estimates that would obviously have to go through the parliamentary process before we'll be able to see that goal achieved.
4:20 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
Thank you for the question. My Internet connection is a bit choppy, so I'm hoping that you're able to see and hear me.
Mr. Fraser, that's correct. In budget 2021, the budget articulated a number of goals or commitments for child care. Perhaps first among those were commitments related to fee reduction. In the budget, the government outlined that it was providing funding to provinces and territories that would be sufficient to reduce the cost of regulated child care on average by 50% by the end of 2022, and then to reduce the cost to $10 a day by 2025-26.
This statutory appropriation will be part of the funding that will support achieving those objectives, in the short run achieving the 50% reduction by the end of 2022, and then in the longer run the 50% reduction for 2025-26.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Mr. Chair, this is more of a comment.
I believe, Ms. Hall, you mentioned that future appropriations would be done through the estimates process to fund the strategy. Is that correct?
4:20 p.m.
Director General, Social Policy Directorate, Strategic and Service Policy Branch, Department of Employment and Social Development
That's correct.
4:20 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Yes, the problem is that what we're finding is that the estimates process is woefully inadequate, in that ministers appear and are not prepared to answer even one question when dozens and dozens are raised.
I guess my charge to the Liberal members of our committee, and to you, Ms. Hall, if you could pass this on to the ministers of this government, is that when they appear on estimates, and they have their officials arrayed behind or in front of them, they come prepared to actually answer questions, and not just dodge, skip, jump and hop all over the place, because that's disrespectful. It's a lack of accountability.
I think that's a message that should go back, especially to the finance minister.
4:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter
We've noted that, Mr. Fast. I've been through a lot of Parliaments, as you know, but I'll make no further comment.
Ms. Dzerowicz.