Evidence of meeting #41 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communications.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultation, Privy Council Office
I would endeavour to get back as quickly as possible.
Liberal
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultation, Privy Council Office
Mr. Chair, I'd be reluctant to commit to next week, but I think within the next two to three weeks, certainly.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
Let's hold you to two. If that's okay, that would be wonderful.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultation, Privy Council Office
I will certainly make best efforts to come back within two weeks.
Liberal
Martha Hall Findlay Liberal Willowdale, ON
Three at the outset? We'll accept the best efforts.
I'm sorry, I've not left much time for Dr. Duncan.
Thank you very much.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you to the witnesses.
I'm going to take us in a slightly different direction. This is so important to Canadians, and that's the commission of inquiry regarding the bombing of Air India. Why have there been delays in the production of the report?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
I believe there were some issues around actually getting documents in. As I mentioned in my opening remarks, I know there was a lot of discussion in the commission around ensuring that they truly understood the content of what they were looking at. One of the other reasons for the delay is that they want to be absolutely sure that the narrative in the report is accurate, and they're taking great pains to make sure that the recommendations they're proposing will be actual solutions that can be implemented and that are practical.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I guess I'm struggling with that, because I would hope that in any inquiry particular care would be taken to ensure the accuracy of the narrative. I'm really struggling with the idea that new money is needed to do that. I'm also wondering why 2,000 pages have been taken out of the final report and what has been removed.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
I can't answer that. In fact, Judge Major, who is the commissioner responsible for the inquiry, has full jurisdiction. He is at the deputy minister level in his own right. They don't negotiate with us as to what the content is. I haven't seen any of that. We provide financial and administrative support to the commission, but the workings inside the commission are under his governance.
I assume they are probably trying to make the report more concise, but I would have to confirm that with them.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Do you see where I am struggling? More money is being requested to remove 2,000 pages.
November 19th, 2009 / 4:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
I don't think that is why the money is being requested. I think it truly is to try to make sure, when the report is finalized, that it provides some clear decisions and some clear recommendations that will, in the final analysis, satisfy particularly those folks who have been participating in the inquiry and the families.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
You mentioned that you don't know what's in the pages that are removed.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
No. In fact, no one in the Privy Council Office would know, because the inquiry is set up under the auspices of the Prime Minister. It is his prerogative. They operate completely separately from us, other than that we provide administrative assistance.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
The next question I have is about the request for $7,000 for Canada's youth employment strategy. The next line says that this is the government's key program to help young people. If this is a key program, can you explain why it is just $7,000?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
There was an announcement in budget 2009 whereby the government was concerned about the ability of young people to get work during the summer, so they put in a program to supplement the money the departments were already providing or putting forward to hire students. The Privy Council Office allocated a certain amount of money. We originally got $41,000, which was in addition to the people we were already hiring. There were some departments that declined a certain amount of that money, so there was some left. We got another $7,000. In fact, in PCO this year, we have hired 57 students instead of 47 students, and the expenditure is at around $50,000 or $55,000.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Rob Anders
Thank you very much.
We'll now go to Ms. Chow, with the New Democratic Party, for eight minutes.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Am I correct in understanding that the supplementary estimates we are dealing with...?
Actually, on a point of order, Mr. Chair, this supplementary budget will have to be approved in this committee in two meetings. What is the deadline? When does it have to be reported back to the House?
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Rob Anders
Literally, it could happen at the end of this meeting, but given the fact that we've booked witnesses for another two meetings, it would seem presumptuous to go ahead and vote on it before we hear the witnesses.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Sorry, this is a point of order. It really isn't my ignorance. Probably it will be in two meetings.
If you are entertaining any motions for information, they have to come back before the committee approves the supplementary budget, I would assume. I just made that wild assumption. That's if there are any questions. Maybe there will not be. We'll see.
I'll go back to questions on the supplementary estimates.
I didn't see this in your submission. Is it true that there is a motor car allowance for ministers of state and the chief government whip? Is that a new item?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
There are actually two items you will see there for $2,000 each. One of them is for the new position of Minister of State for Democratic Reform. Because that was new since the time we put in the estimates last year, we had to cover it off in supplementary estimates.
The car allowance for the whip was an oversight. We should have put it in the main estimates, and we are putting it now in supplementary estimates.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
It is not a new policy direction. They've always had the car allowance. It was an oversight.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services Branch, Privy Council Office
That's correct.
NDP
Olivia Chow NDP Trinity—Spadina, ON
Okay, thank you.
On this $3.9 million that is in your submission for the communication strategy, has a polling firm been hired that has done polling prior to the communication strategy going out? And if so, which firm is it? Is the contract sole source, or is it tendered?