Government Operations Committee on Nov. 18th, 2010

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

So what happened--

[Sanjeev Chowdhury]

--money that has been reported on the table is actually incorrect. I will be submitting an amendment. It's $1,000 less. Mind you, it's still approximately $10,000.

When the event was over, we went to the resort, they packed up the pottery for us, and we brought it back here to Ottawa. About two months ago we delivered it to the National Capital Commission. It will be reused here in the national capital region--

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

Twenty-four place settings?

[Sanjeev Chowdhury]

--and it will be used in the official residences it manages.

[Siobhan Coady, Liberal, St. John's South—Mount Pearl, NL]

I'm confused here--

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Madam Coady. You'll have to remain confused for another 24 minutes.

Ms. Bourgeois, you have eight minutes.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to get back to issues raised earlier on by my colleague in questions to representatives from Infrastructure Canada.

We did note that several million dollars were spent in cities around Huntsville, cities 75 or 85 kilometres away. Funding went to everything from improving the lighting system on public roadways to building benches, enhancing streets, replacing sidewalks with interlocking brick, landscaping, and building heritage plaques.

I'm asking you this question once again because you did not quite answer my colleague's question. Who authorized these expenses?

[Bryce Conrad]

All the expenses associated with this fund were identified as priorities by the municipalities.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

That is not what I asked you.

[Bryce Conrad]

I understand, but let me answer. All projects were approved by the Minister of Transport, in cooperation with his colleague the Minister of Industry.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Ah, okay, so it is the Minister of Transport, in collaboration with the Minister of Industry.

Why would these expenses be related to the G8, when we know that this money was spent in cities where, to my knowledge, no VIP, no head of state went for a walk on the sidewalk made of interlocking brick?

[Bryce Conrad]

As I told your colleague, the fund was created to support the event itself as well as to leave a legacy for the Muskoka region.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

A legacy paid for by all Canadians. That is quite something!

[Bryce Conrad]

As I said earlier, the Government of Canada did the same thing for the APEC Summit in Vancouver in 1997, in Halifax in 1995, for the Pope's visit in 2002. So, there are a number of high profile international events that have taken place and for which there have been heritage projects.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

The Olympic Stadium falls in that category, but nobody in Canada, no Canadian, paid for that.

You are a manager; do you find these expenses justified? Are you comfortable coming before us here today to defend what is indefensible? You seem ill at ease. Be frank.

[Bryce Conrad]

Yes, I am absolutely comfortable. The program was established by the Government of Canada. We, at Infrastructure Canada, have done our job. We reviewed all projects to make sure they were eligible for the Heritage Fund. We looked over all costs to make sure they were eligible. That is my job as a manager.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

I would now like to speak to the representative from FedNor. For G8-G20-related projects, FedNor projects, we see that the Muskoka Tourism Marketing Agency received $1.56 million for a branding strategy for the 2010 G8 Summit. What is that about? Did you do the G8's work? Did you do some branding for the G8?

[France Pégeot]

FedNor is somewhat like the counterpart to Economic Development Canada for the regions of Quebec. So it is a northern Ontario economic development program. Our goal is to support projects that foster economic growth in northern Ontario. Tourism is one sector of economic activity that contributes to this economic development. So, in that context, we supported projects which benefited from hosting the G8 in the region, to foster tourism, to ensure that the region could build on these events to show what it had to offer and draw in tourists.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

Perhaps I misunderstood, but the G8 and G20 were an opportunity to welcome people from other countries, but only on a one-time basis.

What you and the representative from Infrastructure Canada just said is that this one-time event was taken as an opportunity to improve infrastructure programs around Huntsville and to rebuild this entire region's image, essentially for the benefit of Ontario. That is what happened. Millions of dollars were given to Ontario to give northern Ontario an image. That is what you are both telling me. To study tourism at the 2010 G8 Summit there is a $24,999 amount. It is not quite $25,000, because had it been, it would have been open to bids. What you have just said is shocking.

It is just not right. Prove to me that all of these expenses were appropriate in the context of hosting the G8/G20, and that they were all strictly related to the G8/G20, rather than to a desire to boost the image of a province and of a region in particular.

[France Pégeot]

Projects funded by FedNor were funded through FedNor's regular budget. No additional funds were granted for these projects. Events like the G8/G20 generally garner a great deal of attention from international media. So, in a northern Ontario economic development context, it was a unique opportunity to promote this region as a tourist destination.

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

I will close by saying that our researchers have done exceptional work in preparation for this morning's meeting. Regarding challenges with interpreting documentation on the cost of the G8 and G20 summits, we read: "It is not possible to determine, on the basis of the documentation submitted to the committee, whether the listed costs are the actual costs of the G8 and G20 summits..." further: "The expense categories used for the G8 and G20... differ substantially among the various departments and agencies."

Well, this morning, we realize that FedNor was involved, that its budget was used, its projects, to include these amounts within G8/G20 expenses. It is all so tightly woven, it is impossible to determine exactly who authorized the projects. I am shocked.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Madame Bourgeois--

[Diane Bourgeois, Bloc, Terrebonne—Blainville, QC]

I am shocked to see that our money, Quebec and Canadian taxpayers' money, was spent on this big advertising campaign.

[The Chair, Liberal, John McKay]

Thank you, Madame Bourgeois.

Mr. Warkentin.

[Chris Warkentin, Conservative, Peace River, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I appreciate each one of you coming this morning. We do appreciate your transparency and your willingness to come and provide us with details of the spending.

Today I would like to question Mr. Potter, if I may, on the agreement that was signed with the Province of Alberta, the contribution agreement for security. I believe you're probably the best person to answer questions regarding the agreement that was signed to provide security for these summits and the mechanism now under which the province will be repaid for the funds and the services that it did provide. Could you explain a little bit about the contribution agreement, who signed it, the dates those agreements were signed, and by whom they were signed?