Evidence of meeting #34 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was main.
A recording is available from Parliament.
NDP
Mathieu Ravignat NDP Pontiac, QC
You've been quoted as talking about 5% cuts; then you've been quoted talking about 10% cuts. You've talked about $4 billion, and then you've talked about $8 billion.
What is it? What's the precise number?
Think about this region. Think about the families in—
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
I'd like you to just red circle on your calendar March 29. That's when the budget is going to be out.
NDP
Mathieu Ravignat NDP Pontiac, QC
Think about all those families in the public service, particularly in this region, in Ottawa, who are waiting with bated breath to know whether they're going to have jobs in the next year.
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
I'm very aware. I want you to be aware that these are not just figures on a page; these are individuals, people with families, people who have commitments. I fully get that. They deserve to know, as soon as practicable, what their future is, and that all starts with the budget and the budget implementation acts.
Of course, as I said, there's a process here whereby we have the dialogue with individual members of the public service, if they are surplused for one reason or another. There's a whole process where we either find them another slot in the public service where their talents can be utilized or there's a humane exit strategy for those individuals.
NDP
Mathieu Ravignat NDP Pontiac, QC
Let's move on to another topic.
In the publication produced by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, it says that Atomic Energy of Canada Limited apparently received a total budget authority of $900 million for the divestiture and sale of the crown corporation.
Why the payments after the sale? What are the payments for? If it was sold, there is nothing else to do.
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
There are a couple of things.
Is what you are asking about in the main estimates? I just want to make sure I have the right ones. Or was it in the supplementary estimates?
Is it the main estimates?
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
What I'm aware of is an additional $95 million, which is funding to make sure that AECL can meet the costs associated with continued isotope production, the winding down of the dedicated isotope facility, and addressing infrastructure and operational upgrades related to health, safety, security, and environmental priorities at Chalk River Laboratories.
That's what I believe that number is related to.
NDP
Conservative
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
You have the CANDU and you have Chalk River. They're different.
NDP
Mathieu Ravignat NDP Pontiac, QC
I wasn't expecting that. Maybe it's because my questions are short.
I want to talk to you about the Treasury Board Secretariat and official languages.
How much does the Treasury Board Secretariat spend annually on official languages, not including the funding it receives under the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality?
Conservative
Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat
Thank you, minister.
I believe the centre receives the bulk of its funding under the roadmap. The centre of expertise was set up with that in mind. It receives an annual budget of approximately $3 million.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Now your time is up, Mathieu. Thank you very much.
Five minutes go to Kelly Block, for the Conservatives.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I too would like to welcome you here, Mr. Minister, and your officials as well.
As you observed in your opening remarks, our committee has undertaken a study on the estimates process, not only for us to understand the process but also to identify whether there might be some improvements that we would want to recommend. I think it would be fair to say that we readily welcome the opportunity to meet with you and ministers and officials from other departments to do the work we need to do in looking at the main and the supplementary estimates.
We also have started a study, previous to the estimates study, which is on Shared Services Canada. I know that it's a fairly young organization, or is still in the process of being formed, but this is the first time that Shared Services Canada has appeared in the main estimates. Could you briefly explain, from your perspective, whether these are new funds or where the funding is coming from, and give us a better understanding of that entity?
Conservative
Tony Clement Conservative Parry Sound—Muskoka, ON
Sure, I'd be happy to.
Basically what we did was transfer funds from 43 different departments to Shared Services Canada's reference level, so that they have a reference level of about $1.5 billion. That came from other branches of government, various agencies and departments. The reason for this is that we're consolidating at Shared Services Canada. We'll have a consolidated e-mail service, data centre, and network services for federal departments and agencies.
As you may recall, Minister Ambrose and I made the announcement back in August 2011. They're just starting to ramp up, but the idea is that basically through consolidation we can deliver better IT services, ultimately to the Canadian public, at a more responsible cost to the taxpayers.
Conservative
Kelly Block Conservative Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, SK
I want to pick up on a question that my colleague asked about the PBO's report on the supplementary estimates.
There seems to be some discrepancy at times between Treasury Board's analysis of their numbers in supplementary estimates (C) and the main estimates and the PBO's analysis of the numbers.
As we look at them and try to read the estimates, could you or your officials explain whether there is a difference between the systems the PBO uses and the systems you use?
Conservative
Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat
Thank you.
It's a question of how you interpret the information. For example, the question on personnel costs that was asked earlier is shown in the PBO's report as though there were no components to it, whereas when we look at the numbers, we unpack them and see them from estimate to estimate and look at the purpose.
We are working with the Parliamentary Budget Officer, and wherever we see differences we will get in touch. We try, both of us, from report to report to improve the information.
One of the elements that the PBO is using increasingly is the quarterly financial reports that departments are putting out. That gives even more information on what I would consider to be in-year expenditures. Estimates, whether supplementary or mains, are all about projected or planned expenditures. When we look at what the actuals are, the in-year will give you some sense of the areas in which the actual expenditures occur.
We are working with the Parliamentary Budget Officer on both the explanations that are given in his reports for estimates processes, the planned as well as.... He does a review of the quarterly financial reports, and we are working with departments to ensure that there is as much information as possible, so that our interpretations, or at least the alignment of the numbers, is as close as possible.
We may differ on the interpretations, but that then becomes an issue of interpretation rather than one of actual numbers.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Thank you, Minister.
For the Liberals, we have John McCallum.
You have five minutes, John.