Evidence of meeting #43 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 alberta.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Shannon Dean  Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Philip Massolin  Committee Research Coordinator, Committees Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Paul Thomas  Professor Emeritus, Political Studies, University of Manitoba, As an Individual

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Are the reports not considered in conjunction with the main estimates? Would it not be useful to look at the estimates along with performance reports to kind of get a holistic view of departmental spending?

4:15 p.m.

Committee Research Coordinator, Committees Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Dr. Philip Massolin

Certainly there are some performance measures indicated within the budget itself that square up with those displayed within the annual reports.

Just so you know, the annual reports, of course, are the public accounts of Alberta, essentially. They're reviewed by a different committee, a public accounts committee, which is, of course, something you're familiar with. They work together. The budget performance reports in the budget documents and those that appear within the annual reports work synergistically.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Okay.

When the main estimates are considered by the policy-field committees, as you mentioned, the minister is basically there for a full three hours, usually. And it's only opposition MLAs who are asking questions. There are no questions from government MLAs. Is that correct?

4:15 p.m.

Committee Research Coordinator, Committees Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Dr. Philip Massolin

No, government private members also ask questions.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

I guess I misunderstood.

What are the names of the five policy field committees? How do they break down?

4:15 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Shannon Dean

I'll just read them into the record. Right now they are: the Standing Committee on Community Development, the Standing Committee on Education, the Standing Committee on Energy, the Standing Committee on Finance, and the Standing Committee on Public Health and Safety.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Those five policy field committees can then cover 16 departments. You mentioned that the other five are considered by the committee of supply.

What kind of time is given in the committee of supply for each department?

4:15 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Shannon Dean

It's the same three hours.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

It's the same three hours.

4:15 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Shannon Dean

It is two hours in the case of the executive council.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Okay, so there are 15 hours of consideration in the committee of supply, then, for the five that you had last year. Is that correct?

4:15 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Shannon Dean

That's correct, unless they run out of speakers.

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Okay.

Out of the 21 departments, everything goes to the committee of supply for votes. Correct?

4:20 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

Is there debate before those votes, or is it purely a vote?

4:20 p.m.

Senior Parliamentary Counsel and Director of House Services, House Services Branch, Legislative Assembly of Alberta

Shannon Dean

There are reports from the policy field committees and then there are just votes; there is no debate.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Bernard Trottier Conservative Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON

There are just votes. Okay. Thank you.

Those are my main questions. Thank you.

4:20 p.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Pat Martin

Thank you, Bernard. You made good use of three minutes.

Does anyone else on the Conservative benches have any further questions?

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

Are they going to send their documents? I'd like them to send them all—

4:20 p.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Pat Martin

Yes, the witnesses did agree to send the documents.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

—not just the estimate document, but also their plans and priorities document, or whatever they call it.

4:20 p.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Pat Martin

Okay, we'll—

4:20 p.m.

NDP

Linda Duncan NDP Edmonton Strathcona, AB

And the schedule.

4:20 p.m.

Conservative

Mike Wallace Conservative Burlington, ON

Yes, I would like to see it all.

4:20 p.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Pat Martin

Very good, we'll leave the clerk to ask for those.

We do have a question from the Liberals, John McCallum.