Evidence of meeting #66 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 money.
A video is available from Parliament.
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
We are talking about the Pan American Games in 2015. As the result of a competitive process, CBC/Radio-Canada was chosen by the Pan American Games organizing committee as the host broadcaster.
NDP
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
I have one last question for you. Just now, you said that you were not aware of the Royal Alberta Museum situation. Is that correct?
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes. You can understand that we get several thousand funding requests each year from a number of organizations. In this case, I will be happy to go back to the department to see if we have anything on that.
Jean-François Larose NDP Repentigny, QC
You are really not aware of it? Nothing has come across your desk? You have no recollection at all? In spite of all the extensive media coverage, you are really not aware?
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
It is fair to say that I have a good knowledge of national museums. Various museums in Canada have applied under our programs. We are talking about thousands and thousands of applications. At this stage, I do not remember this one. That does not mean that we did not get an application. But I will be happy to go back, find out, and get back to you with the information.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
There's a minute or so left in your time, and I wouldn't mind asking a question myself.
Some of the other museums are listed in the supplementary estimates (B). The figure, for instance, for the Canadian Museum of Nature, in Ottawa, is $33,134,000. Is that just the annual operating cost grant or is that a capital expenditure?
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
René will give you some details about that.
Executive Director, Portfolio Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Usually, it's both: capital and operations.
Executive Director, Portfolio Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
The amounts that I have for the previous years are in line with the amount you just quoted. Based on the public accounts, in 2011-2012, they had $28.6 million; in 2010-2011, they had $33.3 million; and the year before that, they had $33.4 million. The fluctuation, in this particular case, is due to the investment in capital.
NDP
Executive Director, Portfolio Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Again, in this case it is for operating and capital. If you look at previous years, you'll see that in the year 2011-12, based on public accounts, they had $30.3 million. The year before, they had $35.4 million, and the year before that, they had $36.7 million.
Again, in this particular case, I would tend to believe that the fluctuation is due to investment in capital.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Could you explain, then, why the notional operating cost for the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights is set at $20.7 million per year, I believe? How did they arrive at that figure if these two smaller museums are in the range of $33 million per year?
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
As we've mentioned, this is a notional allocation because the museum is not open yet. When the time comes to open, we will probably have to revisit what is actually required to operate the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
So the $47 million that you're contemplating for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights is actually using the operating money you would have used had it been open this year and borrowing against future operating costs for future years.
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
It's a combination. There's the $21.7 million operating allocation and also an advance on future appropriation as financial flexibility.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
It's an advance on future money, so they're spending the money for 2014 this year. How will they operate in 2014?
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
As I have explained, they have a cashflow problem. They have pledges. They have had very successful fundraising, the most successful fundraising of any national museum—
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Well, in fact, just for the record, they've raised more money privately than all other museums combined in their total histories. If you took all the money raised by all the other museums in their lives and combined it all, it doesn't add up to what we've raised privately for the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
Deputy Minister, Department of Canadian Heritage
These pledges have been made over time. They will be collecting their pledges. The pledge collection is quite good, actually. But in order to be able to complete the museum, they needed some financial flexibility in order to be able to have the money now. In the future, the pledge collections will compensate for the future appropriations that are being advanced.
NDP
The Chair NDP Pat Martin
Okay. So we'll have a tag day sale to keep our doors open in 2014.
Are there any other questions? The next panel of witnesses has not arrived—the aboriginal affairs department, I believe—unless they are outside waiting.
John, go ahead if you have a question.
Perhaps we could ask them to see if the other panel is here.
Liberal
John McCallum Liberal Markham—Unionville, ON
I think you said that the number of jobs had dropped by something like 30%.