Government Operations Committee on March 18th, 2019

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, all, for being here.

I'd like to go to the departmental results report, page 4, where you say that six indicators had no data. I'd like to know if you now have that data available to share with us, and if you can tell us exactly what that performance data was all about.

[Karen Cahill, Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat]

Actually, it's good news. Yes, the results were published in December 2018. Mainly those results were on the greenhouse gas emissions. They are very positive. Although we have not reached the targets identified in the results report, we're on a good path to reach those targets. For example, we reduced our carbon emissions in 2017-18. Don't forget: The results report that was just published last fall is for the year ending in March 2018. We have reduced our carbon gas emissions by 32% since 2005-06. The measures we have put in place to reduce the emissions are positive. That's one example.

The report states other areas. For example, GHG emissions from federal facilities have been reduced by 33% since 2005-06 as well, so we are on a good path to reduce those carbon emissions.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

You mentioned six performance indicators, but you only presented one.

[Karen Cahill]

I could list the others. They are in the report that was published on the Government of Canada website in December 2018.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Apparently, this report that was published in December did not include any data. Is that correct?

[Karen Cahill]

No; the report that was published in December did in fact contain data. When we published our report on the results last fall, we did not yet have the data from the indicators.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

So it took you about three months to produce this new report.

[Karen Cahill]

Exactly. We had to wait for these data, which became available on December 7, 2018, to be precise.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Are the data available online on the website?

[Karen Cahill]

Yes.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Fine.

The reports cover the 2018–2019 fiscal. Is there any way of knowing anything about the various departments' financial plans for 2019–2020? Has anything been published? Are there any indicators regarding their plans?

[Glenn Purves]

Thank you very much for your questions.

For the most part, if you think of the sequencing, you have the budget and then this year we have main estimates that will be tabled after the budget, which will take into account budget measures. From a financial standpoint, you have those items that are identified through estimates, but in terms of the specific details of what a department plans to do for the year, typically those are captured in what are called departmental plans. Departmental plans are typically tabled either the same day as main estimates or within a window shortly thereafter.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Okay, so we don't have them yet.

[Glenn Purves]

We don't have those yet. Those are things that will be tabled at the beginning of the fiscal year.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

In terms of programs for seniors—and I do have a constituency with a significant percentage of seniors—we are often told that we haven't done enough and that there's not enough that has been provided, in terms of funding for seniors programs, by the federal government. Could you give us an update on specific programs not just to help seniors but actually to keep them healthy and as autonomous and as independent as possible in their everyday lives?

[Glenn Purves]

Sure. We have a lot of statutory programs in support of seniors, including the GIS, guaranteed income supplement, and the OAS, old age security. We facilitate along with the provinces on the Canada pension plan as well, with respect to changes to the CPP. Changes were introduced not long ago.

In terms of specific programs and details on specific programs, as you know, we have the GC InfoBase, which was created in 2013. It allows for the visualization of what I would call target groups through what we call a tag explorer. You can tag different programs. You can key search seniors and you can actually see the programs that exist in the government inventory that support seniors in various demographics.

As you know, there are a lot of programs—

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Are you talking about housing supports and things like that?

[Glenn Purves]

Yes, exactly. There is a whole host of different programs that would support seniors through that window to varying degrees. There are some broader programs that may be income support programs. Seniors may be a subset of a demographic of that program, including others who are below the poverty—

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Now we have a minister dedicated to seniors issues.

[Glenn Purves]

Yes.

[Alexandra Mendes, Liberal, Brossard—Saint-Lambert, QC]

Is there a departmental structure that is being created around that ministry and how is that going to be differentiated, if you wish, from all the other income supports? How would you be able to fit all those programs that you have, right, left and centre, and put them under a seniors minister?

[The Chair, Conservative, Tom Lukiwski]

That's a very good question, but once again, unfortunately, we have no time for the response. However, if you're looking for a response, Madam Mendès, I'm sure Mr. Purves would be able to give us a written response to that question.

Colleagues, we'll go now to our five-minute rounds of questions. Just to let everyone know, following completion of the first round of questions, I'll be suspending the meeting to allow our witnesses to leave the meeting, and we will then go into probably no more than a 30-minute committee business in camera session. We have a few items on the calendar that I need to go over with you.

We'll continue now with Mr. McCauley for five minutes, please.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I just want to get back to that $90 million. Is it anything to do with GasLink and the company running GasLink looking to sell off a big portion of it? Do you have any details of that $90 million?

[Glenn Purves]

I don't have the details on that, sorry.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

No? Okay.

I want to get back to vote 40.