Government Operations Committee on June 2nd, 2016

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I am sorry to interrupt. It is not a matter of a new office. Even if it was 10 new offices, $832,000 is still $80,000 per office. I mean, something went wrong. I am blaming the system, not Minister Sohi. There is something wrong in that it was $832,000 for furniture. I think it works out to $30,000 or $35,000 per employee, just for furniture. When we are looking at billions for other infrastructure, I want to make sure that there is common-sense oversight so that we don't end up on a much larger scale of money that should be used for other services being spent.... I just don't think you can justify $832,000 on a small number of offices.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Again, part of this was because the public servants engaged in designing and implementing the infrastructure programs were not actually housed contiguously with the minister in the past. There is, as you would recognize, a need to invest in offices and improve efficiencies resulting from that. At the Treasury Board, on an ongoing basis, we are engaged in working with every department and agency on these, to ensure that the proper controls are in place.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

We discussed before the $1.4 million for the Senate appointment process. I don't expect you to have the details now, but would you be able to provide us with a budget, how many people that provides for, and a breakdown of travel, etc.? I wouldn't mind looking at it further. I don't expect you have that information now.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

I believe we do have—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Oh, you can provide that later because we're short on time.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

We do actually have some of that, if you'd like.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

No.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

But you asked.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

No, there are other things I'd like to get to that are more important, but you can provide it later.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

I'm so disappointed.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Oh, I know. I'll get on—

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Mr. McCauley, the PCO is coming on Tuesday, so we can ask them the question.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

But we do have some of that information.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I'll grab it later.

On the short-term investments, it talks about Health Canada, $1.7 billion, for myriad different items. One of the items, which is great, is safe water on reserves, etc., but it also mentions other stuff.

How are we prioritizing this $1.7 billion so that we're not sitting here a year from now and we have a boil water advisory again because some of that money was spent, and it talks about climate change, this and that, which is all well and good, but how are we prioritizing so we're, again, not sitting here a year from now with a boil water advisory because we spent money on an office or something? How are we prioritizing so it's not being spent elsewhere when we have this priority?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

It's a very important question, Kelly, because one of the things we want to ensure is that as we invest, we do prioritize. The idea that in indigenous communities in Canada today people don't have drinkable water is something that is just unacceptable.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I agree. I want to make sure we're going to provide that and the money doesn't go for peripheral items—

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

That is something I'm working closely on. We are working closely with Carolyn Bennett's department.

You mentioned also some other things in terms of climate change. Some of the issues around climate change and remediation are important because that can actually affect water systems as well.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Oh, I realize that.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

You have to do both, but you've hit a really big priority, I know, for our Minister of Finance and for our Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, for the whole government, the Prime Minister. This whole issue of potable water—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

You realize I'm just setting you up for a future meeting when we say, hey, we have a boil water advisory.

I appreciate that. I'm glad it's a priority—

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

It is a priority, and we will be working with the ministries to address that.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Perfect. I think I have time probably for one last quick question.

Under Foreign Affairs, there's $31 million for the softwood lumber issue, legal, etc., etc. Is this money that is just set aside now, when the process has been going...? The deal expired a year ago, eight months ago. Is this brand new money for a future dispute?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

The deal expired on October 16, I believe, and there's a year where the provisions of the deal are still in place and during which obviously there's a priority. It expired three days before the election. I know that Minister Freeland and her American counterpart Michael Froman are to report back on the structure and key elements of what they're working on.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Is this money for the intent of when it expires?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

That's it, Mr. McCauley.

You can answer the question later.