Evidence of meeting #59 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 42nd Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was supplementary.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Again, if you don't have that, rather than spend time...
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
May I?
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
This is a transfer. Previous to this year, the Harbourfront Centre was administered through a grant contribution by the Department of Finance. A decision was made to transfer responsibility for that program to Canadian Heritage.
This funding is in support of ongoing operations at the Harbourfront Centre. They, as I understand it, entertain some 17,000 visitors a year, and this is in support of programming for that.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Does this support events like the PEN International events, or is this just purely for operating the centre?
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
This is in support of the centre's operations.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
The long-standing relationship between the Department of Finance and the Harbourfront Centre is one that, I think, has existed for some time.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
That program has moved around in terms of its administration. I understand that it became the responsibility of the Department of Finance sometime around 2006-07, and it was transferred to Canadian Heritage this year.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
It was moved to the Department of Finance under the previous government.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
They were trying to put a little culture in the Department of Finance.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I have three quick ones, and we'll be done with them in three minutes.
One is $10.8 million for “funding to enhance the Privy Council Office's capacity to support the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers in delivering the Government's agenda and to strengthen its infrastructure.”
Can you quickly give us a bit of insight on that or, again, if you don't have the material, I have other questions.
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
As a government, we are implementing a results and delivery model, a results-based government, that will, we believe, lead to—
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
—a more purposeful and effective government. In the PCO, there has been a strengthening of resources around that, a results and delivery unit.
Treasury Board itself has implemented, and continues to work with departments to implement, a results agenda.
Conservative
Liberal
Scott Brison Liberal Kings—Hants, NS
Governments are typically really good at developing policies. They focus 90% of their efforts on the policy and then about 10% on execution.
The objective here is that we're focusing on execution. These investments will achieve this.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
The gentleman from England, the consultant that you hired on to help deliver the government promises, is that included in this money?
Liberal
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
Part of the funding, Mr. McCauley, is for the results and delivery unit. There's a new structure—
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Can you provide us with the labour cost for that consultant?
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management, Treasury Board Secretariat
That information is available, yes.
