Good afternoon, Mr. Chair, and members of the committee.
Thank you for inviting the Privy Council Office to review our 2016-17 supplementary estimates (B). I'm accompanied by Ms. Kami Ramcharan, assistant deputy minister, corporate services branch, and chief financial officer. My introductory remarks will be brief so that we may turn quickly to the questions of the committee.
As you know, the mandate of PCO is to provide professional non-partisan advice and support to the Prime Minister and ministers within his portfolio, and to support the effective operation of cabinet. In these estimates PCO is seeking spending authority of $12.3 million for 2016-17, supplementary to $147.6 million of authorities to date.
Budget 2016 identified a number of needs and initiatives that require investments in the PCO's capacity to support the Prime Minister and the government in the delivery of their agenda.
Some of the additional spending authorities, supporting new and modern information technology infrastructure and security platforms, were approved through supplementary estimates (A).
The resources sought through supplementary estimates (B) will enable PCO to deliver on other priorities.
We hope to have enhanced engagement with provinces and territories, as well as municipalities and indigenous groups, requiring added resources in the Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat of PCO, serving the Prime Minister as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
These resources will also enable us to support democratic reform and the Minister of Democratic Institutions.
We are also trying to actively engage with youth through a Youth Secretariat, serving the Prime Minister as Minister for Youth.
In addition, we want to focus on outcomes and results for Canadians, notably through a new Results and Delivery Unit, housed in PCO.
Moreover, we want to focus on a more open, transparent and merit-based appointments policy, requiring added resources in our Senior Personnel Secretariat.
Lastly, we seek to address responsiveness to evolving threats to our national security by bolstering the capacity under the national security advisor to the Prime Minister.
Mr. Chair, I could elaborate a bit on each of the items I just referred to, but perhaps in the interest of time and your interest in moving quickly to the questions, as the opening remarks have been circulated as a reference, I'm quite happy to move to the questions after the statement by my colleague.