Evidence of meeting #85 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 support.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Chantal Maheu  Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office
Joe Friday  Commissioner, Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada
Wilma Vreeswijk  Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
Kami Ramcharan  Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office
Jean-François Fleury  Vice-President, Learning Programs Branch, Canada School of Public Service
Éric Trottier  Chief Financial Officer, Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

10:25 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office

Kami Ramcharan

With regard to the previous government, I'm not absolutely certain in terms of what the process would have been. For example, if I would have been responsible for the financial resources for the development of a website under the previous government, we would have done it very similarly. We would have had an opportunity to work with our colleagues in Shared Services Canada and made sure we got their expertise.

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

Nick Whalen Liberal St. John's East, NL

I have so many questions related to this, but there's something that Ms. Ratansi and I have been discussing. It relates to the goal of our government in the promotion, training, and advancement of indigenous people with the civil service.

Ms. Vreeswijk, I'm hoping you can assist in telling us how your current plan and the estimates process will support the advancement and training of indigenous people within the civil service, and whether or not there's any role to be played by your organization in also providing training services to territorial governments and bands should they request them.

10:25 a.m.

Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service

Wilma Vreeswijk

I can answer the second question first, if I may.

In our mandate, we have governing legislation. Our focus is primarily within the federal public service.

In terms of the priority on indigenous awareness and relations, Truth and Reconciliation recommendation number 57, which was to raise awareness, understanding, and cultural sensitivity of public servants towards indigenous people, and also an understanding of obligations, is one of our top priorities in the coming year. We are consulting heavily right now with indigenous organizations to ensure that they can assist us in the design of the training that we will be providing to public servants. We feel that's an important part of that development.

While we're doing those consultations, we're holding a number of different events and inviting indigenous leaders to speak to the public service, so that over time there is a greater awareness and understanding of indigenous issues. We're also working with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada to develop training in and around the obligations of the public service with respect to treaty obligations, etc.

It is a whole curriculum and it will be embedded in all parts of the common service curriculum: during orientation, during training for functional groups, and during leadership training. As a case in point, this year, the Treasury Board Secretariat has been leading an initiative to recruit indigenous interns. Our role is to support those indigenous interns over the course of the summer with orientation and support overall. We will hold a number of different events to ensure, first of all, that indigenous interns feel welcome, but also that they understand the opportunities presented to them by the public service.

10:25 a.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Yasmin Ratansi

Thank you.

We go now to the five-minute round.

Mr. Clarke, you have five minutes.

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Ms. Maheu or Ms. Ramcharan, very quickly, is there a budget or a budget limit for the prime minister's travel, regardless of who it is?

10:25 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office

10:25 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

I am somewhat familiar with the Langevin Building, having done a work term at the PMO in 2013. I know how the space is divided up. The PMO occupies the first two floors, and the PCO is above it.

Can you tell us exactly how many employees the PCO has?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

There are just over 950.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Okay, very good.

Is the PMO a separate entity from yours or not, specifically with regard to budgets?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

The PMO, like any minister's office, has a separate budget. The question about our financial contribution was asked earlier: the PMO receives $10.5 million from our budget.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Can you tell us exactly how many employees the PMO has?

10:30 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office

Kami Ramcharan

Unfortunately, we don't track the numbers of staff at the PMO.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

I think I read somewhere that the PMO was created in the 1970s.

When was the PCO created?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

It was 150 years ago.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Okay, very good.

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

Yes, this is our anniversary.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

In the past, did the PCO's responsibilities include the use of the prime minister's time, preparing his international trips, and so forth?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

The PCO provides support to the prime minister with respect to his travel.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

I am simply trying to understand how things worked before the PMO was created. Was the PCO alone responsible for the affairs of the prime minister?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

Chantal Maheu

I cannot comment on how things worked 20 years ago.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Okay, I would like to get that background information, if you could send it to us.

Here is my last question. Your total annual budget is approximately $145 million. Of that total, approximately $10.5 million goes to the PMO. Is that correct?

10:30 a.m.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Okay. Thank you very much.

10:30 a.m.

Conservative

Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB

Ms. Ramcharan, I want to get back to the $2 million for public opinion polling. Again, give me a breakdown of who is deciding that polling. You said the PMO. Is that direction from the PMO to...?

10:30 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office

Kami Ramcharan

I didn't say that. I would say that the lead person who is responsible for our public opinion polling research is our assistant secretary for communications. She is responsible for the overall budget of $2 million and, based on consultations and discussions within PCO, as well as within the PMO, will decide what kind of public opinion research would be undertaken.