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.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office
No, it's not me—
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I'm just curious as to where it would have come from. If you don't know, we can get the answer later. That's fine.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office
Sure.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office
I don't know for sure.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
No? Okay. Thanks.
I'm just wondering about the website. Last year we discussed it. Someone in the Privy Council Office said it was $400,000 to develop the website. I'm wondering if you know—or if you can get back to us—whether that was an accurate cost, and whether there are any more costs we are expecting for the website.
9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office
With regard to the website, we would have put in a pilot project with regard to looking at it. We wanted to move very quickly, so we invested roughly $400,000. That's what was in our estimates for last year.
This year, what we're planning to do is further support the website and make sure that it's robust and has the right supporting function underneath it, so we will be investing a little more into the website, probably not at the same level as we did last year.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Does that come through a separate request through supplementary estimates?
9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office
No. It would be included in the current $1 million that we have for Senate reform.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay. Thanks.
Welcome, Ms. Vreeswijk.
With all the training, do you do any training to explain any of the protections for whistle-blowers under the public service disclosure act? Is there any training for any new employees, etc.?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
We do provide training, and there is mandatory training at orientation as part of our authority delegation in and around values and ethics. The core responsibilities of public servants in terms of the values and ethics code are taught to all public servants when they enter—
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
—as well as managers. We've integrated that into our manager and executive training.
Particularly related to Joe's area, I do not believe that we provide training related to that.
I think that's in your area, Joe.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay. You've had amazing success with the e-training platform. What is the next step? Do you need more resources to expand that or are you fine for the next couple of years? Do you have plans on where you're going next with that?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
We've substantially completed the transformation of and the shift onto the online platform. As for what we're looking at in the coming year, overall our budget is coming down. That was something that we expected to do and we're managing within that. We've converted a lot of our learning products online, and in the coming years we will deepen and enrich that learning platform over time with new information and new programming.
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I'm almost out of time, so real quickly, you noted that there's a 9% increase for out-of-Canada training. Is that for the diplomatic corps or...?
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
A 9% increase in out of Canada...?
9:15 a.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Yes, in the amount of training for employees out of country.
9:15 a.m.
Deputy Minister and President, Canada School of Public Service
I don't know the statistic that you are referring to. However, I would say that the school provides common learning to all public servants, including employees in Global Affairs and the immigration department who have international appointments.
May 4th, 2017 / 9:15 a.m.
Liberal
9:15 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Thanks very much.
I'd like to follow up on Mr. Whalen's line of questioning about funding for the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. I'm curious as to why funding for this important work was not requested as part of the main estimates.
9:15 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, Privy Council Office
Thank you very much for the question.
The reason why it wasn't requested as part of the main estimates.... If you understand the process, you get your main estimates from 2015-16, you add your supplementary estimates (A), (B), and (C), and there's a reduction for things that you do, and then you end up with your mains. Because we had existing funding in our reference levels last year in order to fund the needs of the commission of inquiry into the missing and murdered, we didn't need to seek it. That's why we're going to be seeking it in supplementary estimates (A) for this upcoming year.
9:20 a.m.
NDP
Erin Weir NDP Regina—Lewvan, SK
Okay, but was there a reason that you decided to use the leftover funds for that purpose as opposed to any other purpose that you might otherwise be requesting them for?
