Government Operations Committee on Nov. 30th, 2020

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Thank you.

[Jean-Yves Duclos]

We'll do everything we can to simplify life, Ms. Vignola

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Excuse me, Mr. Duclos.

Unfortunately, we are at the end of our time. I'd appreciate if you could answer that in writing, if possible, and submit that to the committee.

We'll now go to Mr. Green for six minutes.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

We know the honourable minister was an economist in his previous life, so I'm going to challenge him to use word “economy” to be able to give the best answers he can using the fewest words possible, so I can get to the most questions.

The Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada is requesting about $760 million for the specific claim settlement fund, which is used to provide compensation to first nations in accordance with settlement agreements. How many settlement agreements are included in this funding request, using the word “economy”?

[Jean-Yves Duclos]

Thank you, Mr. Green.

Yes, we like to have the greatest output for the smallest possible input, but that's a bit difficult because this is a difficult question. In order to speak as little as I can, I'll switch immediately to Glenn. He will hopefully be able to give that greatest output from the smallest input.

[Glenn Purves, Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat]

Mr. Green, the most recent information I have is as of June 2020, there were 131 claims under assessment and 338 in negotiations.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

How does the department forecast expenditures, and what role does the TBS play in the development of these expenditure forecasts?

[Glenn Purves]

With respect to the forecast for expenditures and the fiscal year in which they're going to be paid, that really comes from that department. That department will step back and say that these are the claims it expects to make and the payments in this year versus next year. Often, we will see specific claims adjustments coming in supplementary estimates because there's always a revision to these sorts of forecasts. The purpose of having supplementary estimates is to bring payment authority to Parliament on these adjustments.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Do you have any idea, Glenn, from start to finish—from the time that a claim is first brought before the courts to when it's paid—what the timeline is for that? How many decades does it take?

[Glenn Purves]

I don't have a line of sight on that.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

That's fair.

[Glenn Purves]

Yes.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Maybe you'll have an answer to this question. The Department of Finance is requesting $1 billion for the Province of Alberta to close inactive gas wells and rehabilitate gas sites. Who owns the gas wells that are inactive, and who is responsible for these gas wells?

[Glenn Purves]

These are transfers, effectively, to the province. I do know that these are amounts that would go to the Province of Alberta. In this case, I believe in Saskatchewan the amounts have already gone. I think it's the ones for Alberta—

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

In the transfer, are they required to disclose on a line-by-line basis exactly whose liability we're paying for?

[Glenn Purves]

I don't have the line of sight on that in particular. I just know that this is effectively a transfer to the Province of Alberta.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Was it just $1 billion because that's a big, round number, or is that an actual rounded, estimated amount?

[Glenn Purves]

I think this is based on need and the amounts they've quantified as needing to be spent to deal with these orphan wells. Again—

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Why is the public paying for the cleanup costs, when private companies, having already earned a profit off of these wells, are let off the hook?

[Glenn Purves]

I don't have an answer to that in particular because I'm not responsible for that—

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

That is also fair, Glenn. I'm going to keep it with you because we're running out of time here.

The allocations from the Treasury Board's central votes—the additional information broken down by organization in supplementary estimates (B)—indicate that you have authorized, through vote (5) for government contingencies, an allocation of just north of $800,000 for the Leaders' Debates Commission to maintain limited operations and ensure that the commission is prepared to organize debates for the 44th general election.

Did the Leaders' Debates Commission request funding as a part of supplementary estimates (B)?

[Glenn Purves]

Yes, this would be a request from the commission to have access to that funding if needed, as a contingency.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

Okay.

[Glenn Purves]

It's effectively been identified as an allocation, and they can draw from it. They have not drawn from it, though.

[Matthew Green, NDP, Hamilton Centre, ON]

That's good. It would potentially be an interesting indication of an early election.

TBS is requesting $2.8 million, under vote 1(b), to settle claims arising from the White Class Action settlement agreement. It looks like the court approved the class action settlement for RCMP officers whose disabilities were clawed back from their disability pensions. To date, how many people have made a claim as a part of this settlement, and what is the average claim amount?