Government Operations Committee on March 10th, 2021

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Purves and others, it's good to see you again.

I have a question for Mr. Purves.

How is TBS tracking COVID spending department by department? You talked about publicizing the authorities and planned spending, but with the actual spending, the cash that's gone out the door, how are you tracking that?

[Glenn Purves]

Different departments, of course, are responsible for their implementation of the initiatives. When you—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

The data is making its way to TBS, is it not?

[Glenn Purves]

Through the CFMRS, certainly, as departments report and so forth, and we have our own informal tracking that we—

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

How frequently are they reporting that?

[Glenn Purves]

We are trying to get departments to provide us with a rough sense of what they're doing on the basis of when information is available. For transfers, for instance, it's much easier for departments to report that, because it's easier to be able to track that. With respect to programs that have implementation issues and so forth, it is more lagged, because it's based on the CFMRS system with the receiver general.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Are the department CFOs reporting the spending to Treasury Board?

[Glenn Purves]

With departmental CFOs, on an informal basis, we have started asking them what it is that they are spending. That is an initiative that we're working through with the CFO community. We don't have a system that talks to all the other systems, where you could just press a button and be able to get this instantaneously.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I understand that.

I'm glad you were talking about trying to be more transparent to parliamentarians about various programs, whether with GC InfoBase and that.

In that light, Mr. Chair, I'd like to introduce a matter-at-hand motion in this regard. I'll read it into the record right now.

I move that the Treasury Board Secretariat provide the committee with all monthly COVID-19 expenditures reports and COVID spending data as disclosed by the chief financial officers of all respective departments, and that they provide this information to the committee no later than March 17, 2021, and update this committee on a monthly basis by the 15th of the month.

While I respect that there's information on GC InfoBase, it's not actual spending. It's the authorities or planned spending. I think we owe it to this committee, but also to Canadians, to see the actual spending on COVID.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Thank you, Mr. McCauley.

Is there any discussion on that matter-at-hand motion?

Ms. Vignola, I see your hand up.

[Julie Vignola, Bloc, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Could I receive Mr. McCauley's text by email?

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

I'll send it to our clerk right now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

While Mr. McCauley is doing that, I see Mr. Fergus has his hand up.

[Greg Fergus, Liberal, Hull—Aylmer, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I just want to support Ms. Vignola's efforts. We need an accurate text in French so that we can see it and review it. It would be good if a translation could be done quickly and distributed to members.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

It was translated for you as I was reading it into the record, as matters at hand are. This is a continuing trick by people on your side, Mr. Fergus, to try to delay things. We've seen it repeatedly, but it was translated as I read it into the record.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Thank you, Mr. McCauley.

I will reread the motion.

Mr. Kusmierczyk, did you have your hand up?

[Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal, Windsor—Tecumseh, ON]

Yes, Mr. Chair.

I just wanted to request that the motion be reread, if possible.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Certainly.

Mr. McCauley, can you reread the motion, please.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

Sure.

It is that the Treasury Board Secretariat provide the committee with all monthly COVID-19 expenditures reports and COVID spending data as disclosed by the chief financial officers of all respective departments, and that they provide this to the committee no later than March 17, 2021, and update us monthly by the 15th of the month, each and every month.

[The Clerk]

Mr. Chair, I apologize for interrupting, but I have received the French text of the motion. If you wish, I can read that into the record now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Please, Mr. Clerk, if you would do that, I think that would also be beneficial for those on the committee.

Thank you.

[The Clerk]

The French text is as follows:

That, in the context of its study of the Supplementary Estimates (C), 2020-21, the committee send for, from the Treasury Board Secretariat, all monthly COVID-19 Expenditures Reports and COVID-19 spending data as disclosed by the chief financial officers of all respective departments and that these documents be provided to the committee no later than Wednesday, March 17, 2021.

I have the text in English as well. I can try to distribute it to the members by email now, if the committee wishes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Robert Gordon Kitchen]

Yes, please. Thank you very much.

While that is happening, I see your hand is up, Mr. MacKinnon.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

I'm happy to have Mr. McCauley speak to his motion if he so wishes.

[Kelly McCauley, Conservative, Edmonton West, AB]

No.