Evidence of meeting #5 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was work.
A video is available from Parliament.
8:45 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Employment Conditions and Labour Relations, Treasury Board Secretariat
That is not in the legislative framework we have for the purposes of pay equity. The data you are looking for is certainly available. As I indicated, I do not have it with me.
8:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
Could you provide it to the committee, for my own edification?
8:45 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Employment Conditions and Labour Relations, Treasury Board Secretariat
We can look at the data that is available. When employees join the public service or throughout the years are invited to fill out the disclosure in regard to employment equity, that data can be very helpful in determining the representation in the various groups and levels.
8:45 p.m.
NDP
Matthew Green NDP Hamilton Centre, ON
I certainly look forward to that discussion.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Robert Gordon Kitchen
We've now finished our first round.
We will go to our second round, starting with Mr. McCauley for five minutes.
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Thank you, Chair.
Ms. McDermott and Mr. Halverson—I'm not sure if Mr. Halverson is there—you were providing the finance committee with biweekly updates on the COVID spending programs—the active spending, the budgets—up until prorogation happened. Then it stopped. Would you be able to start providing that to our committee on a regular basis?
November 4th, 2020 / 8:45 p.m.
Alison McDermott Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Maybe I'll take that answer.
Yes, we were providing those estimates as required by the emergency response act, although we went a little bit beyond the requirements of the act—
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
8:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance
If there were to be some kind of requirement imposed on us, we certainly would. But I would also mention that we are preparing a fall update, as mentioned in the Speech from the Throne—
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I'm going to move on and ask a quick question.
Mr. Duclos was not aware of this, but since you're in Finance, do you guys know when there will be a budget out—not a fiscal update, but an actual budget?
8:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance
Typically, we would have a budget in the spring—
8:45 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I'm sorry, I know all of that. Do you know when the budget will be out?
8:45 p.m.
Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, Department of Finance
I don't think we have a date, but what comes out this fall—
8:45 p.m.
Liberal
Francis Drouin Liberal Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON
On a point of order, Mr. Chair, the honourable member knows that it is not the job of Treasury Board to give a date for the budget. The honourable member knows well that the Minister of Finance will make that announcement when she is ready. I would just like some respect for the folks who are in from—
8:50 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
She doesn't work for the Treasury Board, Mr. Drouin. She works for Finance, I believe.
8:50 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I'm going to move on.
Mr. Purves, the government is providing, I think, $500 per public servant working from home, for chairs. Do you know how much that has cost us, or how much it will cost us?
If we're buying 200,000 chairs, for instance, what's the plan when the public servants return to work, with those chairs?
8:50 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
Just stepping back, I don't have those costs with me.
8:50 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
There's no incremental funding provided to be able to cover that, so it's coming from reallocated resources from existing votes.
8:50 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Perhaps you can get back to us when you have those numbers.
A year from now, six months from now, hopefully when we have a vaccine and the public servants are returning to their offices, what's going to happen with those assets?