Thank you, Chair.
I would like to start by acknowledging that I am speaking from the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
My name is Samantha Tattersall. I am the assistant comptroller general for the acquired services and assets sector in the office of the comptroller general at the Treasury Board Secretariat.
First, I'd like to take a moment to outline the role that the Treasury Board Secretariat plays in supporting the management of investments and, specifically, real property.
The Treasury Board sets the administrative policy framework for the management of investments, including real property, through the Directive on the Management of Real Property.
Custodian departments, of which there are 28 across the federal government, including Global Affairs Canada, are responsible for the management of their real property. Deputy heads of these organizations are accountable for ensuring that real property is managed in a manner that enables operational outcomes while demonstrating sound stewardship.
Consistent with Treasury Board policy, custodian organizations must have a senior designated official responsible for the management of real property who is accountable for establishing, implementing and maintaining a department-wide real property management framework. This framework should include effective governance and oversight mechanisms to effectively enable the management of real property that supports the delivery of their respective departmental mandates.
When entering into a transaction, whether that is to lease, acquire or dispose of real property, Treasury Board approval is required when the value exceeds a department's transaction limits. All custodian departments have general limits, and eight have special limits that are reflective of their operational requirements. This information is available online at Canada.ca.
In the case of Global Affairs Canada, the department can acquire an official residence property outside of Canada for an amount of up to $10 million Canadian. This means that the property in question was acquired within Global Affairs Canada's authority. The Treasury Board did not review the transaction in question.
Regardless of whether the transaction is within or above a department's limits, it needs to be transacted in a manner that is consistent with the directive on the management of real property. This includes validating the need for an acquisition based on the department's programs; supporting it with the appropriate due diligence, including a full life-cycle analysis; doing it in a fair and open manner that's aligned with commercial real estate practices; and obtaining an appraisal from the chief appraiser of Canada in advance of the purchase.
With that, Mr. Chair, I'm pleased to answer any questions from the committee members about the Treasury Board directive on the management of real property.