Evidence of meeting #15 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was services.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
It's a governmental decision, so—
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
The Treasury Board Secretariat—
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
—is working with Health Canada and providing the information to support the decision.
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
First of all, it will never end, because it existed before the pandemic. Code 699 is one of several provisions that are in collective agreements, and there are a number of leaves that are available. Code 699 is when an employee is not in control of going into the workplace because of things like flooding, ice storms and then the pandemic.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
I am happy to report that we have now reduced the use of 699 by 99%, so we're back to normal.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
It's marginal.
4:35 p.m.
Acting Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
It is part of the collective agreements.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
I want to talk about vote 10. Historically, vote 10 has always been $5 or $6 million, a very low number. A few years ago under this government, it was inflated to several hundred million. I think it was two years ago during the first minority government that this committee had a very frank discussion about it that, if the government tried to balloon it again, this committee would reduce it back to historical numbers. Now we see it's back up to $150 million.
Why? Again, in relation to past historical numbers being much lower....
4:35 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
I can give you the details of the $152 million and transfer you to my colleagues.
The biggest amount there is $107 million for the COVID-19 vaccination policy implementation.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Why would that not be done through individual departments on a horizontal basis, as it is done for other cross-departmental initiatives?
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
This is done at the government level because it is more efficient, and we want to also have some controls in place. If there is a department in need of money for the COVID-19 vaccination policy—
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We prefer to go through vote 10. For this one, you need the approval of the Treasury Board. You need to provide a Treasury Board submission.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Do you understand our concern, though, as members of Parliament? We went through this whole discussion with vote 10 before about pre-approving money in a roundabout way and taking away oversight from parliamentarians.
It appears we're again back to this process of pushing in money when it should be perhaps done separately in departments.
If you already have a plan specifically for $107 million, you therefore know what departments that money is going into. Why is it not in those departments' estimates and done horizontally, as has been done in the past?
What is the other $40 million for?
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
There is $24 million to respond to claims arising from the Phoenix system.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay. Why is that in a vote 10 and not in individual departments, again, done as a horizontal?
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Mr. Chair, maybe I can take some of this question.
The money that we have under vote 10 is actually for horizontal disbursement. For example, the $24 million that my colleague Ms. Boudreau spoke to with respect to damages represents money that, once the department has paid out the claims, the damages from the those, they will do a claim to TBS for reimbursement of those claims.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
This has not been done traditionally in the past. Again, up until four or five years ago, vote 10 was always $3 million, $4 million or $5 million, traditionally.
Why the change?