Government Operations Committee on Dec. 12th, 2022

[Stewart Wheeler]

I'm happy to take that question.

The protocol office puts in place systems and communications with missions on the ground at the start of the planning of any visit. We arrange for our missions on the ground in the regions to provide standard processes for government procurement that include multiple competitive bids from suppliers for all hotels, transportation and other hospitality and services supplied. That process will continue.

Of course, in an era of increasing need to recognize the constrained finances of everyone dealing with inflation and other pressures on our budgets, this will continue to be an important thing at the top of the minds of our officers.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thank you, Mr. Johns.

Thank you, Mr. Wheeler.

We'll go over to you, Ms. Kusie, for five minutes, please.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you very much, Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here.

Mr. Wheeler, does Global Affairs still complete country strategies at missions, with every mission completing their own country strategy?

[Stewart Wheeler]

Each mission has it as part of our annual planning process. There is an online tool you might recall called “Stratega”. I think it was being tested when the honourable member was a member of our diplomatic corps. Yes, I do believe it's still an annual process through which overall strategies for each country are established by the mission, in discussion with headquarters.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you very much for that response.

Is there a section specific to events and hospitality within the country's strategy, in supervised versions?

[Stewart Wheeler]

I'm sorry. For events and hospitality to—

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

That's correct. In determining country strategies, you would then roll out the activities that you would have in mind to meet the strategies and then perhaps another line for events. I was just wondering if events and hospitality were a part of the country's strategy.

[Stewart Wheeler]

I haven't been involved in the strategic process for a number of years.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Okay.

[Stewart Wheeler]

From my recollection at post, there is the possibility, when seeking specific funds for specific activities, whether that's a public affairs activity or a trade promotion activity, to include costs related to events and hospitality within that planning, but the planning of high-level visits is not part of that planning.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Okay, thank you.

That was my next question. Do missions themselves share the costs of governors general visits?

[Stewart Wheeler]

The cost of visits by high-level dignitaries, whether the Prime Minister—

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

That's correct—high-level individuals.

[Stewart Wheeler]

—or the Governor General, are borne by my office, and we release all of those figures through the public accounts.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Okay.

When the previous administration implemented the deficit reduction action plan, do you recall specifically what the implications were for the protocol department? For example, in Dallas, you removed 10% of the budget. Do you recall if there was something similar at the time?

[Stewart Wheeler]

I would be happy to take that question on note. I wasn't working in protocol at that time, so I would be unable to say.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you.

Prior to the end of the fiscal year, is protocol or are missions able to make purchases or invest costs for the following years, to be used for hospitality or events in particular?

[Stewart Wheeler]

Funds that are allocated for a given fiscal year are designed to be used for that fiscal year. Through the monthly process of reviewing budgets, all divisions and directorates at headquarters track their spending with respect to how they're tracking toward the expected expenditures of the plan for that year, and if there are additional funds, they are released earlier in the year so that we meet revised targets and don't have the excess funds that, perhaps, you were referring to.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you.

Is there any aspect of head-of-mission performance that is tied to expenditure review?

[Stewart Wheeler]

Through the monitoring of the monthly budget allocations for a mission or for a bureau at headquarters, there is, at the seventh or ninth month—depending on the year—an attestation by the head of mission or the director general responsible for that budget, in which they commit to the proper planning and implementation of the budget figures that have been laid out for them. Coming within a certain percentage of that is part of what is included in the performance management agreements of all senior executives at Global Affairs.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Kelly McCauley]

Thank you, Ms. Kusie. You had three seconds to spare.

Mr. Housefather, we go to you for five minutes.

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

I am going to come back to a question that was asked by Ms. Vignola, because I don't think I got an adequate answer to it. The last time this group of departments was here to talk about the expenses, you told us you didn't have the invoices, yet that very same day, later in the day, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation was able to deliver those invoices to newspapers.

Can somebody please explain how none of you were aware that your departments had already accumulated these invoices and responded to an ATIP request with the actual information?

[LGen Eric Kenny]

Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair.

On September 22, when I was here, what I stated was that I didn't know the detailed breakdown of the costs by meal. We did have the invoices at the time, and when you look at the invoices, you will see that some of them have breakdowns of the cost by meal and others just have an overall cost for catering with zero breakdown, so what I was trying to explain at the time was that it was difficult to provide an exact cost by meal and by location, so that information—

[Anthony Housefather, Liberal, Mount Royal, QC]

If you had that information, sir, why did you not provide the invoices to the committee the day you appeared?