Evidence of meeting #38 for Government Operations and Estimates in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communications.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
I did, but I'm happy to say it again if you'd like me to.
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
Our mandate is to provide the effective operation of cabinet on issues of national importance. I apologize. Our mandate is professional, non-partisan advice to support the Prime Minister and ministers within his portfolio, as well as the Clerk of the Privy Council, who leads the public service.
Conservative
Conservative
Liberal
Vince Gasparro Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you all for being here and thank you for your service.
Over the past year, Canadians have navigated a rapidly changing and fragmented global economic environment. The Canadian government is focused on trying to control areas of the economy where we can have greater impact. Part of that includes the Major Projects Office.
Can you explain to Canadians what function that organization will fill?
Louise Baird Vice President, Major Projects Office, Privy Council Office
The Major Projects Office was created to help fast-track or accelerate significant major projects in the country that can have economic benefits for Canada and Canadians. The role we play is as a single window for project proponents, and we can coordinate with other departments and agencies across the federal system.
We're not a regulator ourselves, but we can coordinate with the regulators and help streamline project approvals or any outstanding authorizations or permits from those different departments. We can also help project proponents structure their financing. We can help them be more attractive for private sector investment and work with Crown corporations, if there are different types of financing support required.
A lot of our role is coordination, working directly with the proponents and then clearing the path where there are any kinds of barriers for those projects to be successful.
Liberal
Vince Gasparro Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
That's great. Thank you for that.
As a former banker, I think the answer to this next question is pretty obvious. Can you briefly touch on how providing that certainty to investors is critical in attracting capital? You touched on it a bit, but if you could expand on it, I'd appreciate it.
Vice President, Major Projects Office, Privy Council Office
If potential investors and companies that want to set up in Canada see that there's a more certain investment climate, it helps spur that investment, that interest and that ability for companies to get set up and run in Canada. I think we've already seen some of that in the last several months.
When we can streamline that approval process, which I think in the past has been a disincentive for investment in Canada, that's where some of that benefit is happening in making Canada a more attractive investment climate.
Liberal
Vince Gasparro Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
In my home constituency of Eglinton—Lawrence, many folks have mentioned to me, and I've seen myself, that it just takes too long to get things built here in Canada. At the same time, Canadians want to be confident that environmental protections and charter-protected indigenous rights are being upheld.
Could you walk the committee through how the Major Projects Office and, in particular, Bill C-5 aim to address these concerns?
Vice President, Major Projects Office, Privy Council Office
Yes, I'm happy to.
First of all, I would say there are five factors in the Building Canada Act, which you mentioned, that guide the work of the Major Projects Office. When we're assessing projects, we're looking at the extent to which the project can “strengthen Canada’s autonomy, resilience and security”, “provide economic...benefits”, “advance the interests of Indigenous peoples”—that's built right into those five criteria—and “contribute to clean growth and to meeting Canada’s objectives with respect to climate change.”
If a project is referred by the government to the Major Projects Office, it doesn't mean it's skipping any regulatory approvals. Those environmental assessments and any permitting under departments, like the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, still go ahead. Those requirements and any laws still have to be fulfilled by any project proponent. We just help to try to move that along more quickly.
There's also a requirement under the act, if a project is being considered for designation to be listed in the act, to consult indigenous peoples if the project may impact their rights. That's built right into the act as well.
Liberal
Vince Gasparro Liberal Eglinton—Lawrence, ON
That's excellent.
For 2026-27, what role will the PCO play in advancing our government's ambitious agenda, given your central function?
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
I'm not sure what you're talking about specifically. Major projects is one of those.
The Privy Council Office tries to oversee all government priorities through the functioning of cabinet and the coordination of departments. On any government priority, whether it's related to major projects or something else, the Privy Council Office will work to ensure that cabinet discussions support this, that DM committees are put in place to support those priorities and that there's up-to-date tracking of progress on those priorities for the Prime Minister.
Conservative
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just want one clarification. My colleague, Mr. Garon, asked a question. Unfortunately, we didn't receive an answer.
The sovereign wealth fund amounts to $25 million over three years. I work in business. Business people ask me whether we can find out the purpose of this fund. I'm thinking of the Dutch disease. Where do things stand? How can we attract investment? What are the fund's specific objectives?
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
With apologies, this is not part of our main estimates and I do not have anything to share with the committee on the goals of that. I can endeavour to give something to the committee, but I do not have anything that's been provided for me.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Can you ask the appropriate people to provide them?
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
Sorry. Could you repeat your question one more time?
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Could you request this information?
It's important.
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
Yes. I can definitely do that.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
Good. I would like this done as soon as possible.
Let me tell you. Not a week goes by without people coming into my office and asking me about the budget for the Governor General. I think that you can see what I'm getting at. Some people don't know it, but the budget earmarks $22 million for the office of the Governor General.
People say that, these days, we're talking about budget cuts. We're trying to find direct services for the public. Veterans Affairs Canada, for example, is facing cuts of 15%. At the same time, we're wondering about the purpose and work of the Governor General, who doesn't even speak French. How do we justify investing in the office of the Governor General?
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
With respect to the committee, I'm here to discuss the main estimates for the Privy Council Office, not for the office of the Governor General, so I can't comment on the budget or the requirements of the Governor General.
What I can say is the government is seeking to reduce expenditures through the comprehensive expenditure review. The Privy Council Office has been part of that, so I'm happy to discuss what we are doing at the Privy Council Office to reduce our expenditures, but I can't really comment on other departments.
Bloc
Marie-Hélène Gaudreau Bloc Laurentides—Labelle, QC
I understand that you don't have any comments to make. However, I need to know. People are suffering. People are facing major issues. We're penny‑pinching. Yet here we're talking about $22 million. I want to know who could tell us where things stand and how to make potential cuts. The $22 million isn't justified. I don't understand.
I have another question about the consultants. My colleague spoke about them. Is the government strengthening or weakening its internal capacity with all the restructuring and streamlining? We'll ask a witness about this later. What's happening?
Chief Financial Officer, Privy Council Office
On contracting, I won't comment government-wide, but I'm happy to talk about the Privy Council Office. We absolutely use professional services when necessary. We have reduced our professional services over the last decade to try to use employees when possible so that we're safeguarding corporate memory.
We're not paying for people to build us IT projects if we can do something in-house. We've certainly made efforts in that regard. When we did some of the analysis of the contracting, for example, with the big five—
