Human Resources Committee on March 15th, 2010

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

The city of Montreal, for example, has a Canada summer jobs program budget. I will not throw out any numbers as I do not know what the budget is. So, this year, what is happening is that the jobs that were managed by the cities are going back to the overall budget for every riding, without linking them to the budget.

Could you give us some information on that, so we know which major cities have a budget to designate summer jobs? How big are those budgets? What changed this year to make them want to put those jobs back in the budgets of the ridings?

I have another question about the Canada summer jobs program. In 2006, this committee unanimously recommended that the program receive a bigger budget to take into account two additional factors: the increase in the hourly wage, by province—which did not happen—and the increase in the cost of living—which did not happen either.

In 2006, the suggested increase was $13 million. That means that today we should have a budget of $120 million for this item, yet it is at $107 million. I would add that the budget has not increased at all in three years.

Can you tell us how these budgets are managed on a national level, such that we see an increase in the number of jobs without an increase in the budget?

I would like you to provide a written answer, as it may be long.

The other aspect has to do with the budget for post-secondary education for aboriginals, a budget that includes a transfer to the human resources budget. Is the transfer purely administrative and so will not affect the program benefits, or will it change something?

Assistance to aboriginals is currently in the form of grants. Will there now be loans and grants for aboriginals?

[Liseanne Forand]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

The transfer you are talking about, from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to our department, involves amalgamating payments that our department will send to the Kativik Regional Government. It involves combining contributions that come from two sources and that are sent to a single recipient, that is, the region of Kativik. It is a matter of making a single contribution instead, in order to minimize the administrative impact, especially on the recipient, the region of Kativik.

So there is no change in the amounts or in what the contributions are used for. The purpose of the contributions is to support post-secondary education for the people of Kativik.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

We know there is a transfer of $300 million....

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

Thank you, Monsieur Lessard.

[Yves Lessard, Bloc, Chambly—Borduas, QC]

I would like to ask a very brief follow-up question. They could respond in writing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

You actually have gone over your five minutes already.

We'll go to Mr. Lobb, please.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Thank you.

Just for a point of record, with the low cost of municipal loans in my riding, one fast-growing municipality was able to take advantage of that. They borrowed $5.3 million to build new waste water facilities for part of the area and also put in another piece to improve the treated effluent that would go back. So for a lakeshore community, that was certainly well appreciated, as well as a brownfield site for the affordable housing initiative. The same municipality took a brownfield site, cleaned it up, and they're going to put a 53-unit housing unit there. That's putting money to good use.

My first question, and this I guess would be on behalf of the constituents of Huron--Bruce, is to do with the senior independence program and the RAP program, both popular programs. There are lots of questions about them. Under the section there, it puts two pieces in. It's for upgrading existing infrastructure, but also for building new, and I wondered if you had a breakdown for both of those, even as a percentage basis. How much would have been for rehabilitating or updating the existing infrastructure and how much would have been for a new build under that?

[Sharon Matthews]

Under the renovation program, it's all the existing infrastructure, or am I misunderstanding somehow?

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

In here it says it does all that, and facilities that are non-residential buildings--

[Sharon Matthews]

That's conversion, okay. So homeowner RAP would be the majority of the money under the renovation programs. It's about 44% or 45%. Rentals are about 26% or 27%. Within that rental the conversion would be a component of that. I couldn't tell you off the top what component of the 27% of the overall budget would be conversion versus just a straight renovation of a rental unit.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Has the department ever considered raising the income threshold on that for it to be eligible for either the seniors program or for the RAP?

[Sharon Matthews]

We look at the income thresholds every year. We go through and look at what's the norm in the community. You can appreciate the programs are over-subscribed, so by increasing the income level, frankly, you'd just end up with a larger waiting list. But we do look at those income thresholds annually.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Who administers that program? Is it CMHC that administers that program?

[Sharon Matthews]

It depends. It's one of those programs where CMHC will directly deliver if a province or territory has decided not to cost-share. So off the top, in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario, CMHC will directly deliver that. We also directly deliver, by the way, in P.E.I., but the province does cost-share there. It's just easier for us to do it. They've asked us to directly deliver. But in all the other areas, the provinces and territories do it directly.

[Ben Lobb, Conservative, Huron—Bruce, ON]

Okay, this next question changes gears a bit. With the new employment insurance board, in your thoughts, where do you see an improvement in the accountability and transparency that maybe wasn't there 15 years or 10 years ago?

[Karen Jackson]

Thank you for the question.

As I've alluded to in previous answers, the Employment Insurance Financing Board has been created as an arm's-length, independent crown corporation. Its mandate is to set premium rates such that the program breaks even over time. What it means is that, unlike in the past, any surpluses generated, because it has the rate set at a point where more money is coming in than is being paid out, will be set aside in a separate bank account and it will be there to be used for purposes of benefits under the program in the future.

[The Chair, Conservative, Candice Bergen]

Mr. Savage, please.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for coming. Sorry I was late. I was in the House...of Commons, not my own.

I have a few questions, and I do appreciate your coming. The enabling accessibility fund has been recommitted to. It was a $45-million program. Has all of the previous $45 million been expended?

[Michael Saucier]

No, it has not. There has been a deferral of a project for Durham and in regard to a second project in Calgary that will be taking place.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

They comprise 66% of the original enabling accessibility fund, do they not? In other words, they total $30 million out of the $45 million that was announced a few budgets ago.

[Michael Saucier]

That was the total in terms of the amount left unspent? I'd have to double-check to see what percentage that represents.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Will they be spent? Will they be expended in those two projects?

[Michael Saucier]

They plan to be spent, yes.

[Michael Savage, Liberal, Dartmouth—Cole Harbour, NS]

Okay.

As I recall, particularly the one in Durham.... There was some concern raised about that facility. As worthy as it was going to be, the program seemed to be designed specifically for them. They have not spent that $15 million. Can you tell me when they will spend that $15 million?

[Liseanne Forand]

Madam Chairman, that allocation, as is unfortunately sometimes the case with respect to capital-intensive projects, hasn't proceeded as quickly as might have been expected. However, there is the intention to proceed with it, and we'll be doing so in the coming months.