Evidence of meeting #2 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was money.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The pipeline project is still proceeding—
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
So as long as the project proceeds, the department will partially fund the secretariat?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I'm not sure how they'll get their money for the current fiscal year that is about to start. That secretariat will be operating in 2009-10.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you.
Can you tell me what the transfer is from Canadian Heritage for the “development of Official Language Minority”? It's a small amount, but what is its use and where is it going?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I could provide the specific details for you. This is part of the renewal of the official languages action plan. There was money provided to departments to meet their commitments.
We can provide you with details.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I'd just be curious to know. And the same thing about the other transfer for supplementary estimates (B), transfer 12—to Canadian Heritage this time—for aboriginal languages.
This is as a result of an agreement. What agreement is this? Is it an agreement between departments?
Could we see a copy of that agreement?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
All right.
I'm sorry, Mr. Chairman, if I repeat some of these things; I had to be absent for a little while to table a petition in the House.
My principal question was to be on education, and I gather it has come up, so if I repeat something, I apologize.
The additional money coming from the budget just approved is to build ten new schools. Will these be replacements, or additional schools? Or do we know yet?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They'll pretty much be brand-new buildings. In most cases they will replace something that was there before.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I could get you the details once we've finalized the list. Ten of them are new and three of them are essentially renovations of existing structures.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
All right.
Can you talk to me about the adjustments to the operational budget that have to come about because of the additional schools?
Do you have a problem with my asking questions?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The budget doesn't provide for any adjustments to the operating transfers. We have about a $1 billion education program that flows out of the transfer agreements and we would adjust the agreements with those particular first nations to reflect the new situation.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
But if you add schools, presumably you would have to add to the operations budget?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They're always replacing something that was there before, which might have been energy inefficient and cost more to run.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
That was my initial question. Are these replacing existing buildings?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Yes.
Liberal
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
They're new, but they're replacing buildings that were there before.
Sorry about the....
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
All right. Fair enough.
Can you tell me then, what will the $17 million that the minister referred to in his speech be allocated for?
Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
This would be the first installment of the new partnership program that was announced in December. In the last budget we obtained some money for education partnerships, where we would work with the provincial government and first nations organizations. Those are willing partner, large project-based things to move forward, and this would be an installment on that initiative, which I think, if you add it all in, was $260 million over five years.
