Evidence of meeting #76 for Justice and Human Rights in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
Bob Dechert Conservative Mississauga—Erindale, ON
Are there any particular drugs that are increasing more than others?
Sorry, am I out of time?
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mike Wallace
You are definitely out of time.
But a quick answer to that question....
3:55 p.m.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Increasing more than others...? No. There are some drugs that cause more concern than others. Drugs like heroin and fentanyl are drugs that are causing concern in communities and they're causing concern for the investigative agencies and for prosecutors.
3:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mike Wallace
Okay, thank you for those questions and answers.
The next questioner is Mr. Casey from the Liberal Party.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First, to Madame Pelletier, your organization provides support to the Social Security Tribunal. Is that right?
3:55 p.m.
Chief Administrator, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
There is a massive backlog of cases before that tribunal. How has that impacted the estimates that you're presenting here today?
3:55 p.m.
Chief Administrator, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
As I referred to in my earlier remarks, it's important to note that the estimates before you today are for $60.9 million, and I indicated that $17.7 million were out of a vote-netted authority. The vote-netted authority funds are the ones that are dedicated to the Social Security Tribunal. This is to recoup funds from the employment insurance and CPP programs.
Very little of the funds before you go to the operations of the Social Security Tribunal. In that case, it doesn't necessarily impact the main estimates numbers.
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
3:55 p.m.
Chief Administrator, Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada
We'll always take more money.
3:55 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
3:55 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you for that candid response.
To our friends from the Department of Justice, could I refer you, please, to the report on plans and priorities, on page 36? I wonder if you could help me understand something that falls under “Internal Services”? It indicates that the main estimates for 2015-16 are $86.6 million, but the planned spending for the same year is $117.5 million and there will be no change in FTEs. Can someone explain to me why there is such a dramatic difference between the main estimates and the planned spending within internal services?
3:55 p.m.
Marie-Josée Thivierge Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Office of Assistant Deputy Minister,Management Sector and CFO, Department of Justice
In part it is because the actual planned spending takes into consideration funding that we're going to get through the central votes, based on historical patterns of accessing those, for example, pay list expenditures, offsetting compensation increases, and also the carry-forward the department is entitled to from one year to the other. The main estimates is the voted authorities. The planned spending number is informed by other funds that one may receive throughout the year through other voted authorities, including central votes. It is informed by past spending patterns, as well as projected spending for the year.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
When you talk about a carry-forward from one year to the next, we have a lot of discussions in Parliament about lapsed funding. Can you tell me about these carry-forwards from one year to the next?
4 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Office of Assistant Deputy Minister,Management Sector and CFO, Department of Justice
The Financial Administration Act provides that you can carry funds from one year to the other. One of the principles is that you can never exceed your authorities, so as a result, departments normally come within authorities and are allowed to carry forward up to 5% of the voted authorities at year-end.
4 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
Thank you.
Mr. Legault, I wonder if you could provide a little more light on the information you gave earlier in your testimony with respect to transfers to the provinces. Actually, I'm asking Mr. Legault, but as I think of it now, I think it was Mr. Piragoff. Anyway, here's my question.
The Victims Bill of Rights Act creates an obligation on the provinces to establish a mechanism to deal with requests for information and complaints that didn't previously exist. We spent some time before a committee talking about the impact that those new obligations would have on provincial coffers. I think I heard you, Mr. Piragoff, or perhaps it was Mr. Legault, talk about it being within a fiscal framework before Treasury Board, but not in the estimates, and the subject of some future announcement. Can you shed any more light on that? Given that the Victims Bill of Rights has received royal assent, given that these obligations now rest with provinces, given that these things are going to cost money, how much is in the envelope and where can we find that information?
4 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Sector, Department of Justice
The process, as I recall and I'll double-check to make sure, is that I believe the money was voted by Parliament last year and is in the fiscal framework. Parliament essentially puts money into the government's bank account. Treasury Board is the bank manager, and the bank manager decides how much they'll give each department.
Right now, we'll go before Treasury Board with a submission to release money that is already in the fiscal framework for the purposes of implementing the Victims Bill of Rights. The amount of that money I can't disclose at this time because it's still a cabinet confidence. That's why I said the minister will make an announcement once he receives approval from Treasury Board to spend the money, and the money then will be transferred to the Department of Justice.
The minister has, I believe, indicated, and I believe there were some announcements, last year as to some of the purposes of the money. Some of the money will, as you indicated, go to the provinces. There are not necessarily obligations on the provinces to create complaint mechanisms, but this legislation said—because of the difference in jurisdiction between sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution—if the complaint is against a provincial institution, such as a crown attorney's office or the police, the complaint mechanism is that of the province.
The federal government indicated we would create our own complaint mechanisms. The minister did indicate there would be federal funding available to assist provinces in enacting complaint mechanisms similar to that of the federal government. The federal government also indicated with respect to the collection of restitution there are some very good programs in some of the provinces. Saskatchewan has a very good collection program for restitution. The federal government indicated we would also provide some funds for assisting provinces in improving their collection mechanisms for restitution and indicating Saskatchewan might be a good model. It's up to the provinces to decide the model they wish to use.
The exact amounts and the details, as I said, I can't disclose because it's still before our cabinet committee, which is Treasury Board.
4 p.m.
Conservative
4 p.m.
Liberal
Sean Casey Liberal Charlottetown, PE
We've spent some time here in recent meetings discussing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Can you identify anything within the estimates with regard to initiatives by the government with respect to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder?
4 p.m.
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy Sector, Department of Justice
I'll have to get back to you on that if I might. I'm not aware of that at this moment.
4 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Mike Wallace
Yes, very quick.
Thank you for those questions and answers.
Our next questioner from the Conservative Party is Mr. Wilks.
4 p.m.
Conservative
David Wilks Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, everyone, for being here.
I wanted to continue on the questioning that Mr. Dechert had for Mr. Saunders with regard to expenditures of the $130 million through the drug, Criminal Code, and terrorism prosecution program, specific to the prosecution for drug offences. Do you have the ability to provide to the committee a breakdown of the prosecutions vis-à-vis minor possession, possession for trafficking, trafficking, and those types of things?
4:05 p.m.
Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
Yes.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
David Wilks Conservative Kootenay—Columbia, BC
Do you have any statistics on you right now with regard to cannabis, marijuana, specifically?