Justice Committee on May 13th, 2015

[Donald Piragoff]

I can answer that question for you.

In the current main estimates it looks as if there's a decrease, and that's because an existing program has sunset in the current year. The program is being renewed. It was announced in economic action plan 2014 that $25 million over five years would be renewed to support the government's action plan to address family violence and violent crimes against aboriginal women and girls. Under the previous plan, which ran from 2010 and expired in 2015, the department had received $1.6 million. That's why it indicates that we have lost $1.6 million.

Under the new plan, the Department of Justice will get a larger allocation under that $25 million, and we'll be receiving $2 million. Actually, under the current allocation, Justice will increase by $400,000 funding with respect to murdered and missing aboriginal women and violence issues.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

That would be in the supplementaries, not in the main estimates.

[Donald Piragoff]

Yes.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

What about prostitution? I know that the minister has addressed this issue particularly. The minister promised $20 million over five years.

[Donald Piragoff]

That's right.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

We would expect $4 million for one year, if I'm correct in that, so how much money will actually be allocated in this budget?

[Donald Piragoff]

On prostitution, the government announced that $20 million in new funding would be allocated by Parliament over five years. For that five years, Justice is receiving $10.47 million over the five-year period. For this particular year, Justice is receiving $1.9 million, which is what I believe the minister indicated.

It's for five years, but it's usually not cut into equal amounts every year. There's usually less money in the early years because of ramp-up and then there's usually more for ramp-down. That's why I said that it's the job of Treasury Board, as the bank manager, to determine how much money we get every year. If we get $5 million over five years, it doesn't mean that we get a million dollars every year. Treasury Board determines a schedule as to how we get the money over that period of time.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

That is great.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

You can have one more question.

[Ève Péclet, NDP, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Thank you.

I would like to go back to my colleague's question. I think it is extremely important. Part of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights is going to be operated by the provinces. I know that the minister talked about some budget increase for child support centres. You have been asked the question several times before, but I would like to get you back to the issue.

Have you established or designated a program to handle the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights? Will that money be allocated by the department according to its plans and priorities? Are the studies, the investigations, that the department has conducted going to allow programs to be created for the provinces or the tribunals?

For example, we are talking about administrative tribunals. Are some aspects of the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights going to apply to administrative rights tribunals, for example?

Could you comment on that?

Thank you very much.

[Donald Piragoff]

As I mentioned to Mr. Casey, that matter is currently before Treasury Board, a cabinet committee. That committee determines how the money will be allocated to us. Even though Parliament allocates a certain amount of money, Treasury Board decides how much will be allocated to us for certain purposes, whether it goes to courts administration, to prosecution support, or to victims.

I can indicate, though, given the Victims Bill of Rights, we are expecting the money will go into the current victims fund, which will then likely be increased, and money then will be allocated to the provinces and organizations through the victims fund. It's just easier to manage one fund. The costs of administration are less, as opposed to managing many funds.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Thank you for those questions and answers, Madam Péclet.

My name is on the list now, so I'm going to ask a few questions, if you don't mind. They'll be easy ones today. Also, I do appreciate the questions from my colleagues today. I thought they were very good.

To follow up on what's been asked, when does the member of Parliament...? It's been announced that we're doing something. It's in the fiscal framework, as you would put it, and it's in front of Treasury Board. When does it hit the paper so that a member of Parliament can see that it's actually being voted on to be expended?

Does something under the framework come into the main estimates or into the supplementaries? There's an example they're using now, but even with the money that has been sunset, I completely understand that you can't.... For a program that's sunsetting, obviously the bureaucratic level cannot reallocate money until it's approved by Parliament.

But on that $25 million—I know you're only getting part of it—it was announced in a budget last year, and I don't understand why it could not have been reflected in this year's main estimates. It shows here that there's a deduction of $1.6 million or whatever it is. It looks like we're not funding it anymore, but in fact we're funding more, on which I agree with you.

I don't understand why it wasn't reflected in the main estimates. Maybe somebody could explain that to me.

[Donald Piragoff]

I think on the Victims Bill of Rights I can explain that. The bill was only enacted in the third week in April when it received royal—

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Of this year?

[Donald Piragoff]

Yes, of this year. Therefore, that's why it's not in the main estimates. For next year it will likely be reflected in the supplementary estimates—

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Supplementary estimates....

[Donald Piragoff]

—because Treasury Board will authorize the release of the money and then they're going to have to put it forward to disclose that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

I didn't realize that the bill hadn't been passed until this April.

[Donald Piragoff]

It was April.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

When are you required to put your money in for the main estimates to be approved? When is the deadline?

[Marie-Josée Thivierge]

We do work with a number of timelines. The main estimates align to the RPP, so for the 2015-16 RPP, the RPP is based on information that was available as of November 2014.

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

Yes, way back.

[Marie-Josée Thivierge]

Maybe I can supplement what my colleague has said. In terms of the voting process, in our RPP, with respect specifically to the $25 million that had been announced in budget 2014, on page 11 of the RPP—

[The Chair, Conservative, Mike Wallace]

This year's or last year's?

[Marie-Josée Thivierge]

This year's. We've actually made a reference—