Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the committee for inviting us to support its study of Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces contaminated sites. My name is Sarah Evans, and I am the executive director of investment management within the office of the comptroller general at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
I would like to take a moment to outline the role the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat plays in supporting the management of federal contaminated sites.
First, the Treasury Board sets the administrative policy framework for the management of federal real property through its directive on the management of real property. The directive outlines the responsibilities of departments that administer real property, which we call “custodian organizations”, so that real property is planned, acquired, used and disposed of in a manner that supports the delivery of programs and services to Canadians while ensuring best value for the Crown.
As part of the directive, the responsibilities of each custodian organization that manages contaminated sites are set out. This includes following standards and guidelines endorsed by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment.
Second, in support of transparency, custodian organizations that administer contaminated sites must also report annually on them in the federal contaminated sites inventory.