Official Languages Committee on Oct. 29th, 2009

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Once the problems were solved with Treasury Board, the process was able to go ahead.

[Tom Scrimger]

Yes.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

So can you explain to me why they waited until May, June, July, August, September, October and even November to make the first 25% instalment? Once that was approved, why didn't all the organizations simply receive their 25%?

I know you want to involve Treasury Board in this affair. Is the delay attributable to the fact that the files simply were not all evaluated and that they were lying around on the minister's desk? When Treasury Board gave its approval, why weren't the first cheques sent to all the organizations? Why didn't they all receive their 25% in May?

You said that it's the minister who decides what organizations receive money. We can look at the blues to ensure that's really what you said. Does that mean that, from now on, you'll be evaluating the files, but that the minister will decide who receives money and who doesn't, even if a recommendation has been made on that point?

[Tom Scrimger]

Your question includes three items to which I'm going to try to respond.

First, the minister gives final approval for grants on contributions. It's not an authority that's delegated to departmental officials.

Second, our files indicate that the last advance payments to eligible organizations were made in July. There are no more organizations awaiting a 25% advance payment. I don't mean at all that all the contributions were signed in July. I know that contributions were signed later in the summer and even, in the case of certain projects, in September or early October.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Scrimger, time is passing. Have you finished?

Thank you, Mr. D'Amours.

We'll continue with Mr. Nadeau.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

A little earlier, I was talking about items of information that did not reach the organizations that knew that their application had been accepted. For example, that's the 602 organizations that we were talking about for the previous year...

Why can't they get a succinct answer when they ask where their file stands, if only during the week when they call?

[Tom Scrimger]

Until the official decision has been made, all the organizations can be told is that their application is still being processed. From the moment we know the decision, we can communicate it to the organization. We can also begin the necessary procedures to start payments. I can't give any other answer.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

So you're telling me that the organization that filed an application can't know how far it's gone, even if the delay is extending and even if you know that certain factors cannot be considered, for example, because the implementation date has passed or because it's too late to hire the necessary people so that the activity can take place.

[Tom Scrimger]

Of course, our officers were able to explain that there would be a delay. I'm not saying that we told them absolutely nothing, but they perhaps can't say how far the file has gotten and why there was a delay. I think the solution will be to publish our service standards, which is planned for April 1, 2010. They will be available to all recipients, who will be able to take our service standards into consideration—

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Scrimger, —

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Nadeau, I must inform you that we have to leave at 11 o'clock because another committee needs the room. There are three speakers in the second round. You may continue, but I wanted to inform you of that fact.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you.

Let's take the example of a fransakois community organization that files an application and is told that its programming is accepted. The application is then processed, to see whether it works well, etc. If representatives of that association call you in mid-process, you can't tell them the date when they'll be receiving the money, even if this is a group that you've been doing business with for a long time.

[Tom Scrimger]

If we've told an organization that its grant was approved, we can tell it, most of the time, that it will be receiving payment within 30 days. Approval has to be official before we can provide an exact answer. As officials, we don't say whether something is approved before the minister has approved it.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Nadeau.

We'll continue with Ms. Glover, who will be sharing her time with Mr. Petit.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chairman, this is the second hour because we started at nine o'clock.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

As we changed witnesses, I took back the question list, which works to your advantage, Mr. Godin, because otherwise you wouldn't have spoken in the first round.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Why?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

You don't speak in the third round.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

There's no third round, if—

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

You come out a winner, but if you talk too much now, you'll have less time later.

Ms. Glover, go ahead please.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I simply wanted to clarify something. Mr. Scrimger, let's talk about the analysis of the delays related to the funding process. This week, during the briefing on the delays issue, you told me that there were other reasons, that don't appear in your analysis. I was told that the quality of the brief was one of the reasons that explained the delays. I was told that documents were missing, and so on. I'm surprised that this doesn't appear in your analysis. Furthermore, Mr. Lussier said that the consultations with the committees caused delays because there are often problems when you have to meet with everyone.

I wonder why that doesn't appear in the analysis. Do those two reasons also explain the delays?

[Tom Scrimger]

Obviously, if the grant application isn't complete, that causes a delay and that can delay the final decision.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

But I would like to know whether those two specific factors caused delays.

[Tom Scrimger]

Yes, that's definite. That has an impact on the process.