Evidence of meeting #28 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was languages.
A recording is available from Parliament.
10:25 a.m.
Director, Research and Development, Canada School of Public Services
Is it possible to say what report you are talking about?
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I am talking about the report that might be unfavourable. We have learned that the school was planning to conduct an evaluation of its language training service in 2011-2012. Did it conduct that evaluation?
10:25 a.m.
Director, Research and Development, Canada School of Public Services
I am not in a position to answer that question. I am not the person who can answer it.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
10:25 a.m.
Director, Research and Development, Canada School of Public Services
I am not in a position to answer that question.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Just to come to the defence of the witness here, we did ask that—
10:25 a.m.
NDP
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
According to the agenda, the witnesses are here to talk about the Roadmap.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
If we are talking about the Roadmap, we must be able to talk about government programs, Mr. Chairman. As to whether the reports may be favourable to the language training school, it seems to me that we are entitled to answers. This is supposedly a transparent government. So we'll have to resort to the Access to Information Act in order to have a right to the government's transparency.
10:25 a.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
That isn't a problem.
We've asked him to come to talk about the road map. I've given members of the committee great latitude in the kinds of questions they ask. Obviously the witness does not have the answer to your question, and she's indicated that.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
That's very good.
Do you think we'll have another Roadmap? I am putting the question to the Treasury Board representatives.
If 100% of the $17 million was used, don't you think those amounts should be granted permanently, rather than having to rely on the Roadmap? Isn't this a need, at the Treasury Board, for the Centre of Excellence?
10:25 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
I cannot comment on the government's future decisions.
If there is another version of the feuille de route, we would anticipate having funding for that to support the program and legislative responsibilities of the president. If there is no feuille de route, we would have to reconsider how we resource those programs and support the president in his role.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
10:25 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
There are 21 persons.
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
We change every day because we are currently hiring people. There are 22 positions, two of which have to be filled.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
There were 50. Now there are only 20. You are expanding. You've reached 21, perhaps 22.
10:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
The figure was 11, and we've risen to 22.
10:25 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
There were 11, there are 21, and soon it will be 22. There were previously 50. What program or activity was lost?
10:30 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
There was no lost activity, as such. There was a refocusing of the activities of the Centre of Excellence to align them with the new human resource management model. There are fewer interventions—
10:30 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
No, we are completely available.
The difference is this: I am regularly invited to join in departmental networks. Some departments have established their own internal human resources committees because we have made them accountable. I was at the Department of the Environment this week and there were some very dynamic meetings. I am in a position to transmit the message horizontally to more people.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
However, they had 50 people, and now there are 11. So something happened. The Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development said that everything had changed with technology, for employment insurance, for example. However, we get calls at our offices and people tell us they are no longer entitled to employment insurance.
You've made some changes. Is something missing in the service delivery area?
10:30 a.m.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
We're in a change cycle. In our assessment of the situation, we have to adjust to this new service delivery model, to a redefined role for the centre and to enhanced responsibilities for all the institutions and deputy ministers who are ultimately responsible for implementing requirements.
In the context of our mandate, we are working to improve the way we do things. To give you a concrete example, we had a series of policies that were promising and highly detailed but that were not aimed directly at the deputy minister. The deputy minister who read those policies could not clearly see what his main responsibilities were and what actions he was expected to take.
We are revising our policies so that they communicate those requirements more clearly.