Public Accounts Committee on Oct. 19th, 2009

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

Thank you, Mr. Lee.

Madame Faille.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Thank you.

I have a question for Ms. Fraser.

Can you tell us if there are any indications within the various departments that GBA analyses are currently being performed on recently implemented programs?

[Sheila Fraser]

I can tell you that according to a table that we have drawn up, of the 68 initiatives, thirty or so analyses have been performed.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

And has anything been done recently in connection with the new programs implemented in recent years, that is in 2009-2010?

[Sheila Fraser]

The initiatives selected were announced in the 2007-2008 budget, or in the 2007 economic statement. In other words, these are programs that were recently implemented.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

However, there has been no indication from the follow-ups that you are now doing that these analyses have been performed. Is that correct?

[Sheila Fraser]

This is not something that we looked into.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Perhaps Ms. Auray from the Treasury Board could answer that question.

[Michelle d'Auray]

In some cases, to reiterate what Ms. Fraser said, analyses have indeed been performed. With respect to the challenge function, discussions have taken place.

Perhaps my colleague from the Department of Finance would care to respond.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

First, however, I have a quick question.

Do you currently keep a record of the exchanges that you have with officials from the various departments?

[Michelle d'Auray]

No, because the challenge function involves verbal exchanges. In addition, when we respond to the report of the Auditor General, Ms. Fraser, rarely do we not agree with her recommendations. We do not want to find ourselves in this situation too often.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Could it because there is no legislative framework or no legislation similar to the Official Languages Act in place? Would gender equality legislation resolve the problem? If legislation of this nature was in place, would you be obligated to manage the situation with the help of an information system?

[Michelle d'Auray]

Not necessarily, insofar as the challenge function is concerned, because this is a verbal function. Analysts from the Privy Council Office as well as from the Treasury Board Secretariat ask verbal questions and interact verbally with their colleagues from various departments.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Has a gender analysis been done of the budget? Having served in the House since 2004, I know it's a question that comes up every year. I heard the question each time I sat on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Will a gender-based analysis be done of this year's budget?

[Michelle d'Auray]

I will ask my colleague from the Department of Finance to answer that question.

[Louise Levonian, Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of Finance]

The Department of Finance does a gender-based analysis for each component of the budget. The information is passed along to the department and is taken into account by the minister in the decision-making process. The Department of Finance has an excellent record on GBA.

In addition, Ms. Fraser audited our department and found that it satisfied all of the criteria, with one exception. GBA has been implemented very well at the Department of Finance and we have their assurances that a gender-based analysis will be performed on each budget component.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Ms. d'Auray, do you produce a report in which you periodically follow up on the performance of the different departments in the area of GBA, and does it have a name?

[Michelle d'Auray]

We do not produce a report to assess performance in the area of GBA, but we do have a tool with which to evaluate departmental performance. As part of the process of making management accountable, one section looks at the department's capacity to satisfy optimum conditions for TB submissions. We evaluate departments' ability to meet our requirements for TB submissions, with GBA being one such requirement.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

I have one last question. Could you give us an overall idea of how the different departments are doing or where they stand in terms of incorporating GBA into their policies?

[Michelle d'Auray]

If you don't mind, I will get back to you with a report on that matter. Perhaps we may be able to tell you the extent to which the departments are satisfying our requirements for TB submissions. This is one component of our management accountability framework.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Could you also identify in your report which departments have a GBA champion and which ones do not yet have one and indicate whether or not they have taken steps to appoint one?

[Michelle d'Auray]

All right. If it's fine with you, I will also consult with our colleagues from Status of Women Canada who have much of that information.

[Meili Faille, Bloc, Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Shawn Murphy]

I just want to clarify that last request, Madame d'Auray. This is probably going to take a little bit of time, so would that information be available in say two months? I just want to set a time limit.

[Michelle d'Auray]

I think if you give us three months we'd be able to comply with that, to look at the components of champions and the extent to which departments are fulfilling their Treasury Board submission requirements.