Evidence of meeting #15 for Public Accounts in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was reports.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Meili Faille Bloc Vaudreuil—Soulanges, QC
Do you not mention it here because the minister's office did intervene?
Deputy Minister, Department of Industry
The minister's office, generally speaking, does not request that we examine a case to figure out what is going on. On a few occasions, the minister has asked the Competition Bureau to look at a particular sector to determine if there are grounds for prosecution. In most cases, the Competition Bureau initiates the investigation on its own, based on complaints or market analysis.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you.
Mr. Dicerni, I believe the work you do at Industry Canada is certainly one of the most important things we do for our future, because I believe that our two biggest challenges for our future are innovation and productivity, for the jobs of the future and to develop the full potential of our young people, etc.
You talked about research chairs and the knowledge infrastructure program. Can you take a minute to tell us how your priorities--and reporting is part of that accountability piece--help make Canada more innovative and competitive and how they will do that as time goes on?
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
How will your priorities and the reporting function, which is key to that, help make Canada more competitive, more productive, and more innovative?
Deputy Minister, Department of Industry
Transparency goes a long way. Shining a spotlight on something goes a long way. There's a report that was initially announced when we did the S and T strategy: that we would task a third party, which we have, called the Science, Technology and Innovation Council, to do a biannual state of the nation report on S and T, on where are we at, not just the federal government, but where are we at as a country. They produced the first one last one last year and are now working on number two.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Council is made up of a group of some researchers, some university presidents, and some CEOs of companies, and they bring together quite a good grouping of Canadians. They permit us, if you wish, as a country, to benchmark. Those inputs that we are talking about today go a long way toward tracking what overall progress is being made as a country.
The Auditor General's report on, first, the management, and then the effectiveness of some of the measures in the economic action plan, such as the knowledge infrastructure program, will also go a long way. I'm a full believer in transparency and sharing information. This is one element.
The estimates in the committee I was at this morning at eight o'clock with Minister Clement is another one. If I go back, sir, over the previous 10, 20, or 30 years, there has been a marked increase in the number of times officials appear in front of the various parliamentary committees, this one being one of them. I think that is all for the good, because the more we can explain what we do and show some transparency by answering your questions, I think it will help.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Thank you, Mr. Young.
I have just a very brief question, Mr. Dicerni.
The whole department is, as Mr. Young pointed out, about productivity and there have been a lot of articles written about how our productivity is diverging from that of the United States. I know that there are a lot of components going into productivity and you've talked about a lot of that, but why isn't productivity itself...?
I would have thought that would have been the first measurement when I turned to page 2 of your report: that productivity would be there and you would give an outline as to how Canada is doing and what are your desired results. But I don't see that.
Just a quick answer, if I may, because we are out of time.
Deputy Minister, Department of Industry
Productivity is not the unique domain of Industry Canada.
Deputy Minister, Department of Industry
There are a number of things we do that contribute towards enhancing our productivity.
Having said that, I think you have a good point in terms of somewhere positioning this and saying that it is the overarching objective. In next year's report, we should say that this is where we are at, recognizing one point again, which is that there is that time lag thing we always get to.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
And I think your point is that parliamentarians have to be mature and realize that you do not control birth rates or education levels or participation rates, which all go into it.
Anyway, we are out of time, colleagues. There's another meeting coming in at 11.
We have a couple of minutes and I'm going to ask Mr. Smith and Mr. Maxwell.... You've gone through the hearing. I view this as a very important hearing. If there are any reflections or thoughts you think the committee ought to hear, if you want to give them to us in written form over the next couple of weeks, please do. We'd certainly appreciate that.
This is an important issue. It's not simple. Parliamentarians, as I said first, can criticize the reports, but I think a lot of the responsibility lies on parliamentarians themselves for not using them and not reviewing them enough., so I think this has been a good exercise.
I am going to ask for closing comments. I will go down the table. I'll start with you, Mr. Smith, but again, if you have any further reflections, please give them to the committee. The committee would appreciate receiving them.
Mr. Smith.
Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I won't take any of your time. We just very much welcome the feedback of the committee and we look forward to availing ourselves of the opportunity of writing some reflections.
Thank you.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
Mr. Dicerni, do you have any closing comments that you want to make to the committee?
Assistant Auditor General, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Thank you, Chair.
I'd simply like to congratulate the committee. I think you've been asking the right questions today. I quite often was struck by the fact that you were asking the same questions that we ask of departments when we audit them.
The other thing I'm struck by is that, as we talk about these things as works in progress, it's sobering, and perhaps even troubling, to remember that this has been in the works for 30 years. These types of reports have been the responsibility of departments since 1981.
Thank you, Chair.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Shawn Murphy
On behalf of the committee, I want to thank all the witnesses.
Monsieur Dion.
Liberal
Stéphane Dion Liberal Saint-Laurent—Cartierville, QC
I'd just like to remind you that the Deputy Minister of Transport committed to sending us the trajectory of CO2 emissions reductions by the auto industry.
Liberal