Evidence of meeting #40 for Public Accounts in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A video is available from Parliament.
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
If you'd like me to explain how the process works, I'd be happy to do so—
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
—because the question doesn't align with the process.
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Ms. Wilson, 112 identified projects have not received funding. Has the department asked for the funding for those?
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
We do not go to Treasury Board with every individual project. That is not how the process works.
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Has the dollar amount been put together in a bucket, so to speak, and put forward for funding? How are we not getting the funding?
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
Yes, in fact we are putting those numbers together for an actual fulsome costing of all infrastructure projects.
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
What's the funding cost for those 112 outstanding ones?
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
We don't have the details of that yet. We're just calculating those. We will be issuing a “what we heard” report on infrastructure consultation.
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
I don't have the details of—
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Are they new? Are they several years old, like we've seen with some of the other issues?
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
I would ask Joanne and Kenza if they know the details of all 112 projects.
Is it in there?
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
2:10 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
Okay.
Section 8.34 talks about, again, an incredible amount of mitigation projects waiting for funding eligibility. I guess some of these have been known since 2013. To quote the AG, “As a result...communities are likely to continue to experience emergencies that could be prevented or mitigated by building the infrastructure.”
Again, I have to go back: What is the cost of not funding this infrastructure? I think it was identified that we're paying three dollars for cleanup or repair for every dollar we could have been spending on mitigation to prevent this. Nine years ago, the AG at the time suggested that we should be performing this analysis.
Do we know how much we're going to be spending because we haven't been doing these infrastructure projects?
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
Iqwinder Gaheer Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for making time for the committee.
My questions are for Indigenous Services Canada, and the deputy minister in particular.
The OAG noted that the department had done a gender-based analysis plus, which revealed that indigenous elders, women and youth were more likely to be negatively affected by emergencies.
I'm not entirely aware whether the department factors in these considerations when planning for emergency services. I'm wondering, how does the department plan to incorporate its gender-based analysis plus into its emergency services planning?
2:10 p.m.
Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
Sure, I can do this one. I'm actually the GBA+ champion for Indigenous Services Canada, so thank you so much for the question.
We have a community of practice within the department of all sectors and have focal points specific to GBA+. We also have a core team of individuals who have the strong expertise to be able to support the guidance in terms of the analysis.
Every time we do either a budget submission or a Treasury Board submission, our departmental results report or any aspect of our reporting, we ensure that there is an intersectional analysis conducted with respect to the level of risk and what we are doing specifically in terms of mitigation. That would also include any policy submission to cabinet.
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
Iqwinder Gaheer Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
Great. Thank you.
To the deputy minister, I'm new to this committee. I'm just subbing in. I notice that you're from, and your professional career started in, an indigenous community. How has your upbringing and connection to the land influenced your view on emergency management and the need for that transformation?
2:10 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
I wasn't expecting that question, but it should be an easy one to answer.
Yes, I grew up in the Kitigan Zibi first nation. I lived there. I went to school there.
I would say that lived experience, actually for both Valerie and me, is very much part of the work that we do. I worked in the community for many years. I worked on community development initiatives, a crisis shelter and an addictions treatment centre. I ran the health and social services program in Kitigan Zibi. I certainly learned a lot. My hat is off to all people who work in community, because it is the toughest job I've ever had.
2:10 p.m.
Liberal
Iqwinder Gaheer Liberal Mississauga—Malton, ON
What are some of the recent successes the department has had in advancing emergency management services? Do you have a number in terms of how much money has been spent in the last 10 years or so on this particular issue?
2:15 p.m.
Deputy Minister, Department of Indigenous Services
You broke up there for a moment, but I believe you're looking for some expenditure results.
Perhaps I'll ask Joanne or Kenza if they want to take that.
