Evidence of meeting #44 for Public Safety and National Security in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was million.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Do you have time to take one more question from the government side?
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC
Just to let people know, there's a news conference involving a very significant high school project, and I don't want to disappoint those students. They've done some great work in terms of crime prevention.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Mr. Minister, I will be in big trouble with the government side. To cut them off, you're really putting me on the spot.
Thank you very much.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Stockwell Day Conservative Okanagan—Coquihalla, BC
Direct their ire towards me. I thank the government members for being willing to give up part of their turn.
Thank you, members. We'll get back to you with the questions you asked for.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
Thank you, Mr. Minister.
We'll go to the government side, and we'll have to direct the questions to the officials.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
That's fine, Mr. Chair.
Minister, thank you for being here. I think it's over the hour and a half that you had indicated you could allocate.
My questions were going to be directed to the members of the panel sitting here, aside from the minister. Basically this came from Mr. Cullen's comment about cuts to the budget. It's a simple question. Would the members from their departments tell us if they have sufficient funds in these estimates to perform the job that they need to do in an efficient manner? Not that it's all the money that you would always want, but are the funds sufficient to do an efficient job with the department you have?
Perhaps we'll ask Mr. Dion.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I find this troublesome, and I'm wondering if it's an unfair question to put to senior officials by the government side—by any side, frankly.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
If you're a senior official in a department, the question of whether you have enough money to do everything you need to is very difficult, I can tell you that. It may be slightly unfair, so I put that question out.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Dave MacKenzie Conservative Oxford, ON
Then I would certainly add the proviso that if you don't feel comfortable answering it, don't answer it.
But I know that I was asked that question in another life, and I was always prepared to answer it. If you didn't have enough money, you would say so.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Garry Breitkreuz
I'll let the officials who feel comfortable answering that go ahead.
12:35 p.m.
Mario Dion Chairperson, National Parole Board
My task is easier in the sense that the National Parole Board had a business plan prepared a year and a half ago, before I was appointed chairperson. The Treasury Board approved additions to the budget to the tune of $10 million in 2005-06. Therefore, the National Parole Board does have what it needs to function properly at this point in time, because there was action taken by my predecessor.
12:35 p.m.
Stephen Rigby Executive Vice-President, Canada Border Services Agency
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In our estimates, in fact we're showing an increase of about $140 million over last year. That relates to firearms and to funds that the government allocated for the security and prosperity initiative. Certainly in terms of the undertakings that are laid out in this estimates document, yes, we believe we have adequate funding.
12:35 p.m.
Commr Beverley A. Busson
Thank you.
I'll be the one to say that there's never enough money to do everything you want to do in policing, and unfortunately it continues to be a growth industry in this country. But for this period of time, we feel that we have the support and funding to address the priorities and the business cases that we put forward. We are busy building new ones for future endeavours and priorities, but for now we feel supported and have the funds to do what we need to do.
12:35 p.m.
Suzanne Hurtubise Deputy Minister, Department of Public Safety
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Yes, the department also feels it has the funds necessary. We are still a relatively young department. We are still building business plans on a variety of issues.
I would like to flag for the committee, though, that some of the funding we received in past budgets on emergency management are still not reflected in main estimates because of timing, but will be reflected in supplementary estimates. I think that will go a long way to addressing some of the work we've been doing on emergency management.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
May 15th, 2007 / 12:35 p.m.
Jim Judd Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We, like our colleagues at the department, are expecting some supplementary estimates funding. Of course, the budget this year provided for additional funding for CSIS, so we think we're comfortable.
12:35 p.m.
Acting Commissioner, Correctional Service Canada
Again, we are one of those organizations that has had an increase in our budget in the main estimates in the short term that allows us to keep our head above water, but I think it's no secret that our financial situation is dire in the longer term. We are hopeful, and we are looking forward to the recommendations that the corrections review panel, for example, may bring forth.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Mr. Chairman, I have a point of order, please.
The parliamentary system is really to blame here. I'm sitting here with a book that says, for example, CSIS is basically getting no increase and Canada Border Services Agency is getting no increase, which is totally inconsistent.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Roy Cullen Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I know there are supplementary estimates, but why can we not be properly prepared to deal with...?
First of all, how we can plan for supplementary estimates in this sort of order of magnitude is beyond me. To prepare, based on this book, and to come here and be told these numbers are all wrong is a travesty--not necessarily of the minister or the department, but of the parliamentary process, in my judgment.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative