Status of Women Committee on March 6th, 2008

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, do you think we could have access to this information through an access to information request, once the whole process is completed? I think it is unfortunate that we cannot look into these things ourselves to try to understand how the process works and to see where there are some shortcomings. Shortcomings definitely exist, and in order to find out why, we need to understand the process. It is not coming from you; it is therefore essential that we understand how this works.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Madame Demers, when you were not here, they went through the process, and when we came to the memorandum to cabinet, Madam Biguzs did explain, because I asked specifically where we could access, if you go to chart 2.... We can't access cabinet documents, but perhaps we can access analysis, and that could be through access to information.

We'll be hearing from Finance, and then we will be hearing from other witnesses on their analysis of the budget. And I think we will take it forward from there.

Collectively, we need to understand where we are going. They're here really to help us understand the process. They can't but tell us what the process is. It's a Westminster process. We're following the process. They are bureaucrats. There are political implications. Those things are reality, and we need to face those realities.

I have one very practical question for Mr. Wild.

You do the strategic overview. I don't think you have the budget book with you, but on page 252 you talk about strategic review. I just want to ask a question. When you're doing the strategic review for a department, do you do it with the department, or does the department do it itself and then determine where its efficiencies lie?

[Joe Wild]

With respect to strategic reviews, they are assessments of all direct program spending to ensure that programs are managed effectively and efficiently. Departments are responsible for conducting the review.

The role of the Treasury Board Secretariat is to challenge the information the department is providing in the review. Then ultimately it goes to Treasury Board ministers, who then make what in essence turns into a recommendation. Ultimately the information from the strategic review process is fed into cabinet to feed into the budget.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

For Statistics Canada it says “Reducing research activities in lower-demand areas”. That, I think, applies to the practical issues we are wondering about. For example, for research on violence against women, or women in Canada and the measuring of that violence, how would we know if that is low-demand research, and how would we know that's not being cut?

[Joe Wild]

I don't know the specifics of the Statistics Canada case in terms of what those areas are. To me, lower demand simply means that people aren't asking for the statistics in certain areas. But I don't know what's behind that, and I don't know the specifics of that case.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Fair enough.

Ms. Mathyssen, you were out of the room. You have the last three minutes to ask your question, and then we'll wrap up.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair. I really only have a couple of questions, and I'll be quick.

With regard to the new strategic reviews that are performed, it's my understanding that it's 25% each year. What reviews were conducted this year?

[Joe Wild]

Actually, I'll correct that. It's a good opportunity for me to correct that. It's kind of grosso modo over time. It'll be roughly 25% a year, but for this year it was 15%. It was our first year doing it, so we took a smaller slice, but over that four years we will end up at the 100%. So we looked at about $13.6 billion in spending.

In terms of the specific departments that were reviewed this year, we reviewed Canada Revenue Agency; the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; Canadian Heritage; the Canadian International Development Agency; the Canadian Museum of Civilization; the Canadian Museum of Nature; Finance Canada; the Canadian International Trade Tribunal; the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, or FINTRAC; Foreign Affairs and International Trade; the International Development and Research Centre; the Library and Archives of Canada; the National Gallery of Canada; Canada Science and Technology Museum; Parks Canada; Statistics Canada; and Transport Canada. So it was 17 departments in total.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Is any of the information in regard to those reviews available?

[Joe Wild]

The information with respect to those reviews is all contained in the budget, as the chair pointed out. Annex 3 to the budget, starting on page 252, lays out the specific detail around each of those 17 departments and agencies.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Okay. I have one final question.

In the guide to preparing Treasury Board submissions, article 9.7.3, it says that conducting a gender-based analysis should also be considered. I'm wondering if we need tighter language there. Do we need stronger language so that it's much more forceful?

[Joe Wild]

I circulated the specific tool that is used by analysts to review the submissions in order to give them a sense of the types of questions they would ask in order to assess whether or not there are GBA issues with the submission. I certainly think, from our perspective, that departments are generally doing what they should be doing in terms of addressing any GBA that should be conducted within the frame of their Treasury Board submission.

We're not having a particular problem with departments providing GBA on their submissions. I'm certainly not aware of any issues where we're having a problem with departments completing GBA, either at the policy development phase or when they come in with their Treasury Board submission at the implementation phase.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you very much.

I'd like to thank you, Ms. Biguzs and Mr. Wild, for providing us with your insight. I'm sure we are a little more tuned in. We might have a thousand more questions, which we'll probably ask Finance.

I have some committee business that I'd like to bring to your attention.

There's a female German parliamentary delegation coming on April 15. We've asked them to come and sit in on our committee meeting so they can see how we operate, and they will probably interact.

You will be receiving your work plans electronically. There's been an amendment to include estimates. We are requesting the minister for April 15. If the minister is available, then that will be changed accordingly.

With that, I'd like to adjourn the meeting. Thank you very much.