Mr. Speaker, I am informed by the Privy Council office, as follows:
a) Solicited, received, recorded, assessed
The rationale for the Canada Millennium Partnership Program was articulated in the 1997 Speech from the Throne with the statement that the government would help to build partnerships to mark the new millennium.
The Millennium Bureau's communications strategy included a web site on which the application guide for the program was available, the 1-800 Inquiries Canada toll-free telephone line, mail-out pamphlets, television advertisements in partnership with stations such as the Weather Network and a toll-free number at the Millennium Bureau (1-888-774-9999). In addition, information was delivered to MPs' offices to help them promote the Program within their constituencies. The application guide and promotional pamphlet were widely disseminated. Applications were recceived by the Millennium Bureau by mail, fax, courier, or otherwise hand-delivered.
Once received, the applications for funding were:
i) received by the bureau's registry, stamped and put in a project file,
ii) the post office stamp was verified to determine if the application was sent within the time frame. If not, a “late arrival” letter was prepared. If faxed, the date faxed was also verified, for the same reason,
iii) the application was input to the bureau's project management database designed specifically for managing a contribution program,
iv) an acknowledgement letter was sent, and
v) a number was assigned to each file for tracking and management purposes.
All applications were assessed based on theme and dispersed among project officers. Initial assessments were against basic eligibility criteria and either rejected or subjected to further assessment. Advice would be sought, for local projects, from the local Member of Parliament, federal/provincial/territorial/municipal governments and community leaders.
Proposals could be rejected for several reasons see Part B. Proposals not rejected were forwarded ultimately to the program committee, bureau executive committee, then the minister. Projects could be rejected at any of these stages.
If the project was deemed eligible, a project officer would submit a completed recommendation form for further review. An assessment team would then review to ensure eligibility with due consideration of regional balance, official languages, and potential environmental impacts. Projects under $25,000 could be approved by the director general, programs; those from $25,000 to $49,999 by the deputy minister. Projects over $50,000 must be approved by the minister. Following a decision, applicants were notified.
b) Assessment criteria
The first assessment was to filter out clearly-rejected procjects. Projects were rejected if:
i) the application was not received within deadline,
ii) the application was not an eligible organization
iii) the proposal suggested creation of a new infrastructure (or a purchase of land),
iv) proposals consisted of projects of a commercial nature,
v) the activities would occur in 1999 and not 2000,
xi) information about the project was lacking,
vii) the funds were for the creation of an organizational structure,
viii) the funds were for renovation of buildings, unless deemed an official heritage site by municipal, provincial, federal or another authorized body, and
ix) the funds were for a celebratory event, or an endowment/scholarship fund the funds were for acquisition of capital assets
If not rejected, the projects must meet one or more of the program's themes, as follows:
i) celebrate achievement so that Canadians are inspired to know and appreciate our past, and to welcome the challenges and opportunities of the future;
ii) encourage Canadians and other peoples of the world to explore our vast country and its natural and cultural diversity;
iii) exchange ideas and approaches that strengthen Canada and that reinforce our position in the world;
iv) support a sustainable environment and new ways of showing our respect for nature while we progress as a leading economy;
v) stimulate interest in communities large and small, and bring our youth together to support the evolution of these communities;
vi) advance Canadian innovation that will benefit individuals and communities, contributing to our collective well-being;
vii) demonstrate, through artistic and cultural expression, our heritage, our way of life, and our aspirations for the future;
viii) outline the acticvities to be preformed in pursuit of the objective of the Program;
ix) provide an estimate of expenditures to be incurred, including the share to be borne by partners;
x) describe the results to be achieved and how they would be measured;
xi) highlight the project's lasting benefits to the community. For projects that resulted in on-going activities, it was essential to demonstrate how these activities would be sustained and supoported;
xii) demonstrate that proponents had identified 2/3 finding from sources outside the federal government;
xiii) show how the project was consistent with the organization's aims and objectives;
xiv) demonstrate the degree of community involvement and support;
xv) if the project was eligible for other federal funding, how was Canada Millennium Partnership Program funding complementary to other sources of funds?
xvi) that the project would take place in or would be underway by Dec. 31, 2000; and
xvii) be non-commercial.
c) Number of applications received, by province. The last performance report of the Millennium Bureau indicated the following:
Total number of applications received, by region
Source: Millennium Bureau, Performance Report, 2000/2001.
Further research would be required to provide detail on applications received for the individual Atlantic provinces, prairie provinces, and territories.
d) What was: i. the number of applications approved (by province) ii. the dollar amount of each (by province)
(i) See attached chart.
(ii) The response provided in Q-58, parts a) to e), lists projects funded, not approved. A small number of projects were approved but not funded, due to their being withdrawn, to other sources of funding not being available, or to other circumstances which did not permit their meeting all the terms and conditions of the program.
The chart below provides some of the information requested, but further research would be required for specific total approvals for the Atlantic provinces, for the prairie provinces, and for the territories. As well, the bureau was organized along the geographic divisions below, not by individual province, so further research would be required to provide the dollar amount of approved applications, by province.
Total number of projects approved, by region
Source: Millennium Bureau, Performance Report, 2000/2001.
