Mr. Speaker, with regard to (a), the budget allocated to the program did not change in 2012-13. In March 2012, a portion of habitat stewardship program, HSP, funding, $4 million, which was to sunset was renewed and these funds are being included in the supplementary estimates (B).
With regard to (b), this is n/a as there was no change in the budget as stated in (a). To note though, $144,000 of the 2012-13 $11,769,000 HSP budget was allocated to other Species at Risk Act, SARA, priorities, namely, continuing work with key first nations to build capacity to effectively participate in the development and piloting of SARA section 11 conservation agreements.
With regard to (c), budget 2012 renewed $25 million annually in funding for 2012-13 and the next two fiscal years to implement the Species at Risk Act. This renewal included $4 million per year for the continued implementation of the HSP.
With regard to (d), the only change for the 2012-13 year was that the program used five-year HSP regional investment plans, RIPs, to guide priorities for project election rather than the annual regional priority. Projects recommended for funding were well aligned with the priorities identified in the RIPs. The evaluation grid that is used across the country to evaluate each project submission is updated annually to address minor changes in program direction or administration, but no criteria were changed for the 2012-13 year.
With regard to (e), there have been no changes to the selection process, which is undertaken in partnership with the provinces.
With regard to (f), all three federal agencies co-manage the program in partnership and are involved in setting national and regional priorities, and the evaluation of the projects. Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, DFO, and Parks Canada, PCA, all participated in the drafting and approval of the regional investment plans, which was the only change to the program for 2012-13 as stated in (d).
With regard to (g), the changes were in response to increased demand for funding using limited resources. There was a need to strategically align priorities and funding; the RIPs were developed to address the need to demonstrate over the long term a more strategic investment and guide future decision-making by identifying priorities for funding for a five-year period.
With regard to (h), while, DFO, PCA and EC co-manage the program, Environment Canada solely administers the HSP. As such, only EC signs contribution agreements with successful HSP project proponents.
With regard to (i), no value-for-money assessment has been done for the program, but the audit function of the 2009 program evaluation looked at cost-effectiveness of the program and evaluated whether the most efficient means were being used to achieve results. The evaluation concluded that the evidence gathered indicated that the program was being delivered cost-efficiently and offers good value for money.
With regard to (j), there is no set date for departments to respond to funding requests. Environment Canada carefully reviews its entire grants and contributions budget each year to ensure that funding addresses the federal government’s priorities for clean air, climate change, clean water and biodiversity, which includes habitat conservation. Only after this review is complete, can proponents be notified of the results of their application.