Government Operations committee  That is correct.

Government Operations committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning to you and good morning to members of the committee. Thank you for inviting the Privy Council Office to review our 2015-16 departmental performance report, and as indicated, the 2016-17 supplementary estimates (C). I'm accompanied by Ms. Kami Ramcharan, assistant deputy minister, corporate services branch, and chief financial officer of the Privy Council Office.

Government Operations committee  In this case, it was up to the Prime Minister. As I recall, it was probably reflected in the mandate letter of the Minister of Democratic Institutions, but it also fell to the Prime Minister. It was an important process. All the mandate letters contain a request from the Prime Minister to work closely, for instance, with the provinces and territories, with indigenous groups, to have that openness.

Government Operations committee  This office supports the Cabinet Committee on Agenda, Results and Communications. It also supports meetings between the Prime Minister and his ministers on a series of priority matters, such as innovation, infrastructure and reconciliation with indigenous peoples. For each major priority, the Results and Delivery Unit works with the departments involved to better define expected results, to see how to measure the results over time and, in the case of discrepancies, to find the data that is not available.

Government Operations committee  That's a good question. One could think, is there a big bang that is necessary in some fashion or another? I think there are a series of discrete initiatives that are making a difference. I'm not a fan of saying we're happy with just incrementalism. I think we do have to think boldly about recruitment, about how we broaden the reach, about how we bring the millennials in, about how we promote the millennials.

Government Operations committee  There are about 1,050, unless I'm mistaken. It's close to the same number as about six or seven years ago, meaning that, even with the additional resources we'll have this year, the Privy Council Office will have close to the same level of resources as it did six or seven years ago.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I can take the example of the Senate appointment process. The amounts requested will be higher this year than they will be in subsequent years since there are a significant number of vacancies. This year, we have a total of $1.5 million, which represents five people in the Privy Council Office.

Government Operations committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Chair, but I don't have those numbers. This isn't part of the PCO's supplementary estimates (B). These are probably numbers from Public Services and Procurement Canada, and I confess I'm not prepared to answer questions about them.

Government Operations committee  Destination 2020 was never about resources. There was never a call for additional resources in support of the exercise or in support of its conclusions.

Government Operations committee  Yes, that's what I'm sharing with you. The vision is very much on track. The vision was a bottom-up vision that came through from our staff from right across Canada through a series of engagement sessions. We are acting on some of the conclusions and the messages and the key interest flowing from that, for example, in providing greater opportunities for mobility, for people to learn, to have new learning experiences in the public service.

Government Operations committee  I spoke about five people, not 15. Mr. Charest started the Council of the Federation, which meets once or twice a year. It's the provinces without the federal government.

Government Operations committee  I appreciate the question. As I mentioned, there has always been and will continue to be an effort to measure the results of individual programs. There are efforts to build that from the outset, particularly when funds are paid out to third-party organizations through the contribution agreements, to try to set out what results are expected and how they'll be measured and tracked, and so forth, their evaluation of programs ex post.

Government Operations committee  It means that, very concretely, as one is working to prepare and to deliver a first ministers' meeting, one does need some.... I'm the deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs as well, so I'm well aware of the fact that now you do have to rely on people in order to have the contacts with the provinces and territories to know their positions on certain issues.

Government Operations committee  I'm saying that there have been two first ministers' meetings over the past year. Another one is planned before the end of this calendar year, and that does require significant engagement. There is also greater interest on the part of the Prime Minister as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs to have a view of what kind of intergovernmental discussions are taking place across different portfolios in government, and for him to be advised and be kept up to speed on that.

Government Operations committee  Yes.