Government Operations committee  I haven't been involved in the strategic process for a number of years.

Government Operations committee  From my recollection at post, there is the possibility, when seeking specific funds for specific activities, whether that's a public affairs activity or a trade promotion activity, to include costs related to events and hospitality within that planning, but the planning of high-l

Government Operations committee  The cost of visits by high-level dignitaries, whether the Prime Minister—

Government Operations committee  —or the Governor General, are borne by my office, and we release all of those figures through the public accounts.

Government Operations committee  I would be happy to take that question on note. I wasn't working in protocol at that time, so I would be unable to say.

Government Operations committee  Funds that are allocated for a given fiscal year are designed to be used for that fiscal year. Through the monthly process of reviewing budgets, all divisions and directorates at headquarters track their spending with respect to how they're tracking toward the expected expenditur

Government Operations committee  Through the monitoring of the monthly budget allocations for a mission or for a bureau at headquarters, there is, at the seventh or ninth month—depending on the year—an attestation by the head of mission or the director general responsible for that budget, in which they commit to

Government Operations committee  We endeavour at all times when access to information material is being provided to requesters, whoever they may be, to fulfill the responsibilities under the Access to Information Act. When it's possible we do make efforts to consult among departments that are affected by, or hav

Government Operations committee  In fact, the main cabin referred to the majority of the people travelling on the plane. There is a cabin in the front of the plane where the Governor General or the dignitary being transported and their family members may be seated. With the procedures that we've set in place, we

Government Operations committee  People on preparatory trips travel with standard commercial airlines and follow all Treasury Board guidelines.

Government Operations committee  Based on the trip and travel, we follow Treasury Board guidelines. In some cases, if the trip takes a certain number of hours and it's necessary for them to work upon arrival, people may travel in business class. It's not always the case, however. It depends on ticket availabil

Government Operations committee  For the longer legs of the trip, such as Toronto-Qatar, people would normally have travelled in business class. I can't speak for some of the people who are not from my office.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for your question. That is now an important part of what we do. The working group met several times during the summer before our appearance in September, to look at factors, among other things. After that, I couldn't tell you how many times it's met specifically, but I

Government Operations committee  Thanks for that question, because it gets to the heart of what we were talking about today and before today. We want all of our team members who work together to be prepared to ask questions, so that such exorbitant costs are systematically reported in every area. At the end of

Government Operations committee  The important thing is that we all have a duty as public servants to ensure sound and transparent management of public funds. When we take on a new position and manage budgets, it's incumbent upon all of us to do that review. Yes, I would hope that we would have identified such e