Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, I would generally agree with the observation that this is the reason why the NCC was originally established and that, again, it is responsible for making the day-to-day decisions on how it spends within its budget, as long as it is in line with its mandate and the corporate plan and priorities that have been approved by Treasury Board.

Public Accounts committee  What I can say, Mr. Chair, is that, as I explained, Crown corporations are not subject to Treasury Board policies and directives—

Public Accounts committee  However, as a best practice, we do encourage Crown corporations to adopt their own policies and procedures that are similar to the ones that we have in place as part of the Treasury Board policies.

Public Accounts committee  I don't have the exact number of buildings. I know that it's the largest landowner in the region, by far, in terms of the volume of area. There are probably dozens of buildings. I don't know whether Mr. Ieraci might have more specific numbers.

Public Accounts committee  I would agree with that, Mr. Chair.

Public Accounts committee  One thing I will say is that it has certainly not gone unnoticed that Parliament has made more and more requests for greater transparency on the part of Crown corporations. I will note that we have been working with Crown corporations to try to enhance reporting and transparency.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chair. As a Crown corporation, they are not subject to that particular directive.

Public Accounts committee  I don't have that information, myself.

Public Accounts committee  The decisions are made to set up Crown corporations, again, because of their unique mandates, responsibilities and activities. These unique mandates require a certain amount of flexibility in terms of their administration and management. For example, there are a number of Crown corporations that operate in a competitive environment, where there are certain sensitivities about what they can reveal and report, and there are certain limitations.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, as I've explained in the past, the corporate plan outlines the major activities undertaken by the NCC, or that they are planning to undertake. That plan was checked to see whether it was in line with the mandate of the Crown corporation and broader government priorities, and whether or not it was financially sustainable.

Public Accounts committee  Again, the corporate plans are submitted by the responsible minister to the Treasury Board for consideration.

Public Accounts committee  Mr. Chair, as I explained, the decision to set up the NCC as a Crown corporation was enabled by legislation through the National Capital Act. They are governed by the rules stated in part X of the Financial Administration Act. The NCC is responsible for managing their day-to-day operations on their own because of their distinct mandate and the decision to keep them independent from government.

Public Accounts committee  Thank you for your question. What happens is that the corporate plan outlines the major activities that are being planned by the Crown corporation. The corporate plan goes to Treasury Board for approval. It would outline the major activities. As I said, it would not necessarily be project by project.

Public Accounts committee  I'm sorry, Mr. Chair, but I don't have that information with me.

Public Accounts committee  [Inaudible—Editor] submit financial information.