Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Today I'll be presenting the House of Commons main estimates for 2009-10, which demonstrate that sound resource management is a key institutional priority for the House of Commons.
[Translation]
The House Administration strives to deliver and continuously improve the services that we - as Members - need to carry out our parliamentary functions and to develop and sustain a sound infrastructure to support our institution.
[English]
These activities are consistently carried out within a sound financial management framework. Specifically, in light of the current fiscal situation, an even more stringent review of requirements was conducted in preparation for the 2009-10 main estimates.
The 2009-10 main estimates were approved by the Board of Internal Economy on December 8, 2008, in the amount of $426,540,950. This represents an increase of only 0.4%, or $1,488,551, over fiscal year 2008-09. For reference purposes, you will have received a document outlining the year-over-year changes from 2008-09 to 2009-10.
[Translation]
To help facilitate today's discussion, I will provide an overview of the budget increases and reductions along six major themes: Budgets for Members, House Officers and Presiding Officers; Security; Services to Members; Infrastructure; Salaries; and Committees and Parliamentary Associations.
I will begin with an overview of the adjustments to the budgets for Members, House Officers and Presiding Officers.
[English]
In December 2008, the Board of Internal Economy approved a 1.5% increase in members' office budgets, including supplements; the House officers' budgets; the presiding officers' budgets; and the members' travel status expenses account. This increase, which became effective on April 1, 2009, represents additional funding of $2 million. This increase is also in line with the Expenditure Restraint Act.
The main estimates also show a reduction of $565,000 for an adjustment to House officers' budgets. The budgets were established for the 40th Parliament based on the election results for all parties, using the formula that was recommended by the political parties and approved by the Board of Internal Economy. Additionally, the estimates reflect a reduction in funding for the former Prime Minister. The board had previously approved an annual budget of $140,000, plus employee benefit plans, for the former Prime Minister for the duration of the 39th Parliament.
I will now move to the funding allotted to security. In December 2008, the board approved funding of $787,000 to establish a dedicated information technology security unit, and to provide IT support for security services in new House of Commons buildings and facilities.
[Translation]
This funding is necessary because of a significant increase in the number and sophistication of IT security threats. We have also experienced many ongoing changes to our business environment, such as additional committees, additional facilities/locations, greater user mobility and the increased reliance on secure IT services.
[English]
By establishing a dedicated IT security unit, the House administration will be able to continue improving its security practices by reducing common IT security issues, while also increasing its ability to identify quickly and respond to more serious cyber incidents.
Additionally, allocating funds to expand the IT infrastructure will enable the House administration to provide critical IT support to security services and new facilities throughout the parliamentary precinct and in satellite buildings. This is in keeping with the long-term vision and plan for the maintenance of the parliamentary precinct.
Given the essential work that members and the House administration carry out using our IT infrastructure, the board recognized the importance of continuing to protect it against emerging threats.
[Translation]
I will turn now to the funding that is attributed to services to Members.
[English]
In December 2008, the board approved $335,000 in funding to purchase and integrate an additional module for the House's financial management system that will automate procurement and contract management. The implementation of the new module will reinforce sound financial management practices and strong stewardship of public resources; support competitive processes that maximize the suitability of goods or services being purchased and give the best value for money; and enhance the quality and accessibility of procurement information, resulting in more effective planning and service delivery.
[Translation]
Furthermore, the Main Estimates reflect the importance of maintaining and sustaining the investments made in the technological infrastructure.
[English]
To this end, the board has approved $617,000 in funding for the ongoing maintenance, replacement, and support costs required for the management of audio and video assets in digital format. This is part of the overall migration from analog to digital broadcasting services that is being implemented within the long-term vision and plan for the parliamentary precinct. This migration will ensure that we are meeting broadcasting industry and House information technology and management standards, while also supporting access to audio and video recordings of parliamentary proceedings in digital formats.
The main estimates also reflect a reduction in funding of $75,000 for information technology requirements. This temporary funding had been approved in 2008-09 to replace the contact centre program implemented in 1995 with a newer version that would expand the support channel for members on the Hill and in their constituencies. This temporary funding is no longer required.
Before moving on to the salary adjustments that are accounted for in the main estimates, I'd like to touch briefly on the implications of the Budget Implementation Act, 2009. As you know, the Expenditure Restraint Act contains provisions that limit increases in salaries to 1.5% in 2008-09, 2009-10, and 2010-11. The act applies to members, members' staff, as well as House administration. However, it's important to note that the act will not be applied retroactively, and any agreements that were reached prior to the royal assent of the act will be respected. Salary adjustments after royal assent will respect the act and will be included in future funding requests.
As reflected in the main estimates, the Board of Internal Economy previously approved $3.9 million to cover economic and step increases for House administration employees prior to April 1, 2008.
[Translation]
This includes funding for: the collective agreements for the Operational Group, the Technical Group, the Procedural Clerks and Analysis and Reference Group, and the Reporting and Text Processing Sub-group; salary step increases for employees who are not at their maximum salary level; and salary increases for senior managers that are in keeping with the Treasury Board economic increase.
[English]
Furthermore, in accordance with the Parliament of Canada Act, members' salaries and allowances are adjusted each year on April 1. The adjustment is based on the index of the average percentage increase and base rate wages in Canada resulting from major settlements in the private sector. Using that formula, salaries have been increased by 3.1%. The main estimates allocate $1.4 million to cover the increase as of April 1, 2008.
I should also note that while the main estimates we are discussing today are not affected, the Parliament of Canada Act will also be amended so that future salary increases comply with the Expenditure Restraint Act.
Furthermore, the estimates provide $819,000 for budget increases related to other personnel costs. These non-discretionary expenditures are due to a rising number of maternity and parental leave claims and payments related to severance and vacation pay resulting from an increase in employee retirements. The main estimates also reflect Treasury Board's adjustment to the annual rate of employer contributions to employee benefit plans. For 2009-10 the annual rate has been adjusted from 17.5% to 17%, which represents a reduction of $995,680 in required funding.
The main estimates also include pension adjustments to the Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Account and the Retirement Compensation Arrangements Account. As per Treasury Board policy, the House of Commons' contributions to these accounts are based on estimates determined by the Chief Actuary of the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. The reduction of $6.3 million represents the difference between temporary funding that had been required to cover an estimated deficit and a cumulative increase in the estimated employer contributions.
Finally, under the theme of committees and parliamentary associations, you'll note there's been a reduction in funding of $268,000.
[Translation]
This funding had been approved by the Board in June 2007 to host the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's meetings in Toronto. Since the meetings were held in September 2008, this funding is no longer required for fiscal year 2009-2010.
[English]
I've now provided you with a brief overview of the 2009-10 main estimates that were approved by the board. I am confident that you will agree that these estimates are fiscally responsible, while at the same time being attentive to and reflective of our needs and concerns as members of the House of Commons.
[Translation]
I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have, with the help of my colleagues who are here with me today.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
:
We were very aware, in coming before the Board of Internal Economy, given the economic situation and the difficulties being faced worldwide, that we had to be extremely frugal in our requests.
I think our priorities would be in two areas.
On the one hand, our priority would be that we continue to invest in the maintenance and development of the infrastructure technology, which is serving members extremely well, and for which a lot of the front-end money for investment has come from a long-term vision and plan. Over time, it is going to require considerable investment to maintain the very high standard that we've now achieved, which allows us to continue to serve members with the best tools available. In that respect, we've been very fortunate in that the board has been sympathetic to the various constraints we have suggested. We need a consistent approach in which the support services offered to members for their technological issues is very robust. That would be on the technological side.
On the other side, one of the things that we're going to have to start looking at is the retention of our new hires. We have already started preparing a strategy for succession planning and leadership development. A lot of new hires come in, particularly on the corporate side of things, in human resources or finance. Often very well qualified, they'll take a junior post, occupy it for a year or 18 months, and then, armed with this work experience, look for jobs in the public service where, by virtue of sheer size, there's more room for accelerated advancement. This is already posing some retention difficulties for us.
One of the things that works well for us in this respect in, say, procedural services, is the possibility of having people rotate through different jobs. Over time, you can actually have quite a varied career here. We do various things like the family-friendly flexible time, maternity leave, and parental leave. These things are very attractive to young people. But in coming years, I think we are going to have to pay some serious attention to how we compare with the public service in retention and compensation.
:
Thank you, Madam Clerk, Mr. Chair.
I would be happy to answer your question, sir.
The concept of the parliamentary precinct, which encompasses the thirty or so buildings downtown that house the offices of Parliament, as well as all constituency offices, was developed to ensure the ongoing integrity and security of each individual MP, as well as respect for the caucuses and respect for communications. Certainly, the intention was to create an environment in which information is protected and in which members can discharge their duties. In that regard, I think we have done a good job.
Ms. O'Brien alluded to the Communications Security Establishment Canada. This agency handles cyber attacks, viruses and threats to Canada. Until now, we have worked closely with CSEC and we have received excellent feedback on our work. CSEC officials have been very impressed by everything we have managed to do to in terms of protecting members and by the fact that there has never been a major security incident involving the parliamentary precinct, unlike what we have seen in some areas of the private sector or in other government departments. We are quite well protected.
However, the number of breaches continues to increase. For instance, in 2007, we saw a 468% increase in the kinds of viruses and attacks on the various organizations. That's an increase of over 1.1 million in the space of one year. The parliamentary precinct is certainly a preferred target. During the course of investigations, we often receive calls informing us that we are a preferred target because of our trademark.
We also have a number of projects on the go that increase the mobility of members. We want greater access to your constituency offices. We are developing more strategies to synchronize all of your communications. We want to work more closely with the RCMP, with Senate partners and with other parties outside Parliament. We want the parliamentary precinct to be opened up. Clearly, we need to be even more disciplined.
So then, it's not a matter of our having major problems, but rather a matter of our wanting to make the system better and more efficient. Our objective is to ensure that members work in a fully secure environment at all times. That is the main target of our strategies.
:
Thank you. I am covering for my whip. I've been told by him not to ask any questions, but I'm going to ask one anyway.
I expect, Mr. Chair, that you'll protect my parliamentary privilege.
I'll declare a bit of a personal conflict. Perhaps Mr. Bard can help with this, as well. On a number of occasions, other members in my caucus have asked to place a webcam on their computers, both in their constituencies and here, in order to be able to communicate, in some cases with family, especially with young children, and in other cases with their constituents so they actually can see their constituents when they're talking to them. That technology is evolving very rapidly in the sense that it's being used more extensively.
The response was that we couldn't do that, even when we offered to pay for the webcams ourselves. It appeared that there was a security issue around it. I'm having some difficulty with the security argument, because this technology is being widely used in the commercial sector.
I'm wondering what the situation is with that, and if there are any plans to allow members to purchase the webcams, put them on, and make them accessible.
The other point that I would make—having done this in my own residence—is that it's much less expensive. We're not charged for long distance, as we are if it's a regular telephone call and we're going outside of the local area.
For those two reasons, both in terms of our ability to communicate better with our constituents and from a cost vantage point, I'm wondering where we're at with that.
:
I will start with that question because it is fairly easy to answer. I spoke to Mr. Bard about the situation and he informed me that artificial limits, if you will, were not placed on MPs' e-mails because some MPs had complained that it led to filtering out of information that had to be forwarded to them.
However, to deal with your complaints, a second attempt was made to activate the filters appropriate for this type of situation. In my opinion, that had a lot to do with solving the problem.
As for the network, I know that there was a major crash at the end of March but I have not heard about a series of long disruptions. Mr. Bard may perhaps be able to clarify that matter.
With regard to the reorganization of the kitchen, I think it has been a great success. We managed to convince Public Works and Government Services that, as part of the parliamentary precinct renovations, the kitchen, which is presently located in the West Block, should be moved when the building is closed. A brand new kitchen is being built. This is known as a production kitchen. I am not sure if we can call it a commercial kitchen. It is located outside the parliamentary precinct and is brand new, even in terms of cooking technology. We are making these changes for two reasons. We are closing the West Block kitchen, where meals are prepared, and we are taking this opportunity to create another space so that when the West Block re-opens, it will be devoted entirely to parliamentary functions. The kitchen is not a parliamentary function.
There will be a new commercial kitchen. Meals will be safely prepared and delivered to the point of sale. Of course that will require a reorganization of the kitchen staff. The Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. Vickers, and the Food Services Manager are working very closely with staff to provide training for these new technologies.
We are very pleased with the way things are going. Naturally, there are always some people who feel anxious when they see changes of this magnitude on the horizon. But at the end of the day, they will learn to use the new technology. It may end up being an important step in terms of career advancement. As for the renovation project, it has been a rare success story for us.