2020–21 Pilot Project on a Purpose-based Vote Structure
For a fifth year, the Department of Transport is subject to a pilot project to assess the impact of a purpose-based vote structure for grants and contributions.
Specifically, this means that Parliamentary control of voted grants and contributions will be brought down to the purpose level. In the 2015–16 Main Estimates, the department had only one vote in the appropriation acts for all their grants and contributions. For the 2016–17 Main Estimates and 2017–18 Main Estimates, the department had three separate votes for grants and contributions, according to their Program Alignment Architecture. The 2018–19, 2019–20 and 2020–21 Main Estimates present the distribution of planned expenditures in accordance with the organization’s departmental results framework.
This annex provides additional detail on the Department of Transport’s 2020–21 Main Estimates by presenting grant and contribution authorities under a purpose-based vote structure.
| 2018–19 Expenditures |
2019–20 Main Estimates |
2020–21 Main Estimates |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Efficient Transportation System | |||
| Grants | |||
|
Grant to the Province of British Columbia in respect of the provision of ferry and coastal freight and passenger services
|
30,503,800 | 31,129,128 | 32,014,097 |
|
National Trade Corridors Fund
|
0 | 500,000 | 500,000 |
| Contributions | |||
|
National Trade Corridors Fund
|
24,632,461 | 272,108,743 | 453,754,901 |
|
Ferry Services Contribution Program
|
39,648,891 | 44,369,654 | 44,961,638 |
|
Airports Capital Assistance Program
|
38,685,347 | 38,000,000 | 38,000,000 |
|
Gateways and Border Crossings Fund
|
18,292,924 | 40,201,951 | 13,876,911 |
|
Regional and Remote Passenger Rail
|
11,694,136 | 0 | 11,200,000 |
|
Contributions to provinces toward highway improvements to enhance overall efficiency and promote safety while encouraging industrial development and tourism from a regional economic perspective: Outaouais Road Development Agreement
|
98,999 | 2,467,000 | 10,013,883 |
|
Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Transportation Infrastructure Fund
|
5,758,228 | 11,171,476 | 9,651,773 |
|
Airports Operations and Maintenance Subsidy Program
|
1,930,343 | 1,600,000 | 1,600,000 |
|
Labrador Coastal Airstrips Restoration Program
|
1,072,516 | 1,267,759 | 1,040,000 |
|
Transportation Association of Canada
|
365,853 | 425,310 | 425,310 |
|
Allowances to former employees of Newfoundland Railways, Steamships and Telecommunications Services transferred to Canadian National Railways
|
175,975 | 259,000 | 259,000 |
| Green and Innovative Transportation System | |||
| Grants | |||
|
Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles Program
|
0 | 0 | 58,497,451 |
|
Program to Advance Indigenous Reconciliation
|
0 | 3,000,000 | 3,600,000 |
|
Community Participation Funding Program
|
1,202,585 | 2,164,908 | 2,999,616 |
|
Grant for Innovative Solutions Canada
|
718,625 | 1,300,000 | 2,600,000 |
|
Program to Protect Canada’s Coastlines and Waterways
|
831,540 | 1,800,000 | 2,044,802 |
|
Grants to support Clean Transportation Program
|
0 | 600,000 | 1,079,274 |
|
Grants to support the Transportation Assets Risk Assessment initiative
|
237,000 | 800,000 | 627,844 |
|
Grant for the Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative
|
0 | 200,000 | 142,226 |
|
Program to Address Disturbances from Vessel Traffic
|
0 | 0 | 100,000 |
|
Program to Advance the Transportation Innovation
|
172,191 | 75,000 | 75,000 |
| Contributions | |||
|
Program to Protect Canada’s Coastlines and Waterways
|
5,063,991 | 51,733,868 | 57,336,430 |
|
Program to Address Disturbances from Vessel Traffic
|
0 | 0 | 1,500,000 |
|
Program to Advance Indigenous Reconciliation
|
510,124 | 1,250,000 | 1,250,000 |
|
Contribution to the Northern Transportation Adaptation Initiative
|
759,128 | 1,045,000 | 774,751 |
|
Contribution to Advance Transportation Innovation
|
417,243 | 674,000 | 650,000 |
|
Contributions to support the Transportation Assets Risk Assessment initiative
|
46,320 | 234,145 | 372,156 |
|
Contribution to Support Clean Transportation Program
|
128,094 | 150,000 | 150,000 |
|
Canadian Transportation Research Forum
|
24,000 | 0 | 24,000 |
| Safe and Secure Transportation System | |||
| Grants | |||
|
Rail Safety Improvement Program
|
86,000 | 300,000 | 800,000 |
|
Grant to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for Cooperative Development of Operational Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Program (COSCAP)
|
30,778 | 130,000 | 130,000 |
| Contributions | |||
|
Rail Safety Improvement Contribution Program
|
18,321,402 | 11,645,000 | 20,500,000 |
|
Road Safety Transfer Payment Program
|
3,268,163 | 4,442,681 | 16,442,681 |
|
Contribution in Support of Boating Safety
|
956,919 | 1,225,000 | 2,225,000 |
|
Payments to other governments or international agencies for the operation and maintenance of airports, air navigation and airways facilities
|
70,595 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
Background
The government can only spend money for purposes authorized by Parliament. In the appropriation acts, these spending authorities are separate “votes” for each organization. Votes are currently based on the type of expenditure to be made – such as operating expenditures, capital expenditures, and grants and contributions.
The Estimates also report spending authorities on the basis of standard objects of expenditure, as well as by purpose. However, Parliamentary control of appropriated authorities is based strictly on the vote structure.
In 2012 and 2019, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates recommended that Parliamentary control of appropriations be based on the purpose rather than the type of expenditure. Moving the appropriation acts and Estimates to a primarily purpose-based structure was expected to facilitate Parliament’s study of the Estimates and scrutiny of government expenditures overall.
This pilot project with Transport and pilot projects of this nature are intended to assess the impact of a purpose-based vote structure for grants and contributions, on both the usability of information provided to Parliament as well as the financial management practices of the department.
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