2001-2002 Estimates
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This document is archival in nature and is intended Le présent document a une valeur archivistique et for those who wish to consult archival documents fait partie des documents d’archives rendus made available from the collection of Public Safety disponibles par Sécurité publique Canada à ceux Canada. qui souhaitent consulter ces documents issus de sa collection. Some of these documents are available in only one official language. Translation, to be provided Certains de ces documents ne sont disponibles by Public Safety Canada, is available upon que dans une langue officielle. Sécurité publique request. Canada fournira une traduction sur demande. National Defence 2001-2002 Estimates ESTIMATES Part III – Report on Plans and Priorities The Estimates Documents Each year, the government prepares Estimates in support of its request to Parliament for authority to spend public monies. This request is formalized through the tabling of appropriation bills in Parliament. The Estimates, which are tabled in the House of Commons by the President of the Treasury Board, consist of three parts: Part I – The Government Expenditure Plan provides an overview of federal spending and summarizes both the relationship of the key elements of the Main Estimates to the Expenditure Plan (as set out in the Budget). Part II – The Main Estimates directly support the Appropriation Act. The Main Estimates identify the spending authorities (votes) and amounts to be included in subsequent appropriation bills. Parliament will be asked to approve these votes to enable the government to proceed with its spending plans. Parts I and II of the Estimates are tabled concurrently on or before 1 March. Part III – Departmental Expenditure Plans which is divided into two components: (1) Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) are individual expenditure plans for each department and agency (excluding Crown corporations). These reports provide increased levels of detail on a business line basis and contain information on objectives, initiatives and planned results, including links to related resource requirements over a three-year period. The RPPs also provide details on human resource requirements, major capital projects, grants and contributions, and net program costs. They are tabled in Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the ministers who preside over the departments and agencies identified in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act. These documents are to be tabled on or before 31 March and referred to committees, which then report back to the House of Commons pursuant to Standing Order 81(4). (2) Departmental Performance Reports (DPRs) are individual department and agency accounts of accomplishments achieved against planned performance expectations as set out in respective RPPs. These Performance Reports, which cover the most recently completed fiscal year, are tabled in Parliament in the fall by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the ministers who preside over the departments and agencies identified in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act. The Estimates, along with the Minister of Finance’s Budget, reflect the government’s annual budget planning and resource allocation priorities. In combination with the subsequent reporting of financial results in the Public Accounts and of accomplishments achieved in Departmental Performance Reports, this material helps Parliament hold the government to account for the allocation and management of public funds. As part of its ongoing efforts to streamline reporting requirements, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has requested that National Defence and thirteen other departments explore alternative reporting structures to this year’s Report on Plans and Priorities. It has, therefore, exempted the department from the usual guidelines for the preparation of this report. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2001 Available in Canada through your local bookseller or by mail from Canadian Government Publishing (PWGSC) Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9 Telephone: 1-800-635-7943 Internet site: http://publications.pwgsc.gc.ca Catalogue No. BT31-2/2002-III-57 ISBN 0-660-61487-1 NATIONAL DEFENCE 2001–2002 REPORT ON PLANS AND PRIORITIES Department of National Defence 2001–2002 Report on Plans and Priorities MINISTER'S MESSAGE Minister’s Message It is with a great deal of pride that I present this report on National Defence’s plans and priorities for 2001-02 and beyond. As Minister of National Defence since 1997, I have had the honour and privilege to lead, work with and represent one of Canada’s finest national institutions through a very difficult period of change and transformation. When I became Defence Minister four years ago, National Defence and the Canadian Forces were in crisis. As part of the Government’s efforts to eliminate the deficit, National Defence had absorbed the single largest budget cut in the federal government. The Canadian Forces were deeply affected by downsizing, the Somalia affair, and a string of scandals that had undermined public confidence, sapped morale, and tarnished the overall reputation of the Forces. Further, the institution and its leadership faced daily scrutiny and criticism. Despite this, the men and women of the Department and the Forces carried on, responding to the dual challenge of doing their jobs – tough enough in and of itself under any circumstances – and doing the extra work of defending and rebuilding a proud institution. In this environment, I set four priorities for the Department. They were: • to put in place the institutional reforms required to renew the leadership and management of the Canadian Forces, and restore public confidence; • to improve the overall quality of life of the men and women of the Forces and their families, and help to restore morale; • to restart the process of modernizing the Forces and re-invest in the people and equipment that the Forces need; and • to ensure more transparency and improve communications with Canadians to better showcase Defence’s contributions to the well-being of Canadians and communities around the world. Page.-i- Department of National Defence 2001–2002 Report on Plans and Priorities Defence has clearly made progress on all of these fronts. With the active support of the Government and two consecutive budget increases in 1999 and 2000 – totalling more than $2.5 billion in new money – Defence has: • implemented more than 300 institutional reforms to strengthen leadership, enhanced the fairness of the military justice system, modernized the National Defence Act, and increased openness and transparency; • implemented more than 80 initiatives, and significantly improved military compensation and benefits, including support programs for members and their families, to improve quality of life in the Forces; • moved forward with the purchase of new Cormorant helicopters for search and rescue, new submarines for the Navy, and new Light Utility Vehicles for the Army, to name but a few of the recent, major acquisitions; and • initiated the process of strengthening Defence’s overall capital investment program. In addition, the Defence leadership and I have made a determined effort to reach out to and engage Canadians in Defence issues and profile how the men and women of the Forces make a difference to Canada, to Canadians, and to peace, stability and human security throughout the world. This is not to say that the process of change and transformation occurring within National Defence and the Canadian Forces is complete. Despite the progress, Defence continues to face significant challenges. Modern peace operations are more complex, dangerous and demanding. Most peacekeeping operations today are conducted in virtual war zones, like East Timor, Bosnia, and Kosovo, and involve peace “building” and peace “enforcement” more than traditional peace “keeping”. In addition, the information and technological revolution is transforming how military operations are being conducted, creating a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). Together, these trends have significant implications for the force structure, doctrine, equipment, and training needed to prepare the Canadian Forces for the future. The past decade has shown us all that despite the end of the Cold War, many regions of the world remain unstable and torn by ethnic, inter– and intra–state conflict. One result is that the demand for the Canadian Forces to participate in international peace operations has increased significantly. Having said this, it is imperative that parliamentarians and Canadians recognize that there are real limits to what the Canadian Forces can sustain in terms of Page.-ii- Department of National Defence 2001–2002 Report on