FedCult b

Table of Contents

Page 1
Abstract
Introduction
CPA Components
   Limitations
   Wiggle Room
Federal Cultural Budget
   Cultural Policy Definition
   Culturally Active Departments

Page 2

Canadian Heritage
   Canadian Identity Program
   Parks Canada
   Corporate Management Services
   Cultural Agencies
Comparability
   Definition of Management
   Public Policy Sphere Definition
   Formalization of a Cycle of Public Accounts
           Note

The Department of Canadian Heritage was formed just before the last federal election. Essentially, it was created by merging the former Departments of Communications and Secretary of State, and the Parks Canada Program of the Department of Environment. In the process, however, certain parts of the former Department of Communications including spectrum management were hived off to a newly constituted Department of Industry.

In effect, and excepting activities of secondarily culturally active departments and agencies, Canadian Heritage is responsible for the broad UNESCO-based definition of cultural policy inclusive of the arts, the so-called cultural industries, heritage and heritage sites, multiculturalism and heritage languages, native culture, official languages, parks, recreation and sports.

In addition to its own activities, Canadian Heritage is responsible for fourteen cultural and two non-cultural agencies of the federal government. Non-cultural agencies include the Public Service Commission and the Women's Bureau (so-called by the author and representing the amalgamation of the former Advisory Council on the Status of Women and the Office of Co-ordinator - The Status of Women which are reported separately in the Main Estimates).

It can be argued that the Public Service Commission would more appropriately be under the Minister of Human Resources Development or Public Works and Government Services. Furthermore, the Women's Bureau could be considered a cultural agency in the same way that multiculturalism, native culture and official languages are cultural. For purposes of this article, however, it is assumed that economic and legal rather than cultural objectives are the primary purposes of the Women's Bureau.

In the Main Estimates, the Canadian Heritage departmental budget will decrease by 14.8%. The Department operates three programs:

In the Main Estimates information is available only at the activity and sub-activity level. Overall, the Canadian Identity Program budget will be reduced 21.1% while the budget for Participation will decline 21%; Official Languages will decline 8.1%; and, Cultural Development and Heritage 25.1%.

In the Main Estimates data is available only at the activity level. Overall, the Parks Canada budget will decline 6.2% while Operations will decline 1.9%; Development by 20.5%; and, Program Management and Technical Services 18.2%.

In the Main Estimates information is available only at the activity level. The overall budget for Corporate Management Services will increase 5.2% while the budget for Coordination will decline -1%; and, Regional Support increase 16.9%.

The overall budget for all fourteen cultural agencies reporting to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage will decrease 2% between 1994-95 and 1995-96. The distribution of decreases among the agencies is, however, uneven. Agencies include:

According to the Main Estimates, the total Canada Council grant from the government will decline 2.6% Canceled grants and refunds will increase, however, 95.1% and Administration will increase 3%. Support to the arts will decline 2.4%.

The total C.B.C. grant from the federal government will decline 2.4%. Support for specialty services will increase 58.1% and miscellaneous revenues by 39%. Advertising revenues will decline 2% and support for both television and radio services by 2.8%. Corporate Management Services will decline 4.2% and Corporate Engineering Services will by 6.8%.

According to the Main Estimates, the total C.F.D.C. grant from the federal government will decline 10.3% while expected revenues from sales and other commercial sources will increase 57.6%. Administration will decline 2.6% and support for Investments, Loans, Promotion and Distribution will decline by 2.7% while the Canadian Broadcast Development Fund will decline 8.0%.

The total federal budgetary requirements will increase 21.2% while accommodation will increase 133.1% reflecting transfer of responsibility from the Department of Public Works and Government Services. This, in turn, reflects final deconstruction of the former Canadian Museums Corporation. Research activities will increase 14.9%; support to the Canadian War Museum by 10.4%; and, general revenues 4.8%. The Collections budget will decline 0.4%; Museum Services 8.1%; Exhibitions and Programs by 17.9%; and, Public Affairs by 29.3%.

According to the Main Estimates, total federal budgetary requirements will increase 37.8% while accommodation will increase 5,203.5%, reflecting transfer of responsibility from the Department of Public Works and Government Services. This, as with the Canadian Museum of Civilization, reflects final deconstruction of the former Canadian Museums Corporation. General revenues will increase by 33.3%; Research activities by 10.4%; and Collections by 4.8%. Public Programs will decline by 3.5%, and Corporate Services by 23.2%.

Responsible for regulation of the public airwaves and telecommunications, total C.R.T.C. budgetary requirements will decrease 1.1% while support for Broadcasting will decline 3.3%; Executive Management by 4.7%; and Corporate Services by 9.2%.

According to the Main Estimates, total federal budgetary requirements will decrease by 1.9% while Administration will increase 13.9%. Services, Awareness and Assistance will decline 2.1%; Holdings Development & Management by 9.3%; and, Management of Government Information by 14.8%.

Total budgetary requirements will decrease 10.9% while Building Operations will decline 2.5%; Commercial Services by 5.7%; Administrative Services by 8.2%; support for the Performing Arts by 10.2%; and, Program Support by 14.9%.

According to the Main Estimates, total federal budgetary requirements will decrease 2%. No additional information is available in the Main Estimates.

Total federal budgetary requirements will decrease by 7.7% while general revenues will increase 18.1% and Real Asset Management & Development by 7.4%. Corporate Services will decline 12.8%; Promotion and Animation by 19.5%; and, Planning by 31.2%.

According to the Main Estimates, total federal budgetary requirements will decrease 7.1%, while Distribution will increase by 6.1% and Training by 5.4%. Technical Research will decline by 2%; Administration by 6.5%; and, Programming by 9.3%.

Total federal budgetary requirements will increase 20.7%, while accommodation costs will increase 91.3%, reflecting transfer of responsibility from the Department of Public Works and Government Services. This, as noted above, reflects final deconstruction of the former Canadian Museums Corporation. General revenues will increase 39.2%; Administer 5.7%; Collect 1.2%; and Educate and Communicate 0.6%. Use of terms like "Administer" and "Collect" highlight the idiosyncratic nature of reporting by different agencies.

According to the Main Estimates, total federal budgetary requirements will decrease 7.8%. No additional information is available in the Main Estimates.

Total federal budgetary requirements will increase 33.6% reflecting, partially, transfer of responsibility from the Department of Public Works and Government Services. Support for the National Museum of Science and Technology will increase 42.6% and support for the National Aviation Museum by 39.6%. General revenues will increase 7.2% while Common Services will decline 1.7%.

In this article the component parts of the Budget and the Estimates were described as part of the larger cycle of public accounts. The Main Estimates were then used to calculate the 1995-96 federal cultural budget relative to its 1994-95 level. To conclude, consideration is paid to issues of comparability and definition.

While the Main Estimates were used to calculate the federal cultural budget, more detailed data is available in Part III - Canadian Heritage Expenditure Plan as well as Part III's or annual reports for other departments and agencies. Part III provides estimates for both 1995-96 and 1994-95 as well as forecast data for 1994-95 and actual data for the previous one, two and sometimes three years.

There are, however, three problems associated with Part III. First, cost is a problem. Together, Parts I, II and III (78 separate reports) cost $960.85 plus GST. Separate annual reports are also be required for each cultural agency not reporting through Part III. With Budget documents, the cost (not including time and effort in adding up data for all relevant departments and agencies) is well over $1,000.00. This is the minimum price of accountability of federal spending to public scrutiny. This cost could be significantly reduced if the pre-1986 format for the Main Estimates was reinstated reporting five years of data .

The federal government has, however, announced that within a few years, the Budget and Estimates will be available in electronic as well as paper format. This does not mean electronic information will be free. Federal policies are, at present, ambiguous and subject to differing departmental policies. Treasury Board, for example, tends to make electronic products available to libraries at no cost, while the Department of Finance applies a cost-recovery policy in some cases, e.g. detailed budget papers. Parts I and II of the 1996-97 Estimates will be provided by Treasury Board in electronic format. 1/

Second, Part III for Canadian Heritage presents compatibility problems. Thus while the Participation and Official Language Support components of the Canadian Identity Program are reported for five years, sometimes down to the level of grants and contributions, the Cultural and Heritage Development component is not. Similarly, Parks Canada and Corporate Management are reported for only this year's estimates, last year's forecast and one previous year's actual spending. This inhibits trend line analysis which requires at least five years of data. Furthermore, while total budgetary requirements of cultural agencies are reported in Part III for five years, data at the activity level is available only in Part II - The Main Estimates for last year's and this year's estimates.

Third, even if one used all 78 volumes of Part III, data will not necessarily agree with the Public Accounts for the corresponding year. Formats of the Estimates and Public Accounts are not necessarily compatible. The degree of difference will be the subject of a subsequent article.

It is clear from calculating the federal cultural budget that definition of management or administration varies between departments and agencies. Without a compatible definition it is not possible to determine resources directed at providing the Canadian people with goods and services.

For accountability and transparency of government actions to be accessible to any Canadian or community of interest, government spending in any public policy sphere such as culture should be reported in one place, at one time and at a reasonable cost. This would require, of course, formal recognition of "legitimate" communities of interest not rooted just in geography or political allegiance but also in "conceptual space" where, nonetheless, they exist as "real" public policy spheres of influence.

That this is possible is evident in France with respect to international cultural relations. Since 1982, the Government of France has required all departments and agencies to make an annual report concerning international cultural relations (État récapitulatif des crédits concurrent à l'action culturelle de la France à l'étranger, No. 82-126 du décembre 1982). The results are compiled and published. A similar approach is possible in federal cultural as well as all other public policy spheres.

Similarly, spending consequences of all government actions should be accountable and transparent to public scrutiny by any Canadian or community of interest. But for this accounting to happen, it should be reported in one place, at one time and at a reasonable cost. Reinstatement of the pre-1986 format for Part II - The Main Estimates would be a useful first step. It would also provide a timeline supporting trend analysis and therefore measurement of the momentum of government towards its long term objective, i.e. to fulfill its democratic mandate. This would require, of course, that actual spending, not just will-o'-the-wisp promises or threats, be reported.

A significant second step would be the re-design of all three parts of the public accounts cycle -- Budget, Estimates and Public Accounts -- using the same definitions and parameters. Distortion between the Budget and the Estimates has been demonstrated. Distortion between these and the Public Accounts will be the subject of a future article -- in more than two year's time -- after a final accounting for the 1995-96 federal cultural budget.

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