Archived - Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada Quarterly Financial Report - For the quarter ended June 30, 2013

1. Introduction

This quarterly financial report has been prepared by management as required by section 65.1 of the Financial Administration Act and in the form and manner prescribed by the Treasury Board. It should be read in conjunction with the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A) for fiscal year 2013-14 as well as Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013 (Budget 2013). For purposes of both the Main and Supplementary Estimates, the Department is referred to as Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

The quarterly financial report has not been subject to an external audit or review.

1.1 Authority, Mandate and Program Activities

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) supports Aboriginal people (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) and Northerners in their efforts to:

• Improve social well-being and economic prosperity;
• Develop healthier, more sustainable communities; and
• Participate more fully in Canada’s political, social and economic development – to the benefit of all Canadians.

Further details on AANDC’s authority, mandate and program activities can be found in Part II of the Main Estimates and the Report on Plans and Priorities.

1.2 Basis of Presentation

This quarterly report has been prepared by management using an expenditure basis of accounting and a special purpose financial reporting framework designed to meet financial information needs with respect to the use of spending authorities. The accompanying Statement of Authorities includes AANDC’s spending authorities granted by Parliament and those used by the Department consistent with the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A) for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

The authority of Parliament is required before monies can be spent by the Government. Approvals are given in the form of annually approved limits through appropriation acts or through legislation in the form of statutory spending authority for specific purposes.

As part of the Parliamentary business of supply, the Main Estimates must be tabled in Parliament on or before March 1 preceding the new fiscal year. Budget 2012 was tabled in Parliament on March 29, after the tabling of the Main Estimates on February 28, 2012. As a result the measures announced in the Budget 2012 could not be reflected in the 2012-13 Main Estimates. In fiscal year 2012-2013, frozen allotments were established by Treasury Board authority in departmental votes to prohibit the spending of funds already identified as savings measures in Budget 2012. In 2013-2014, the changes to departmental authorities were reflected in the 2013-2014 Main Estimates tabled in Parliament.

The Department uses the full accrual method of accounting to prepare and present its annual departmental financial statements that are part of the departmental performance reporting process. However, the spending authorities voted by Parliament remain on an expenditure basis.

1.3 AANDC’s Financial Structure

The parliamentary vote structure of AANDC is made up of $8.1 billion in budgetary authorities of which $7.9 billion requires approval by Parliament; referred to as voted amounts. The remaining $159.2 million represents statutory authorities that do not require additional approval and are provided for information purposes.

Voted amounts totalling $7.9 billion are split between Operating Expenditures, Capital Expenditures and Grants and Contributions as follows:

• Operating Expenditures represents approximately $1.4 billion (17.9%), this includes $559.8 million (7.1%) for the Settlement Allotment (Independent Assessment Process and Alternative Dispute Resolution) and $160.6 million (2%) for the Assessment, Management and Remediation of Federal Contaminated Sites.
• Capital represents approximately $13.7 million (0.2%)
• Grants and Contributions represent approximately $6.5 billion (82.0%)

More detailed information about AANDC's financial structure, including information about the fiscal cycle, cost drivers, expenditure trends, etc..

2. Highlights of fiscal quarter and fiscal year to date (YTD) results

This section highlights the significant items that contributed to the net increase or decrease in resources available for the year and actual expenditures for the quarter ended June 30, 2013. The explanation of variances considers that changes under 5% would have minimal impact on interpretation of results.

2.1 Statement of Authorities (Table 1)

As displayed in Table 1, the total year-to-date authorities available for use in the first quarter of 2013-14 were $8,141.1 million compared to $7,995.7 million for the same quarter of the prior year, representing a total increase in Departmental authorities of $145.4 million. The total 2013-14 year-to-date authority increase of $145.4 million over 2012-13 can be explained by the following major items:

• As shown in the table above, the $145.4 million increase in total authorities is primarily attributed to the increase of $249.8 million in Operating expenditures and the decrease of $87.8 million in Grants and Contributions.
• The increase of $249.8 million in Operating expenditures is primarily due to an increase of funding for the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement ($234.8 million) and the assessment, management and remediation of federal contaminated sites ($58 million). This increase is partially offset by the savings identified as part of the Budget 2012 Spending Review ($31.1 million) and the decrease in funding for claims activities ($15.6 million).
• The decrease of $87.8 million in Grants and Contributions is primarily due to a decrease in funding for claims activities ($290.4 million), First Nations Infrastructure Fund ($53.8 million), Income Assistance Program ($40.4 million), and the savings identified as part of the Budget 2012 Spending Review ($24 million). This decrease is partially offset by an increase in funding for First Nations Water and Wastewater Action Plan ($127.1 million), initiatives to improve First Nations Education ($115 million) and ongoing Indian and Inuit programs providing access to basic services ($100.6 million).

2.2 Statement of Departmental Budgetary Expenditures by Standard Object (Table 2)

Highlights of Fiscal Quarter ended June 30, 2013

Departmental spending in the first quarter of 2013-14 was $51.5 million lower than the same period in 2012-13. This net decrease of 2.6% can be attributed mainly to a decrease of $51 million in transfer payments (standard object 10) attributed to a difference in the dollar amount of specific claims settlements. In 2012-13 there was a specific claim settlement for the Cote Specific Claim in the amount of $131 million and in 2013-14 there were 4 specific claims settlements totalling $60 million. This represents a decrease of $70 million, in standard object 10, for specific claims settlements which was offset by increases in the following transfer payments: $6 million for emergency management assistance for activities on reserve, $5 million for Urban Aboriginal Strategy, $3 million to beneficiaries and various implementation bodies for implementation of comprehensive land claim agreements, $3 million in payments to Yukon First Nations pursuant to individual self-government agreements and $2 million for the Federal Interlocutor’s contribution program.

Year-to-Date Comparison of Budgetary Authorities and
Expenditures as of the end of June 2013
($ millions)

3. Risks and Uncertainties

3.1 Risks and Uncertainties

Risk management and risk-based decision-making have become a critical component in the way Department prioritizes and conducts its business. Resource allocation decisions are informed by risk and the Department’s key corporate risks are discussed systematically in a senior management committee.

The process to update the Department’s Corporate Risk Profile (CRP) was launched Q1 with Department-wide consultations held throughout June 2013. The consultations were based on risk information compiled from existing risk documentation at the sector, region and program level and the risk activities that are monitored through the Departmental Quarterly Reporting exercise. The sessions were prioritized based on the rankings from 2012 (Aboriginal Relationship Risk was VERY HIGH; the Human Resource Capacity and Capabilities, Information for Decision-making, Environmental, and Legal Risks were HIGH; the Implementation, Government Partnership, External Partnership and Resource Alignment Risks were MODERATE). Further work on the CRP will continue in Q2, including assessing the corporate risks for impact and likelihood. In addition to corporate risk profiling, individual risk assessments are being conducted at the program level in order to mitigate each program’s residual risks.

3.2 Risk Mitigating Strategies

Corporate and financial risk mitigation activities are reflected in the Corporate Business Plan and are monitored by senior management on a quarterly basis and modified as required. Cost containment measures are monitored monthly and a review and challenge function is done monthly through the Financial Status Report. A number of practices and internal controls help to manage risk departmentally, including senior management governance and oversight as established through committees, existing policies and procedures that ensure an appropriate level of monitoring, review and reporting.

4. Significant changes in relation to Operations, Personnel and Programs

Significant changes in relation to Operations, Personnel and Programs during the first quarter of fiscal year 2013-14 include:

• Jean-François Tremblay, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, was appointed to the position of Deputy Secretary (Operations) at the Privy Council Office, effective April 29, 2013.
• Gina Wilson returned to the department in the position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Treaties and Aboriginal Government, effective June 3, 2013.

5. Budget 2012 Implementation

This section provides an update of the savings measures announced in Budget 2012 that are being implemented in order to refocus government and programs; make it easier for Canadians and business to deal with their government; and, modernize and reduce the back office.

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada achieved savings of $24.4 million in the first year (2012-13). Savings increased to $55.1 million in 2013-14 and will result in ongoing savings of $160.6 million by 2014-15.

For the quarter ending June 30, 2013, Budget 2012 impacts on the Department's authorities as approved in the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (A) resulted in a reduction of $55.1 million.

There are no significant financial risks or uncertainties related to Budget 2012 savings for this quarterly financial report. AANDC continues to manage the implementation of Budget 2012 savings through its financial management and monitoring processes.

In the first quarter, the Department continued to focus on decreasing the costs of internal operations. Several internal operational changes continued to be implemented in order to deliver efficient, effective and accountable programs for Aboriginal people and Northerners.

AANDC's Implementation Committee, chaired by the Associate Deputy Minister and comprising the Assistant Deputy Ministers and direct reports to the Deputy Minister, continued to provide overall direction, coordination and oversight to all departmental deficit reduction savings implementation activities. The Workforce Management Board also continued to provide oversight on workforce management mechanisms and to ensure consistency and fairness in human resource decisions across the department.

6. Approval by Senior Officials

Approved, as required by the Treasury Board Policy on Financial Resource Management, Information and Reporting:

Statement of Authorities (unaudited)
Table 1

Departmental Budgetary Expenditures by Standard Object (unaudited)
Table 2