Quarterly Financial Report of Transport Canada (Unaudited) for the quarter ended June 30th, 2019

Table of contents

• Statement outlining results, risks and significant changes in operations, personnel and program
  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1 Authority, Mandate and Program Activities
    • 1.2 Basis of Presentation
  • 2. Highlights of fiscal quarter and fiscal year-to-date (YTD) results
    • 2.1 Statement of Authorities
    • 2.2 Statement of Departmental budgetary expenditures by Standard Object
  • 3. Risks and Uncertainties
  • 4. Significant changes in relation to operations, personnel and programs
• Statement of Authorities (unaudited)
• Departmental budgetary expenditures by Standard Object (unaudited)

Statement outlining results, risks and significant changes in operations, personnel and program

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 Directive on Accounting Standards, GC 4400 Departmental Quarterly Financial Report.

The quarterly report should be read in conjunction with the Main Estimates.

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

1.1 Authority, Mandate and Program Activities

A summary description of Transport Canada’s program activities is presented in Part II of the Main Estimates.

1.2 Basis of Presentation

This quarterly report has been prepared by management using an expenditure basis of accounting. The accompanying Statement of Authorities includes Transport Canada’s spending authorities granted by Parliament, and those used by Transport Canada consistent with the Main Estimates for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. This quarterly report has been prepared using a special purpose financial reporting framework designed to meet financial information needs with respect to the use of spending authorities.

The authority of Parliament is required before money 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.

When Parliament is dissolved for the purposes of a general election, section 30 of the Financial Administration Act authorizes the Governor General, under certain conditions, to issue a special warrant authorizing the Government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. A special warrant is deemed to be an appropriation for the fiscal year in which it is issued.

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

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

2.1 Statement of Authorities

Transport Canada’s total authorities available for use increased by approximately $298.4 million, from $1,557.5 million as of June 30, 2018 to $1,855.9 million as of June 30, 2019, as summarized below:

Table 1: Significant changes in Authorities (in thousands of dollars):

AuthoritiesFootnote 3	2019-2020 Footnote 1, Footnote 2	2018-2019Footnote 1	Variance
Vote 1 – Net operating expenditures	728,441	712,549	15,892
Vote 5 – Capital expenditures	136,823	136,890	(67)
Vote 10 – Grants and contributions – Efficient Transportation System	605,098	413,110	191,988
Vote 15 – Grants and contributions – Green and Innovative Transportation System	132,754	41,602	91,152
Vote 20 – Grants and contributions – Safe and Secure Transportation System	33,798	27,773	6,025
Budgetary statutory authoritiesFootnote 3	218,984	225,556	(6,572)
Total Authorities	1,855,898	1,557,480	298,418

 

The accompanying Statement of Authorities illustrates the total authorities available for use, the authorities used for the quarter, the year-to-date authorities used for the current fiscal year, as well as the comparative figures for the previous year. The major year-to-year changes for the quarter ended June 30, 2019 are explained below.

2.1.1 Vote 1 – Net operating expenditures (increase of $15.9 million)

Planned operating authorities has increased by $15.9 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 mostly explained by the following factors:

• An increase in funding of:
  • $13.4 million for the National Trade Corridors Fund to allow Canadians to compete in key global markets, trade more efficiently with international partners, and create jobs for Canadians;
  • $7.5 million for the Canada Navigable Waters Act (CNWA) to transition to new impact assessment and regulatory processes;
  • $4.9 million for the Proceeds of Sales from the Disposition of Real Property to use the proceeds to support environmental remediation;
  • $4.7 million for the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan which is a continuation of government efforts to clean up contaminated sites;
  • $3.8 million for Delivering Better Service for Air Travellers to ensure that air travellers and workers at airports are effectively screened;
  • $2.9 million for the VIA Rail’s High Frequency Rail Proposal which will allow the Government to complete its due diligence of VIA Rail’s High Frequency Rail proposal; and
  • $2.7 million for the Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program to modernize regulatory frameworks.
• Offset by a decrease in funding of:
  • $23.8 million for the Port Asset Transfer Program (PATP) to reduce the number of TC owned ports, through sale, divestiture or closure/demolition.

2.1.2 Vote 5 – Capital expenditures (decrease of $0.067 million)

Planned Capital authorities have decreased by $0.067 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 mostly explained by the following factors:

• An increase in funding of:
  • $13.2 million from Budget 2018 for Strengthening Airports Serving remote Communities;
  • $4.3 million for the World Class Tanker Safety System to prevent pollution from ships; and
  • $3.1 million for the Canada Navigable Waters Act to transition to new impact assessment and regulatory processes.

• Offset by a decrease in funding of:
  • $8.3 million for Protecting Marine Life, including the protection and recovery of endangered whale populations;
  • $4.8 million for Road Safety as part of the Federal Infrastructure Initiative (FII);
  • $4.3 million for the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System as part of the Federal Infrastructure Initiative, and
  • $3.7 million for the upkeep of assets related to ferry services in Eastern Canada under the Ferry Services Program.

2.1.3 Votes 10 – Grants and contributions – Efficient Transportation System (Increase of $192.0 million)

Grant and contribution authorities for Vote 10 increased by $192 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020 and is largely explained by the following factors:

• An increase in funding of:
  • $173.3 million for the National Trade Corridors Fund; and
  • $59.1 million for the Port Asset Transfer Program.

• Offset by a decrease in funding of:
  • $37.1 million for the Gateways and Border Crossings Fund; and
  • $4.8 million for the Asia Pacific Gateway and Corridor Infrastructure as these programs approach retirement.

2.1.4 Votes 15 – Grants and contributions – Green and Innovative Transportation System (Increase of $91.2 million)

Grant and contribution authorities for Vote 15 increased by $91.2 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020, largely explained by the following factors:

• An increase in funding of:
  • $67.7 million for Encouraging Canadians to Use Zero Emission Vehicles;
  • $19.6 million for the Program to Protect Canada’s Coastlines and Waterways; and
  • $4.3 million for the Program to Advance Indigenous Reconciliation (PAIR).

2.1.5 Votes 20 – Grants and contributions – Safe and Secure Transportation System (Increase of $6.0 million)

Grant and contribution authorities for Vote 20 increased by $6.0 million from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020, largely explained by the following factors:

• An increase in funding of:
  • $6.0 million for the Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program.

2.1.6 Budgetary statutory authorities (Decrease of $6.6 million)

The planned expenditures for the budgetary statutory authorities decreased by $6.6 million mainly as a result of a decrease in capital and operating requirements associated with the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation (SLSMC) in the amount of $17.8 million. The SLSMC is responsible for managing and operating the Seaway, as well as the maintenance, repairs, acquisition and replacement of government-owned Navigation Seaway Assets. Transport Canada is responsible for funding any SLSMC financial requirements net of revenues. The decrease in planned spending is explained by a reduction in funding provided by Transport Canada to SLSMC following the completion of its modernization program. The decrease in planned spending was offset by an increase of $11.0 million in planned spending for Employee Benefits Plan and a decrease of $0.3 million for the Northumberland Strait Crossing Subsidy Payment.

The year-to-date expenditures for the budgetary statutory authorities decreased by $5.6 million mainly explained by reduction in SLSMC’s asset renewal and operating costs.

2.2 Statement of Departmental budgetary expenditures by Standard Object

The accompanying Departmental Budgetary Expenditures by Standard Object illustrates annual planned expenditures, quarter and year-to-date expenditures for the current fiscal year, and comparative figures for the previous fiscal year. Overall, the year-to-date expenditures at the end of the first quarter of 2019-2020 represent 16% of the annual planned expenditures, compared to 17% in 2018-2019.

Historically, most spending on high-dollar value, major infrastructure grant and contribution programs occurs in the fourth quarter. This is due to the fact that the majority of recipients submit their claims for reimbursement in the last quarter following the summer and fall construction periods. For some categories of operating expenditures, the year-to-date actuals represent a small fraction of the planned expenditures, which is consistent with prior years and other federal government departments. This is mainly a result of a timing difference between the date the goods or services were obtained and the invoices received. In addition, there is also a ramp up of operational activities in the last quarter following the mid-year internal budget reallocations, and a receipt of increased funding for new initiatives, for which the majority of expenditures will be incurred in the fourth quarter.

The major year-to-year variances as at June 30, 2019 are as follows:

Planned Expenditures

• Personnel

  The planned expenditures related to Personnel for 2019-2020 increased by approximately $60.5 million primarily due to an increase in funding for the following initiatives:

  • $28.9 million for a reallocation of planned spending to personnel based on previous years’ expenditures;
  • $14.6 million as a result of increased staffing levels as TC implements various Budget 2018 and 2019 initiatives;
  • $11.0 million for an increase in Employee Benefit Plan; and
  • $6.0 million in Capital Salary funding.

• Professional and Special Services

  The planned expenditures related to Professional and Special Services decreased by approximately $20.4 million, mainly a result of the decrease in funding for the Transportation Infrastructure (Port Asset Transfer Program).

• Acquisition of land, buildings and works

  The 2019-2020 increase of $47.8 million in planned expenditures for the Acquisition of land, buildings and works is mainly a result of increased funding in planned expenditures for the St. Lawrence Seaway offset by reductions in planned spending for Budget 2014 and Budget 2016 for Federal Infrastructure Initiatives (FII) that are nearing completion.

• Transfer payments

  The planned expenditures related to Transfer payments for 2019-2020 increased by approximately $289.2 million when compared to the planned expenditures for 2018-2019. The causes of the variances are explained in section 2.1.3 to 2.1.5 and by a decrease of $0.3 million for the Northumberland Strait Crossing Subsidy Agreement.

• Other subsidies and payments

  The planned expenditures related to Other subsidies and payments decreased by approximately $75.5 million is mainly a result of a reallocation in planned expenditures for the St. Lawrence Seaway to other standard objects.

Year-to-Date Expenditures

• Personnel

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Personnel at June 30, 2019 increased by approximately $4.7 million compared to 2018-2019. The increase is mainly driven by the rise in the number of employees due to new departmental initiatives such as Transport Canada’s Transformation Plan, the creation of a Digital Services and Transformation Office and a Multimodal Business Transformation Team.

• Professional and special services

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Professional and special services at June 30, 2019 increased by approximately $4.9 million when compared to 2018-2019. The increase is largely explained to a timing difference in the payment to the Department of Justice for legal services, which occurred in Q2 during 2018-2019 and in Q1 in 2019-2020.

• Acquisition of land, buildings and works

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Acquisition of land, buildings and works at June 30, 2019 increased by approximately $8.6 million when compared to 2018-2019. This increase is mainly due to the reallocation of the St. Lawrence Seaway expenditures by standard objects whereas last year the allocation was done in the last quarter.

• Acquisition of machinery and equipment

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Acquisition of machinery and equipment at June 30, 2019 decreased by approximately $2.0 million when compared to 2018-2019. This decrease is mainly due to the acquisition of parts and accessories for aircraft, ships and boats and IT software in 2018-2019 compared to 2019-2020 where the same amount of investments is not required.

• Transfer payments

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Transfer payments at June 30, 2019 increased by approximately $18.8 million when compared to 2018-2019. This increase is mostly explained by contributions from the funds of National Trade Corridors, Climate Change and Clean Air as well as Transportation Infrastructure.

• Other subsidies and payments

  The year-to-date expenditures related to Other subsidies and payments at June 30, 2019 decreased by approximately $16.3 million when compared to 2018-2019. This decrease is mainly explained by the reallocation of the St. Lawrence Seaway expenditures by standard object whereas last year the allocation was done in the last quarter.

3. Risks and Uncertainties

Transport Canada maintains a Corporate Risk Profile which identifies and assesses high-level risks that could affect the achievement of departmental objectives and priorities. The identification of risks and the development of risk responses contribute to making decisions related to setting departmental priorities, planning, allocating resources, developing policies, managing programs and reporting on performance. Additional information regarding Transport Canada’s key risk areas is presented in the 2019-2020 Departmental Plan.

Certain risks would have financial impacts should they materialize, for example many factors affecting the timing of transfer payments lie outside of Transport Canada’s control and could require funds to be re-profiled to future years. To minimize these impacts, Transport Canada continuously monitors its program funding and expenditures, including a monthly senior management review of plans and forecasts.

Transport Canada implemented the Phoenix pay system on April 7, 2016 as part of the Government of Canada pay transformation initiative. Since its implementation, the new pay system has experienced issues, which Public Services and Procurement Canada is working to resolve as quickly as possible. To mitigate the impact on its employees, Transport Canada has issued emergency salary advances to employees not receiving their basic pay. The pay issues and the workload associated with the signing of new collective agreements have also resulted in a backlog of compensation transactions, most notably acting pay transactions. The pay system issues have also generated salary overpayments. Transport Canada works with the employees in question to recover the funds through a repayment plan to ensure that they do not experience any undue hardships. The impact of the pay system issues on the year-to-date expenditures reflected in the Quarterly Financial Report is not material. Transport Canada will deal with these matters on an expedited basis when the required updates to the Phoenix pay system are implemented.

Transport Canada is currently implementing major initiatives that have risks associated with inter-departmental coordination, cooperation and performance, as well as with the outcome of consultations with key transportation stakeholders and indigenous groups. Transport Canada’s Transformation Plan is also designed to improve the Department’s financial sustainability and regulatory environment for the future. There are risks and uncertainties associated with implementing needed legislative changes, introducing new cost recovery initiatives and realizing planned savings from identified efficiency opportunities.

The loss of key personnel represents a risk for most organizations. As highlighted in section 4 below, there have been a number of changes in senior personnel within the last quarter. Transport Canada mitigates that risk through its succession planning strategy, as well as promptly launching staffing processes and having experienced personnel acting in those roles during their vacancy.

4. Significant changes in relation to operations, personnel and programs

The following changes in senior personnel occurred during the first quarter:

• On May 17, 2019, the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister announced the appointment of Alain Langlois, Executive Director and Senior General Counsel for Transport Canada Legal Services, effective the same day;
• On June 17, 2019, following André Lapointe's new appointment as Chief Operating Officer of Transportation Safety Board (TSB), the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister announced the appointment of Ryan Pilgrim, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer, effective the same day.

 

Approved by:

 

Original signed by

Statement of Authorities (unaudited)

(in thousands of dollars)	Fiscal year 2019-2020			Fiscal year 2018-2019
	Total available for use for the year ending March 31, 2020Footnote 4	Used during the quarter ended June 30, 2019	Year-to-date used at quarter-end	Total available for use for the year ending March 31, 2019Footnote 4	Used during the quarter ended June 30, 2018	Year-to-date used at quarter-end
Vote 1 – Operating expenditures	805,074	167,530	167,530	782,122	160,354	160,354
Vote 1 – Revenue credited to the vote	(76,633)	(10,619)	(10,619)	(69,573)	(10,815)	(10,815)
Vote 1 – Net operating expenditures	728,441	156,911	156,911	712,549	149,539	149,539
Vote 5 – Capital expenditures	136,823	4,231	4,231	136,890	5,251	5,251
Vote 10 – Grants and contributions – Efficient Transportation System	605,098	26,811	26,811	413,110	13,473	13,473
Vote 15 – Grants and contributions – Green and Innovative Transportation System	132,754	5,104	5,104	41,602	50	50
Vote 20 – Grants and contributions – Safe and Secure Transportation System	33,798	42	42	27,773	1	1
Budgetary statutory authorities
Contributions to employee benefit plans	88,452	19,885	19,885	77,000	18,817	18,817
Minister of Transport – Salary and motor car allowance	88	22	22	86	22	22
Railway Company – Victoria Bridge, Montreal	3,300	-	-	3,300	590	590
Northumberland Strait Crossing Subsidy Payment	67,273	66,999	66,999	67,543	66,046	66,046
Payments in respect of St. Lawrence Seaway Agreements	59,871	10,600	10,600	77,627	17,600	17,600
Total Budgetary statutory authorities	218,984	97,506	97,506	225,556	103,075	103,075
Total budgetary authorities	1,855,898	290,605	290,605	1,557,480	271,389	271,389

Departmental budgetary expenditures by Standard Object (unaudited)

(in thousands of dollars)	Fiscal year 2019-2020			Fiscal year 2018-2019
	Planned expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2020	Expended during the quarter ended June 30, 2019	Year-to-date used at quarter-end	Planned expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2019	Expended during the quarter ended June 30, 2018	Year-to-date used at quarter-end
Expenditures:
Personnel	641,416	151,494	151,494	580,930	146,767	146,767
Transportation and communications	37,404	6,433	6,433	34,223	6,694	6,694
Information	6,606	580	580	4,503	438	438
Professional and special services	172,715	21,217	21,217	193,136	16,234	16,234
Rentals	11,820	1,628	1,628	12,270	701	701
Repair and maintenance	12,211	1,160	1,160	12,581	1,544	1,544
Utilities, materials and supplies	16,594	4,198	4,198	18,496	4,405	4,405
Acquisition of land, buildings and works	125,059	9,771	9,771	77,266	1,144	1,144
Acquisition of machinery and equipment	50,299	3,449	3,449	48,650	5,494	5,494
Transfer payments	842,222	98,956	98,956	553,328	80,160	80,160
Other subsidies and payments	16,185	2,338	2,338	91,670	18,623	18,623
Total gross budgetary expenditures	1,932,531	301,224	301,224	1,627,053	282,204	282,204
Less Revenues netted against expenditures:
Vote-netted revenues	(76,633)	(10,619)	(10,619)	(69,573)	(10,815)	(10,815)
Total Revenues netted against expenditures:	(76,633)	(10,619)	(10,619)	(69,573)	(10,815)	(10,815)
Total net budgetary expenditures	1,855,898	290,605	290,605	1,557,480	271,389	271,389