Quarterly Financial Report For the Quarter Ended December 31, 2013

For the quarter ended December 31, 2013

This quarterly financial report should be read in conjunction with the Main Estimates (and as applicable -Supplementary Estimates and previous interim reports for the current year). It 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 has not been subject to an external audit or review. The RCMP External Review Committee (ERC) was not affected by the Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2012 exercise.

Under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Act, the RCMP Commissioner refers all appeals of formal discipline and all discharge and demotion appeals to the ERC unless the member of the RCMP requests that the matter not be referred. In addition, pursuant to section 33 of the RCMP Act, the RCMP Commissioner refers certain types of grievances to the ERC in accordance with regulations made by the Governor in Council. Section 36 of the RCMP Regulations specifies the grievances which the RCMP Commissioner is obliged to refer to the ERC, namely grievances respecting:

• the Force's interpretation and application of government policies that apply to government departments and that have been made to apply to members;
• the stoppage of pay and allowances of members made pursuant to subsection 22(3) of the RCMP Act;
• the Force's interpretation and application of the Isolated Posts Directive;
• the Force's interpretation and application of the RCMP Relocation Directive; and
• administrative discharge on the grounds of physical or mental disability, abandonment of post, or irregular appointment.

The ERC is also responsible for outreach and information dissemination. The ERC ensures that its findings and recommendations in each case are clearly explained for the parties and the RCMP Commissioner. Summaries of the findings and recommendations in each case, as well as articles of interest on the role of the ERC, relevant legal principles and information on related issues are distributed widely.

This quarterly report has been prepared by the ERC using an expenditure basis of accounting. The accompanying Statement of Authorities includes the ERC spending authorities granted by Parliament and those used by the ERC consistent with the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (as applicable) for the 2013-14 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 moneys 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.

The ERC 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.

This section highlights the significant items that contributed to amounts available for use and expenditure used for the quarter ended December 31st, 2013.

As reflected in the Statement of Authorities, the net budget authorities have increased from $1,722,287 (fiscal 2012-13) to $1,736,135 to date in this fiscal year (fiscal 2013-14) for a variance increase of $13,848 or 1%. The fiscal year 2013-14 budget authority includes a transfer of $710,001 from RCMP appropriations in support of Public Safety Canada's transitional measures to support the ERC's operations following the signing of the new RCMP policing service agreements. The ERC received a budget carry forward transfer from the central vote in the amount of $41,678, as well as a reimbursement of $24,150 through TB Vote 30 for parental benefits and severance paid, and an adjustment of $25,894 for collective agreements. The ERC does not anticipate increases or decreasese in its budget authorities to the end of this fiscal year (2013-14).

As reflected in the Statement of Authorities, expenditures used at quarter end December 31st have decreased from $431,740 (fiscal 2012-13) to $296,582 (fiscal 2013-14) for a total variance decrease of $135,158 or 31% from the previous year.

As reflected in the ERC Budgetary Expenditures by Standard Object, expenditures used during the quarter ended December 31st have decreased from $431,740 (fiscal 2012-13) to $296,582 (fiscal 2013-14) for a total variance decrease of $135,158 or 31% from the previous year.

Most of the decrease was related to professional services expenditures. In fiscal year 2012-13, calculation of the payments for reimbursing PWGSC headroom deficits were finalized. Therefore 8 months of payments were made in the 2012-13 quarter ending December 31st. In fiscal year 2013-14, payments are now on a regular monthly payment system. Payment for the Memorandum of Understanding for the provision of Corporate Services between the ERC and Public Safety for fiscal year 2012-13 was processed in that quarter.

This ERC Quarterly Financial Report reflects the results of the current fiscal period in relation to the Main Estimates (and Supplementary Estimates A and B) for which full supply was released on June 20, 2013.

The ERC was not specifically included in the Budget 2012 saving measures and therefore there have not been any significant changes in relation to operations, personnel and programs over the last year as a direct result.

In previous years, the ERC’s base budget was augmented by a series of temporary short-term funding, specifically from the Treasury Board’s Management Reserve to allow the ERC to meet the obligations of its mandate and to ensure the accountability of its operations. The terms of these temporary appropriations expired at the end of fiscal year 2011-12. To offset this decrease to its base budget, the RCMP tranferred $710,001 from its appropriations in support of Public Safety Canada's transitional measures to support the ERC's operations following the signing of the new RCMP policing service agreements.

Additionally, the ERC awaits the effect of PWGSC's application of its new accommodation standards.

David Paradiso
Interim Chair
Ottawa, Canada
January 30, 2014

Martin Griffin
Acting Executive Director and Senior Counsel
Acting Chief Financial Officer
Ottawa, Canada
January 30, 2014