Question Period Note: Refocusing Government Spending

What is Women and Gender Equality Canada’s contribution to the Refocusing Government Spending exercise in 2023-24?

•The Government of Canada is committed to refocusing its spending to meet fiscal targets and improve how it operates and serves Canadians. This will ensure that we have the capacity to continue investing in Canadians and communities from coast to coast to coast for years to come.
•Women and Gender Equality Canada is doing its part to identify savings starting in 2023-24.
The Department has identified a reduction in travel and professional services by $579,000.
•In its efforts to refocus its existing and future spending, a top priority will be to ensure that direct benefits and services to Canadians are not impacted.

•Budget 2023 announced a plan to refocus government spending with the goal of finding savings from across government that can be directed towards key priorities such as health care and the clean economy.
•This is an all-of-government effort, and 80 organizations, including WAGE, have been asked to submit proposals to help identify $15.4 billion in savings from professional services, travel, operations and transfer payments over the next 5 years and $4.5 billion ongoing.
•Once proposals have been reviewed and approved by the Treasury Board, those saving measures will begin to take effect in 2024-25 and will be presented in the 2024-25 Departmental Plan.
•Other savings are taking effect in 2023-24. Departmental spending on consulting, other professional services, and travel are being reduced this year by $500 million. This will be completed by freezing the $500 million in the reference levels of 68 organizations for 2023-24. Information about these reductions is presented in this year’s Supplementary Estimates (B).
•Out of the $500 million, $579,000 is being frozen for Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) which represents 0.1780 per cent of the Department’s 2022-23 Estimates to date.

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