Friday, October 27, 2017

CSE budget authority increased to $629 million

The Supplementary Estimates (B) for 2017-18, tabled yesterday in parliament, indicate that CSE's budget authority for this fiscal year is now $629,474,710, which is up $33,490,987 from the original estimate of $595,983,723.

Aside from a carry forward of $21,601,037 in unexpended funds from the previous fiscal year, the bulk of the increase comes in the form of $11,677,230 added "to maintain the Government of CanadaŹ¼s information technology security posture".

An additional $574,970 is added to cover increased statutory spending, while $362,250 is transferred to Global Affairs to cover the cost of "administrative support to departmental staff located at liaison offices abroad". Several other departments are making similar transfers, so the latter item is probably part of a wider decision to compensate Global Affairs for the support it is providing rather than a sign of expanded foreign liaison arrangements on CSE's part.

If CSE managed to spend its entire $629 million budget authority this year, the result would be the second-largest budget in its history (the largest one if you exclude FY 2014-15, which was boosted by a one-time payment of $300 million made when the agency's new headquarters was completed).

But it is quite common for significant sums to go unspent, so the final total is likely to be pretty close to the amounts spent in fiscal years 2015-16 and 2016-17 ($620 million and $615 million respectively).


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