Appendix C1 - Benchmark Index by Function - Intergovernmental

General Accountability

Is accountable for providing strategic policy and program analyses and recommendations on policies, programs and issues affecting federal/provincial/ territorial (FPT) relations within the Department and on matters related to the Social Union Framework Agreement and the Social Union.

Organization Structure

The Director, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations, is one of two managerial positions at the third level reporting to the Director General, Intergovernmental Affairs. The other is the Director, Canada Health Act.

Specific functions of the positions reporting to the Director, Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Relations, are as follows:

FPT Relations Policy Analysts (staff of 8) are responsible for providing strategic, corporate and integrated advice on the nature and substance of FPT policy, programs and issues with regard to health, cross-sectoral and social union issues for the purpose of advancing federal health and intergovernmental policy objectives.

FPT Planning and Logistics Officer (staff of 2) is responsible for providing comprehensive logistical support and organizational and diplomatic liaison with senior officials in the Department, the central agencies and the provinces, for major FPT meetings.

Nature And Scope

The Department's mission is to help the people of Canada maintain and improve their health. Its mandate, underpinned by a solid information and knowledge base, covers three broad areas: national health policy and systems, including health care; health promotion and protection, including disease, illness and injury prevention; and First Nations and Inuit health.

In this context, the Director develops a comprehensive FPT agenda that combines all current and emerging health system issues and provides advice and input to headquarters, branches and regions on FPT relations. The incumbent provides the senior departmental officials with monitoring, issue analysis, briefings, strategies and advice that support the federal government's role as the national leader in the health field and the guardian of Medicare, through positive FPT relations.

The Director ensures that the Department has the capacity to develop and advance a strategic, integrated and coherent approach to health policy matters from an FPT perspective to address important health system renewal issues. The incumbent provides leadership in developing and promoting overall coordination within the Department and with other government departments regarding major corporate and national health-related policy and program interaction with the provinces. The Director provides the directorate with a corporate FPT focus to facilitate Ministerial direction for FPT relations across the Department and the federal government. This role is essential to developing a truly integrated and strategic FPT relations agenda.

The Director provides expert advice on FPT relations and associated health issues. A number of sensitive issues, including the pressure in the national Medicare system resulting from escalating health service costs and past reductions in the federal share of funding, have raised the Department's profile domestically and internationally. A major challenge is to balance the demands for fiscal restraint and the implementation of major intergovernmental agreements and arrangements intended to foster and support the renewal of the Canadian health system.

The Director provides strategic advice and recommendations on policy decisions made by senior management, and consequently has a substantial influence on the directions taken by the federal government on FPT issues related to the national health care system. The incumbent is called upon to develop and recommend strategies, approaches and initiatives to balance the diverse and often disparate interests of a number of parties in achieving consensus on defining, developing and implementing solutions to common health care problems. Another challenge is the need to provide professional support by establishing an atmosphere, in dealings with the provinces and territories, that is non-adversarial and that facilitates the identification of solutions, where there may be divergence between provincial, territorial and federal government policy and where considerable compromise may be necessary.

The Director develops and maintains extensive linkages and consultation processes with clients, partners and stakeholders, including departmental senior management, provincial and territorial governments and other private and public sector organizations involved in the Canadian health system. In this capacity, the Director plays a key role as advocate, negotiator and representative in bringing both the federal government's and Department's perspective to the examination and development of FPT health policies, programs and issues, especially those addressing the renewal of the health system.

A major challenge for the Director is to acquire and maintain a current knowledge of the federal government's objectives and policies on health issues as well as the government's overall FPT agenda, and the priorities of the Minister as they relate to health and health system renewal. The Director must also keep abreast of the FPT implications resulting from the implementation of the Canada Health and Social Transfer to the provinces and territories, the enforcement and interpretation of the Canada Health Act and emerging major FPT files, such as assisted human reproduction, primary health care reform and tobacco.

In meeting this challenge, the Director oversees the development of a corporate knowledge base for the Department's FPT relations that facilitates and sustains the flow of information among the provinces and territories, the Department and other federal departments. The incumbent must ensure that this knowledge base supports informed decision making for senior corporate and regional management, other federal departments and the provinces or territories related to the Department's vast FPT relations network and activities at this critical time in the health system renewal process, while meeting the information needs of over 100 departmental federal-provincial points of contact (committees, working groups, etc.).

The Director provides functional support for the Department's FPT relations portfolio. This responsibility requires the incumbent to ensure that sound strategic advice and guidance are provided to the branch at headquarters and in the regions. The Director is also responsible for planning, organizing and managing the strategic and logistical arrangements for FPT meetings and conferences involving federal and provincial or territorial Ministers and Deputy Ministers, senior officials from the Department, other government departments, provincial and territorial governments and the private and other public sectors, including the development of agendas, strategy and briefing notes, position papers, logistics and schedules.

The Director must establish and maintain consultative and intelligence-gathering linkages and interfaces with senior officials in the Department, other government departments, senior officials of provincial and territorial governments and national and international health institutions and organizations, and must also be recognized as a credible and strong advocate for the Department's interests and concerns with respect to the national health care system.

Specific Accountabilities

1. Provides professional and managerial leadership for the development of the Department's FPT agenda and corporate strategic framework to support FPT relations, policy and program activities.
2. Develops and maintains extensive consultative networks with senior officials from internal and external organizations and establishes direct linkages across the federal government and with provincial and territorial governments and other key public and private sector health institutions and organizations to support the Department in its corporate strategic FPT relations and health policy agendas.
3. Provides expert advisory services and briefings to the Minister, Deputy Minister, Associate Deputy Minister and other senior government officials on FPT relations, associated health issues and social union issues.
4. Plays a corporate and federal health policy advisory role for the Department in order to support FPT mechanisms and processes for the achievement of health policy and program goals and objectives.
5. Directs environmental scanning activities to provide continual intelligence gathering and monitoring of provincial and territorial governments, health departments and interprovincial activities of relevance to the federal health agenda. Ensures integration and coordination with the Directorate's overall information gathering and monitoring.
6. Directs the planning, organization and management of strategic and logistical arrangements for FPT meetings and conferences involving federal and provincial or territorial Ministers and Deputy Ministers, senior officials from the Department, other government departments, provincial and territorial governments and the private and other public sectors, including the development of agendas, strategy and briefing notes, position papers, logistics and schedules.

Evaluation Rationale

Director, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations

Know-How

F

Extensive specialized knowledge of jurisdictional, cultural and technical aspects of the Canada Health Act and associated FPT relations and issues; in-depth professional knowledge of policy and regulatory development; in-depth knowledge of the policy positions and priorities of provinces and territories and their mandated responsibilities with respect to the delivery of health services; professional knowledge of the Established Programs Financing Act; and in-depth knowledge of professional, technical, social and political trends and developments that affect the financing and functioning of the national health care system.

III

Operational and conceptual integration of priorities and issues to provide corporate leadership for the development of the department's FPT agenda and corporate strategic framework.

3

Critical human relations skills required to provide leadership in developing and promoting overall coordination within the Department and with other government departments regarding major corporate and national health-related policy and program interaction with the provinces and territories.

528

Mid-range number reflects the depth of professional knowledge required to represent and advance the Department's objectives pertinent to developing FPT relations, when providing strategic advice on corporate health agenda and relations in general and on the conduct of multilateral and bilateral meetings.

Problem Solving / Thinking

F

Position works within the departmental and governmental frameworks and policies and within the Social Union Framework Agreement for the development of the Department's FPT relations in connection with the renewal of the Canadian health system.

4

Analytical and constructive thinking is required to analyse issues and to prepare briefings, strategies and activities that support the federal government's role as national leader in the health field and guardian of Medicare.

(50) 264

Solid number reflects the challenges associated with developing strategies, approaches and initiatives that foster a cooperative atmosphere that supports the FPT partnership in the definition, management, delivery and administration of Canada's national health care system.

Accountability / Decision Making

E

Reporting to the Director General, Intergovernmental Affairs, the position provides senior departmental officials with monitoring, issue analysis, briefings, strategies and advice that support the federal government's role as the national leader in the health field.

6I

The position provides leadership for the Department's FPT agenda and corporate strategic framework. The proxy selected to represent these activities is the federal contribution to the health care system of $2.4 billion (constant).

230

The low number indicates that policy advice is provided within a defined framework.

Summary

Figure: 5 – D – 1 - Text version

Benchmark Number: 5 – D – 1

Director, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations

The subject position is at the third managerial level reporting to the Director General, Intergovernmental Affairs, and there is 1 peer position at the same reporting level.

Reporting to the Director, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations are several Analysts and 1 Officer.

Linear organisation chart:

Director General, Intergovernmental Affairs

• Director, Canada Health Act
• Director, Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations
  • Federal/Provincial/Territorial Planning and Logistics Officer
  • Federal/Provincial/Territorial Relations Policy Analysts