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As President of the Treasury Board, I am pleased to present the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (the Secretariat) Report on Plans and Priorities for 2008–09. This report sets out the Secretariat's key priorities over the next three years.
The Secretariat provides advice and support to Treasury Board ministers in their role of ensuring value-for-money and providing oversight of the financial management functions of departments and agencies. As a central agency of the federal government, the Secretariat promotes improved management performance, examines the proposed spending plans of other departments, and acts as the principal employer for the core public administration.
In the year ahead, the Secretariat will focus its efforts in two key streams of activity:
In the first stream, we will work to ensure the efficient, transparent, and accountable delivery of federal programs by:
The Secretariat will also ensure that the right controls are in place and will monitor performance using tools such as internal audits and broader management assessments.
In the second stream, our goal is to improve the stewardship of public funds—a key element of transparency and accountability in government. To do this, we have put in place a new expenditure management system, which will dramatically improve the way the government manages taxpayers' dollars.
By reducing spending on ineffective or inefficient programs and stopping those that do not deliver results, we will continue to ensure that the government is spending Canadians' hard-earned money where it performs best.
In keeping with our efforts to improve reporting to Parliament, this document contains a number of enhancements as part of a pilot project to provide better departmental reports on plans and priorities. I encourage all Canadians, parliamentarians, and federal public service employees to read this report. It provides a clear view of our efforts to achieve a high level of management excellence in the federal government for the people of Canada.
The paper version was signed by
The Honourable Vic Toews, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board
I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2008–09 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (the Secretariat).
This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the 2008–09 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports.
It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the guidance provided by the Secretariat:
The paper version was signed by
Wayne Wouters
Secretary of the Treasury Board
This report is the Secretariat's key planning and priority-setting document for 2008–09. The report provides an overview of the role of the Treasury Board and its Secretariat and outlines the issues, risks, and challenges facing the portfolio in delivering on its mandate to strengthen accountability and management performance across government.
The raison d'être of the Secretariat is to ensure that government is well managed and accountable and that resources are allocated to achieve results. The functions performed by the Secretariat have a direct impact on the governance, accountability, and quality of public sector management, as well as an impact on the efficiency and effectiveness with which government programs and services are delivered.
The Treasury Board is a Cabinet committee of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada. It was established in 1867 and given statutory powers in 1869.
As the general manager of the public service, the Treasury Board has three main roles:
The Treasury Board's powers and responsibilities are set out in various pieces of legislation, regulations, Orders in Council, policies, guidelines, and practices. While the primary statute setting out the legislative authorities of the Treasury Board is the Financial Administration Act, there are over 20 other contributing statutes.
The Treasury Board has a number of instruments at its disposal to fulfill its responsibilities. It oversees a suite of management policies that set the performance expectations of the government. The Treasury Board also sets standards for a range of reports to Parliament; determines the Compensation Policy Framework for the core public administration, separate agencies, the Canadian Forces, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; approves terms and conditions of employment; and manages various pension and benefit plans. In addition, the Treasury Board serves as the Committee of the Queen's Privy Council for scrutinizing and approving Governor in Council submissions for regulations and most Orders in Council.
A portfolio of organizations supports the Treasury Board in fulfilling its mandate:
For more information on the Canada Public Service Agency and the Canada School of the Public Service, please consult their 2008–09 reports on plans and priorities.
The mission of the Secretariat is to ensure that government is well managed and accountable and that resources are allocated to achieve results. Key responsibilities of the Secretariat include supporting the Treasury Board with respect to its three main roles as management office, budget office, and employer. In fulfilling its mission, the Secretariat plays three key central agency roles in relation to the various government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations:
Within the Secretariat, the Office of the Comptroller General helps to ensure that departments and agencies employ sound financial management and control practices and plays a lead role in supporting the government's commitment to strengthen financial management and internal audit.
As a central agency and as a general manager of the federal public service, the Secretariat delivers on its mandate and responsibilities in a very complex operating environment.
The federal public service is a large and diverse national institution that:
Like other large public and private sector organizations, the federal public service is also facing significant challenges as it adapts to key trends shaping Canadian society, the economy, the labour market, and service delivery. The rapid pace of technological change is fuelling fundamental changes in the way we live, the way we work, and the way organizations collaborate to deliver goods and services. Demographic changes are also creating pressures to improve recruitment to the public service and enable mobility between the public and private sectors.
In supporting the government, it is vital for the Secretariat to understand these trends and adapt policies, programs, and services in a manner that is responsive to government priorities and public expectations.
Canadians are demanding better value-for-money from the federal public sector. They want a more open, accountable government that manages their tax dollars well and gives careful consideration to finding the most cost-effective ways to address public policy issues while providing more integrated government services for the same tax dollar. They also expect spending to be aligned with the federal government's priorities, roles, and responsibilities.
An effective, high-performing public service is essential to meeting these expectations. The Secretariat, and the Treasury Board portfolio as a whole, must work to ensure that the public service strives for excellence, remains connected to the needs and expectations of Canadians, and has a positive effect on their lives. In moving forward on these priorities, it is important for the Secretariat to demonstrate leadership with respect to improved management practices. Put simply, the Secretariat has a responsibility to lead by example in the implementation of the government's management agenda.
Section II of this report highlights how the Secretariat is responding to these challenges and outlines the Secretariat's effort to:
Government of Canada outcomes form part of the Whole-of-Government Framework that provides a structural logic model mapping the contributions of appropriated departments, agencies, and Crown corporations to a set of 4 high-level spending areas and 13 government outcome areas. Alignment of departmental strategic outcomes and their corresponding program activities to these governmental outcome areas makes it possible to calculate and assess government spending by outcome area.
Strategic outcome: Government is well managed and accountable, and resources are allocated to achieve results.
The Secretariat's strategic outcome is aligned to the Government Affairs spending area and thus supports all 13 outcome areas by providing support to all other government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations in meeting their responsibilities, delivering on their core mandates, and, ultimately, serving Canadians better.
As shown in the table below, the Secretariat has four program activities in support of its strategic outcome.
Strategic Outcome | Government is well managed and accountable, and resources are allocated to achieve results |
Program Activity | Expected Results |
Management Policy Development and Oversight |
Expectations are established to improve public service management.
Functional communities are provided with the appropriate knowledge and tools to comply with Treasury Board policies. Treasury Board policies and Secretariat advice to departments are clear, relevant, and well communicated from the standpoint of departments and agencies. |
Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight |
Resources are allocated to achieve results.
Results-based information increasingly informs expenditure management decisions. Reporting to Parliament on government spending financial performance, and stewardship is accurate and complete. |
Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments | Payments and receipts, held centrally by the Secretariat, are made on behalf of other federal government departments and agencies in an administratively sound and efficient manner. |
Internal Services | As stated in the Management, Resources and Results Structure Policy (MRRS Policy), expected results are not required for Internal Services program activities across government. |
2008–09 | ||||||
New Program Activity | ||||||
($ thousands) | Management Policy Development and Oversight | Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight | Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments | Internal Services | Total | |
2007–08 Program Activity |
Management Policy Development and Oversight | 136,136.9 | — | 1,861,020.0 | — | 1,997,156.9 |
Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight | — | 53,622.1 | — | — | 53,622.1 | |
Corporate Strategy and Services | — | — | — | Allocated to Program Activities | ||
Revitalization of the Toronto Waterfront | — | — | — | — | ||
Total | 136,136.9 | 53,622.1 | 1,861,020.0 | 2,050,779.0 |
A new Program Activity Architecture (PAA) was approved for the Secretariat for 2008–09 with the following changes:
The Program Activity "Corporate Strategy and Services" has been renamed "Internal Services" to reflect the standard program activity titles used by all departments and agencies.
Departmental priorities as presented in RPPs reflect those critical undertakings that a department must accomplish in achieving its strategic outcome. Operational priorities focus on obtaining improvements in the value-for-money associated with a department's programs and activities while management priorities focus on ensuring continuous improvements to management practices, controls, and governance.
The table below presents the Secretariat's operational and management priorities for 2008–09.
Operational Priorities | Description and Key Activities |
Strengthening governance, accountability, and management practices
|
|
Responsibilities and accountabilities are clarified in relation to departmental management practices and expectations
Ongoing |
Canadians have demanded increased transparency and accountability from their government in recent years, and the Secretariat has responded with initiatives to improve management performance through the introduction of the Federal Accountability Act and through a renewal of the Treasury Board policy suite. These initiatives are being undertaken to strengthen
the government's capacity to deliver value to Canadians while protecting against key risks and preserving accountability.
Over the course of the planning period, the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to deliver on this priority:
|
Management performance is strengthened across government Ongoing |
An effective and high-performing public service is essential to achieving accountability and improved expenditure management across government. The Secretariat has an important role to play in challenging, enabling, and leading government departments and agencies to pursue excellence in delivering results to Canadians through improved management practices.
Over the course of the planning period, the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to deliver on this priority:
|
Strengthening results-based expenditure management and financial oversight
|
|
Results-based management is strengthened, and information on programs and spending is improved to support decision making on resource allocation
Ongoing |
Canadians are also concerned with obtaining value for their tax dollars, and the government has responded with an emphasis on effective expenditure management decisions clearly based on value-for-money and demonstrable results from programs. The Secretariat has put in place a new expenditure management system to ensure that programs and services are designed and
evaluated with efficiency and effectiveness in achieving results as key considerations.
Over the course of the planning period, the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to further deliver on this priority:
|
The government's expenditure management system and reporting on financial performance is improved
Ongoing |
To ensure that decisions are sound, the government requires reliable, detailed, and timely information on the state of government finances. The Secretariat is working to ensure that the best possible information on government spending and resource allocation is made available to parliamentarians and Canadians by ensuring that the appropriate frameworks, policies,
guidance, and standards are in place for the timely reporting of actual spending data and results.
Over the course of the planning period, the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to deliver on this priority:
|
Strengthening the internal management of the Secretariat
|
|
Corporate-enabling strategies are developed and implemented consistent with a more strategic and focussed Secretariat role
Ongoing |
Delivering on the Secretariat's commitments to strengthen the Treasury Board's management board and budget office roles will help ensure that government is able to deliver on its priorities for the coming years. To do this effectively the Secretariat must adapt its internal practices to provide stronger support to the Treasury Board.
Over the course of the planning period the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to deliver on this priority:
|
Internal management practices continue to be improved in response to the MAF assessment of the Secretariat
Ongoing |
While the Secretariat, as part of its central agency oversight role, assesses departments on their management performance in accordance with the MAF, it must also assess itself as a department and apply this same management accountability tool to its own operations to ensure the continuous improvement of management practices and demonstrate leadership across
government.
Over the course of the planning period, the Secretariat will undertake the following actions to deliver on this priority:
|
In keeping with MAF expectations for departmental planning and governance, the Secretariat has integrated risk management within its overall governance and planning regime.
Throughout 2007, the Secretariat identified risks to the achievement of its strategic outcome and the expected results of each program activity. The Secretariat has made considerable progress over the past year in establishing a risk profile based on its PAA and in implementing mitigation strategies to address key risks.
Moving forward in 2008–09, the Secretariat will continue to mitigate corporate risks, identify emerging risks, and further integrate risk management with the annual corporate planning cycle.
The following table provides a brief description of key risks and highlights elements of the strategies being used to address each risk. Many of these strategies are directly linked to the continued implementation of the plans and priorities presented in this report.
Key Risks and Challenges | Strategies to Address Risk |
Stakeholder acceptance: The Secretariat is concerned that, in the context of increased parliamentary expectations and decreased public risk tolerance, the ability of departments and agencies to meet management expectations may be compromised, particularly in light of government-wide skill shortages in key functional communities.
Compliance: The Secretariat is concerned that consequences for policy non-compliance may not be proportional to the public policy implications and, further, that innovation and risk taking within the public service may consequently be undermined. |
The Secretariat is working to address these risks by clarifying deputy ministerial accountabilities and departmental management performance expectations, refining the Treasury Board compliance framework, and implementing the government action plan to reform the administration of grants and contributions.
The Secretariat is also examining ways to improve its risk-based oversight and monitoring system and the possibility of offering greater flexibility under Treasury Board policies based on demonstrated performance and policy compliance. |
Human resources: The Secretariat is concerned that, given recent demographic changes, competition for talent, and skill shortages in key areas, it is increasingly difficult to maintain sufficient human resource capacity to meet operational requirements and achieve the Secretariat's strategic outcome. This risk is compounded by public service branding issues, rapid employee turnover at the Secretariat, new human resource expectations under the Public Service Modernization Act, and the high cost of training and re-training employees. | The Secretariat is working to address this risk through the development of an integrated human resources plan, in keeping with the government's public service renewal initiative. Additionally, the Secretariat is implementing internal employee development, leadership, recruitment and retention programs and strategies, while developing the tools and infrastructure to support human resources management within the Secretariat. |
For the fiscal year 2008–09, the Secretariat plans to utilize $4,804 million to meet the expected results of its program activities and further the achievement of its strategic outcome.
As the pie chart below indicates, the bulk of these expenditures ($4,615 million) is related to the central funds that the Secretariat administers on a whole-of-government basis to supplement the appropriations of departments, agencies, and appropriation-dependent Crown corporations to meet the costs of horizontal initiatives; government contingencies, including paylist costs such as severance pay and parental benefits; in-year compensation adjustments; and public service pensions, benefits, and insurance premiums.
The remaining $189 million is directly related to the operations of the Secretariat and its two main program activities: Management Policy Development and Oversight and Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight.[1] Details on the expected results associated with these expenditures are provided in Section II: Analysis of Program Activities.
($ thousands) | Forecast Spending 2007–081 |
Planned Spending 2008–09 |
Planned Spending 2009–10 |
Planned Spending 2010–11 |
Management Policy Development and Oversight2 | 119,078 | 140,049 | 137,488 | 131,329 |
Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight3 | 65,179 | 49,648 | 49,777 | 48,431 |
Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments | 2,722,986 | 4,615,161 | 4,860,461 | 5,046,461 |
Revitalization of the Toronto Waterfront4,5 | 235,104 | |||
Budgetary Main Estimates (gross) | 3,142,347 | 4,804,858 | 5,047,726 | 5,226,221 |
Less: Respendable Revenue6 | (142,200) | (300,912) | (306,090) | (307,100) |
Total Main Estimates | 3,000,147 | 4,503,946 | 4,741,636 | 4,919,121 |
Adjustments | ||||
Supplementary Estimates A | ||||
For Secretariat's Operations7 | 12,047 | |||
For the Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments8 | 1,797,933 | |||
Budget Office Systems Renewal Reprofiling9 | (3,974) | 3,974 | ||
Supplementary Estimates B | ||||
For Secretariat's Operations10 | 168 | |||
For the Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments11 | 42,516 | |||
Adjustments to Respendable Revenue12 | (128,942) | |||
Treasury Board Vote 10 transfers to departments and agencies13 | (22,491) | (7,141) | (7,141) | (7,141) |
Treasury Board Vote 15 transfers to departments and agencies14 | (227,788) | |||
Treasury Board Vote 15 for the Secretariat's Operations | 1,491 | |||
Treasury Board Vote 25 transfers to departments and agencies15 | (981,676) | (1,200,000) | (1,200,000) | (1,200,000) |
Treasury Board Vote 22 for the Secretariat's Operations | 7,998 | |||
Treasury Board Vote 30 transfers to departments and agencies16 | (500,000) | (500,000) | (500,000) | (500,000) |
Government-wide funds available at year-end17 | (368,050) | |||
Treasury Board Vote 5 transfers to departments and agencies18 | (750,000) | (750,000) | (750,000) | (750,000) |
Total Adjustments | (1,120,768) | (2,453,167) | (2,457,141) | (2,457,141) |
Total Planned Spending19 | 1,879,379 | 2,050,779 | 2,284,495 | 2,461,980 |
Less: Non-Respendable Revenue | (12,369) | (12,391) | (12,399) | (11,500) |
Plus: Cost of Services Received Without Charge | 15,189 | 17,057 | 15,741 | 15,896 |
Total Departmental Spending | 1,882,199 | 2,055,444 | 2,287,837 | 2,466,376 |
Full-Time Equivalents | 1,451 | 1,455 | 1,446 | 1,404 |
1. Effective in 2008–09, a new Program Activity Architecture (PAA) was approved for the Secretariat. Forecast spending reflects resource allocation under the new PAA.
2. Includes a portion of Internal Services resources: $34.5 million in 2007–08, $38.9 million in 2008–09, $38.9 million in 2009–10, and $38.9 million in 2010–11.
3. Includes a portion of Internal Services resources: $18.9 million in 2007–08, $14.4 million in 2008–09, $14.4 million in 2009–10, and $14.4 million in 2010–11.
4. Includes a portion of Internal Services resources: $0.6 million in 2007–08.
5. Forecast spending includes funding for the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Initiative. In response to Government Machinery changes announced January 4, 2007, this authority has been transferred from the Secretariat to Environment Canada through 2007–08 Supplementary Estimates.
6. Respendable Revenue is used to cover the costs incurred by the Secretariat on behalf of other government departments for shared initiatives such as the Public Service Superannuation Account Pension Fund and Public Service Insurance.
7. Supplementary Estimates A adjustments for the Secretariat's Operations include funding for: Vote 1 – Implementation of the new requirements of the Policy on Internal Audit ($3.0 million), funding to implement the Federal Accountability Act ($4.7 million), funding for the Centre of Regulatory Expertise ($2.4 million), funding to implement the Public Service Modernization Act ($2.8 million), funding for the activities of an Independent Expert Panel on Grants and Contributions ($0.9 million), a transfer to Foreign Affairs ($0.3 million) to provide support to departmental staff located at missions abroad, Transfer to Environment ($1.5 million) for the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Initiative.
8. Supplementary Estimates A adjustments for the Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments include the following initiatives: Vote 2 – Transfer to Environment for the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Initiative ($232.8 million); Vote 10 – Government-wide funding to implement the Policy on Internal Audit ($20.7 million); Vote 15 – Compensation adjustments for transfers to departments and agencies for salary adjustments ($185.5 million); Vote 20 – Funding for the Public Service Insurance Plan ($125 million) and a transfer to Public Service Human Resource Management Agency of Canada ($0.4 million) for the Joint Learning Program; Vote 22 – Operating Budget Carry Forward ($1.200 million); Vote 23 – Paylist shortfall ($500 million).
9. Funds for the Budget Office Systems Renewal initiative that were not used in 2007–08 have been reprofiled for 2008–09.
10. Supplementary Estimates B adjustments for the Secretariat's Operations include the following initiatives: Vote 1 – Transfer from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police ($0.2 million) for funding related to the management of life and disability insurance plans, Transfer from Public Works and Government of Canada for the Organizational Readiness Office ($0.2 million), and Internal reallocation of resources to support the Research and Policy Initiatives Assistance Program (–$0.2 million).
11. Supplementary Estimates B adjustments for the Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments include the following initiatives: Vote 2 – Internal reallocation of resources to support Research and Policy Initiative Assistance Program ($0.2 million); Vote 15 – Compensation adjustments for transfers to departments and agencies for salary adjustments ($42.3 million).
12. Respendable Revenue is used to cover salaries and operating costs ($3.9 million) from Public Works and Government Services Canada in respect of chargeable costs associated with administering the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA). An increase ($125 million) of the respendable revenue is used to cover health care insurance plan costs from revolving funds and from departments and agencies that pay for employee benefit plans from a non-statutory appropriation.
13. Transfer to departments and agencies for the implementation of government-wide initiatives.
14. Transfers to departments and agencies as a result of adjustments made to terms and conditions of service or employment of the federal administration.
15. Transfers to departments and agencies for the Operating Budget Carry Forward.
16. Transfers to departments and agencies to cover paylist shortfalls related to parental benefits, severance, and other allowances.
17. The estimated surplus is in the Government-wide Funds and Public Service Employer Payments Votes: Vote 10 – Government-wide Initiatives ($0.7 million); Vote 20 – Public Service Insurance ($149 million), net of respendable revenue); Vote 22 – Operating Budget Carry Forward ($218 million).
18. Planned transfers to departments and agencies, subject to the approval of the Treasury Board, to supplement other appropriations and to provide for miscellaneous, urgent or unforeseen expenditures not otherwise provided for. Unused funds will be surplus.
19. Planned spending by Vote is provided in Table 10, Main Estimates and Planned Spending by Vote, of the Supplementary Information.