Treasury Board and Treasury Board Secretariat 101 Materials

The President of the Treasury Board

• The Treasury Board was established in 1867 as the first Cabinet Committee and is the only one enshrined in legislation. It takes the final decision on expenditures and regulations
• The Treasury Board President is the Chair of the Treasury Board and also oversees the Treasury Board Secretariat, setting the management agenda for the Government of Canada in the areas of people, money and technology
• The President serves as the gatekeeper to the Board and sets its agenda, supporting the management and implementation of initiatives across government
• The President is supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat, which provides integrated advice from across the department

Overview of roles as President of the Treasury Board

The Roles of the Treasury Board and its Secretariat

Treasury Board

The President of the Treasury Board chairs the Treasury Board, a Cabinet Committee with responsibilities for the following:

* Main Estimates for the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year

** “Federal public service” refers to the collection of departments and agencies in the core public administration (for which the Treasury Board Secretariat is the employer)

Treasury Board Secretariat

The President is responsible for the Treasury Board Secretariat as a department and sets the strategic direction of the organization

*As of March 2019

**Actual spending for 2017–18, as reported in the Public Accounts of Canada. The majority of these expenses ($3.5 billion) are allotted under the Employer role. These payments are used to fund the Employer’s share of the Public Service Health Care Plan, the Public Service Dental Care Plan and other benefit programs for the entire Government of Canada

Treasury Board Secretariat Portfolio

The President has oversight responsibilities for four portfolio agencies. This includes responsibility for the legislation governing these bodies and tabling any amendments in Parliament

Treasury Board

The Treasury Board was first established as a committee of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada on July 2, 1867, and was made a statutory committee in 1869. It is the only Cabinet committee recognized in legislation.

The Treasury Board consists of the President of the Treasury Board (the President), the Minister of Finance and four other members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada that are designated as members by an order in council. The composition of the Treasury Board is provided for in the Financial Administration Act, which also provides for the appointment of alternates who can serve in the place of members. The Treasury Board’s quorum is three members (including alternates), except when it is acting as Governor in Council (often referred to as “Treasury Board, Part B”), in which case its quorum is 4 members.

The Treasury Board exercises authority over a range of issues and its role can generally be classified into powers of supervision, recommendation, decision, approval, reporting and regulation-making. While the primary statute setting out the role of the Treasury Board is the Financial Administration Act, there are over 20 other statutes that also establish its roles and authorities. The Treasury Board’s powers and responsibilities are also set out in regulations, orders in council, policies, guidelines and practices.

The Treasury Board has four principal roles:

1. It acts as the government’s "Expenditure Manager":
   • preparing the government’s expenditure plans (the Estimates) and monitoring program spending by government departments
   • approving the use of new money that has been set aside in the Budget, including for major procurements, assets, new programs and grants and contributions
2. It acts as the government’s "Management Board":
   • setting the rules that establish how people, public funds and government assets are managed
   • reviewing departmental investment plans in support of accountability of government operations
3. It acts as the "Employer" of the core public administration:
   • collective bargaining for the core public administration
   • determining terms and conditions of employment, including pensions
   • setting rules on human resources management
4. It provides "Regulatory Oversight" as a committee of the Privy Council:
   • reviewing and approving most regulations and orders in council was assigned to Treasury Board in December 2003 and when doing so it functions as Treasury Board (Governor in Council), more commonly referred to as Treasury Board (Part B):
     • Appointment as a Treasury Board member is not required. In the absence of a sufficient number of members, other cabinet ministers may be invited to participate.

President of the Treasury Board

Treasury Board Secretariat

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was established as a department in 1966 as the administrative arm of the Treasury Board. It supports the Treasury Board by making recommendations and providing advice on program spending, regulations and management policies and directives, while respecting the primary responsibility of Deputy Heads in managing their organizations and in their roles as accounting officers before Parliament. In this way, the Secretariat helps to strengthen government performance, results and reporting and supports good governance and sound stewardship.

The business lines of the Secretariat are expressed through its Departmental Results Framework. The Departmental Results Framework sets out the core responsibilities for the organization, which are:

• Spending Oversight
• Administrative Leadership
• Employer
• Regulatory Oversight
• Internal Services

The Departmental Results Framework also focuses on the results the department is aiming to achieve in these core areas as well as how progress will be assessed. This information helps support the Treasury Board Secretariat’s reporting to Parliament through its Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report. The Departmental Plan, tabled in the spring, describes what the Treasury Board Secretariat will do over the next three years to achieve results for Canadians and the resources that are required to do so. The Departmental Results Report, tabled in the fall, describes the Treasury Board Secretariat’s actual performance and the resources it used during the previous fiscal year.

The Secretary of the Treasury Board

The Secretary of the Treasury Board is the Deputy Head of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor in Council.

Subsection 12(1) of the Financial Administration Act sets out the powers delegated to Deputy Heads, which include, among others:

• determining the learning, training and development requirements of public service employees
• establishing standards of discipline and setting penalties (including termination of employment, suspension, demotion or financial penalties)
• providing for the termination of employment or demotion of public service employees for disciplinary reasons, unsatisfactory performance or other non-disciplinary reasons

The Treasury Board may delegate to the Secretary any of the powers or functions it is authorized to exercise under any Act of Parliament or by any order made by the Governor in Council (section 6(4) of the Financial Administration Act). The Secretary, as are all other Deputy Heads and chief executive officers, is an accounting officer pursuant to sections 16.1 through 16.4 of the Financial Administration Act. Accounting officers are senior officials that can be called to testify before a parliamentary committee regarding the management of their department and the performance of their duties.

Under section 16.5 of the Financial Administration Act, the Secretary has a role in providing guidance on the interpretation of policies, directives or standards issued by the Treasury Board in disputes between deputy heads (as accounting officers) and ministers. 

Although the Secretary oversees the Treasury Board Secretariat, 3 other senior officials, established under the Financial Administration Act, have specific government-wide leadership responsibilities within the Secretariat:

• the Comptroller General of Canada provides leadership, direction, oversight and capacity building for financial management, internal audit and the management of assets and acquired services
• the Chief Human Resources Officer provides leadership on people management through policies, programs and strategic engagements; centrally manages labour relations, compensation, pensions and benefits; and contributes to the management of executives
• the Chief Information Officer of Canada provides leadership, direction, oversight and capacity building for information management, information technology, government security, access to information, privacy and internal and external service delivery

Appendix A: Overview of the legislative mandate of the Treasury Board and the President

The Financial Administration Act is the primary statute that outlines the role of the Treasury Board and the President. Other federal laws also contain provisions that implicate the Treasury Board and the President.

Appendix B: Legislative portfolio of the President

Statutes that fall under the President’s legislative portfolio:

• Access to Information Act(note: the President’s responsibility is shared with the Minister of Justice)
• Alternative Fuels Act
• Auditor General Act
• Canada School of Public Service Act
• Conflict of Interest Act
• Diplomatic Service (Special) Superannuation Act
• Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act
• Government Services Act, 1999
• Government Services Resumption Act
• Lieutenant Governors Superannuation Act
• Lobbying Act
• Members of Parliament Retiring Allowances Act
• Privacy Act (note: the President’s responsibility is shared with the Minister of Justice)
• Public Pensions Reporting Act(note: the President’s responsibility is shared with the Minister of Human Resources Development)
• Public Sector Compensation Act
• Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act
• Public Service Employment Act(note: The President’s responsibility is shared with the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and the Minister of Canadian Heritage)
• Public Service Pension Adjustment Act
• Public Service Superannuation Act
• Red Tape Reduction Act
• Special Retirement Arrangements Act
• Supplementary Retirement Benefits Act

About the Treasury Board

Established in 1867, the Treasury Board is the only statutory Cabinet Committee. It has 2 distinct functions:

Where Treasury Board fits

Between the genesis of a policy idea and its implementation by a department, Ministers must secure certain approvals to ensure policy alignment, affordability and feasibility

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The graphic presents the process from policy idea to implementation by a department. The first step is mandate and policy development. The second step is policy cover by Cabinet, which includes confirmation that Cabinet as a whole supports the approach. The third step is a funding decision through the Budget, which includes approval by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to fund the measures. The fourth step is implementation authorities by Treasury Board, which includes the right to seek spending authority from Parliament and/or to carry out certain operational steps. The fifth step is parliamentary spending authorities, which includes approval from Parliament to release money to departments. The final step is departmental implementation.

The fourth step (implementation authorities by Treasury Board) is circled to indicate where Treasury Board fits within the process.

Combined, these key decisions help ensure the Government can deliver its agenda effectively

*Policy cover and the funding decision are not always sought in the same order

**Parliamentary approval is obtained through supply bills, which include multiple spending proposals

How Treasury Board helps implement the government’s agenda

Key features of the Treasury Board

Treasury Board ensures financial and Treasury Board policy suite compliance at the program design stage.

Ministers play a corporate role as opposed to representing their own departmental priorities.

High-volume Cabinet committee with a wide scope of decision-making authority

• The Treasury Board takes approximately 1,400 decisions per year

Treasury Board Secretariat officials present proposals, unlike at Cabinet, where Ministers present their proposals

• Officials’ advice is provided to all Treasury Board Ministers, not just the Chair

The roles of the Treasury Board

Annex A: How the Treasury Board works

Annex B: Examples of Treasury Board business

Central agency and departmental functions

Senior Management Team

Jean-Yves Duclos

President of the Treasury Board

Dora Benbaruk

Senior General Counsel

Peter Wallace

Secretary of the Treasury Board

Erin O’Gorman

Associate Secretary

Kathryn Holmes

Chief of Staff to the Secretary

Gemma Boag

Departmental Assistant

Program Sectors & Expenditure Management

Siobhan Harty

Government Operations

Tina Green

Regulatory Affairs

Françoise Ducros

Social & Cultural

Glenn Purves

Expenditure Management

Kerry Buck

Economic

Denis Stevens

International Affairs, Security & Justice

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Francis Bilodeau

A/Chief Information Officer

Sonya Read

A/Digital Policy and Services

Marc Brouillard

Chief Technology Officer

Canadian Digital Service

Aaron Snow

Chief Executive Officer

Centre for Greening Government

Nick Xenos

Executive Director

Office for Public Service Accessibility

Yazmine Laroche

DM, Public Service Accessibility

Alfred MacLeod

ADM, Public Service Accessibility

Enabling Functions

Doreen Gagnon

Human Resources

Kelly Acton

Strategic Comms. & Ministerial Affairs

Karen Cahill

Corporate Services Chief Financial Officer

Nathalie Lalonde

Internal Audit & Evaluation

Samantha Tattersall

Priorities & Planning

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

Nancy Chahwan

Chief Human Resources Officer

Sandra Hassan

Employment Conditions & Labour Relations

Marie-Chantal Girard

Pensions & Benefits

Jean-Francois Fleury

Research, Planning & Renewal

Tolga Yalkin

Workplace, Policies & Services

Paule Labbé

Executive & Leadership Development

Fred Begley

A/People Management Systems and Processes

Office of the Comptroller General

Roch Huppé

Comptroller General

Kathleen Owens

Acquired Services & Assets

Yves Bacon

Financial Mgmt. Transformation

Diane Orange

Fixed Assets Review

Mike Milito

Internal Audit

Roger Ermuth

Financial Mgmt

Treasury Board Secretariat

Peter Wallace, Secretary of the Treasury Board

Deputy Head of the Treasury Board Secretariat
Supported by an Associate Secretary and four other Deputy Ministers

Erin O’Gorman, Associate Secretary

Works with the Secretary, providing leadership on the management of the Treasury Board Cabinet Committee

The Secretary and Associate Secretary lead the Treasury Board Secretariat, which is divided into six thematic areas:

1. Human Resources
2. Comptrollership
3. Information (including digital)
4. Accessibility
5. Direct support to the Treasury Board
6. Enabling functions

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership on people management to support a competent, inclusive and healthy public service

Nancy Chahwan

Chief Human Resources Officer

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer supports the Treasury Board’s mandate by:

• developing policies and providing strategic direction for people and workplace management in the public service
• leading negotiations with bargaining agents and managing total compensation to ensure fair and sustainable terms for collective agreements, pensions and benefits
• establishing terms and conditions of employment, including the management of talent and performance for the executive cadre
• monitoring the conditions of the workplace and workforce through data acquisition and analysis
• leading the heads of the Human Resources community to foster collaboration, innovation and coherence across the Government of Canada 

Key policies

• The Policy on People Management sets expectations for Deputy Heads and managers in the core public administration to create a high-performing workforce and a modern, healthy and respectful work environment
• The Policy on the Management of Executives sets the expectations specific to the management of the executive cadre in the core public administration
• Policies for Ministers’ Offices provides coherence and transparency for financial, personnel and administrative management

Office of the Comptroller General

The Comptroller General is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership on comptrollership, including in the areas of financial management, internal audit, public accounts, liaison with the Attorney General and acquired services and assets

Roch Huppé

Comptroller General

The Office of the Comptroller General supports the Treasury Board’s mandate by:

• developing policies and providing government-wide coordination and strategic direction for comptrollership in the public service, including internal audit, project management and the management of real property and materiel
• providing strategic direction and oversight for Chief Financial Officers across the Government of Canada
• providing proactive analysis and recommendations on management and policy issues such as departmental management and spending authorities and contributing to government-wide oversight by providing assurance and advice
• providing analysis and advice on Treasury Board submissions, including on cost estimates and financial risks

Key policies:

• The Policy on Financial Management, which provides key responsibilities for Deputy Heads, Chief Financial  Officers, and other senior managers in exercising effective financial management
• The Policy on Transfer Payments, which explains the roles and responsibilities for the delivery and management of transfer payment programs
• The Policy on the Planning and Management of Investments, which sets the direction for the planning and management of assets and acquired services to ensure that these activities provide value for money and demonstrate sound stewardship in program delivery

Office of the Chief Information Officer

The Chief Information Officer is responsible for the planning and management of technology and the stewardship of information and data for the Government of Canada

Francis Bilodeau

Chief Information Officer (Acting)

The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada supports Treasury Board’s mandate by:

1. developing policies and strategic direction on digital transformation, service delivery, security, information management and information technology in the public service
2. providing analysis and advice on Treasury Board submissions, including on the use of digital technology and issues related to privacy
3. working with departments and agencies to improve their digital service capacity, support the use of digital approaches in government operations and develop tools and resources to meet users’ needs
4. leading the Government of Canada Chief Information Officers community to advance the adoption of best practices for information management and digital and service delivery

Key policies:

1. The Policy on Service and Digital serves as an integrated set of rules on how the Government of Canada manages service delivery, information and data, information technology and cyber security
2. The Policy on Government Security, which provides direction to manage government security in support of the trusted delivery of Government of Canada programs and services and the protection of information

Office for Public Service Accessibility

The Deputy Minister of Public Service Accessibility is responsible for supporting the Canadian public service in meeting the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act

Yazmine Laroche

Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility

The Office for Public Service Accessibility supports the Treasury Board Secretariat’s mandate by:

• providing strategic advice to government departments and agencies regarding issues related to accessibility and inclusion through:
  • equipping public servants with knowledge on how to better design and deliver accessible programs and services
  • providing practical guidance and tools for removing barriers through initiatives such as the Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund and online via an Accessibility Hub
  • providing strategic advice, informed by engagement with persons with disabilities, to government departments and agencies
  • improving recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities
  • enhancing the accessibility of the physical workspace
  • making technology usable by all

Supporting the Treasury Board directly

Enabling functions

Enabling functions support the internal operations of the Treasury Board Secretariat. In some cases, they may also work with other departments to advance the Treasury Board Secretariat’s mandate for good management

Supply

By law, Parliament must approve all government spending

The “business of supply” is the process by which the government asks Parliament to authorize its intended expenditures through legislation, i.e. the Appropriation Acts

• The Estimates are a series of reports that provide supporting detail to supply legislation by setting out the government’s spending plans

The Treasury Board President, supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat, has a number of roles and responsibilities in supply:

Required authorities for government spending

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This graphic presents the process to obtain authorities for government spending. The first step is policy approval, which covers the fundamental direction, from Cabinet. The second step is funding decision, which includes source of funds, from the Minister of Finance or Prime Minister. The third step is expenditure and other authorities, which approves new spending and the Estimates, by Treasury Board. The final step is Supply, or Appropriations, by Parliament.

Roles and responsibilities in seeking supply

The Treasury Board:

• Has a central decision-making role in the government’s business of supply, including expenditure plans and reporting
• Approves ministerial requests for adjustments to voted funds as requested in Treasury Board submissions or other proposals

The Treasury Board Secretariat:

Supports the Treasury Board in its roles and responsibilities noted above, which involves:

• reviewing spending and implementation plans for program efficiency and alignment with government priorities
• supporting the supply process by preparing the Estimates and overseeing centrally managed expenditures (e.g. central votes for spending authorities that can be carried forward from one fiscal year to the next)

Key steps in securing supply

Treasury Board approval of Treasury Board submissions / “Aide-mémoire”

• The approval by Treasury Board allows inclusion of approved funding/authorities into the Estimates

Tabling of the Estimates document

• In the House of Commons during each of 3 supply periods, usually 3 or more weeks before introducing the appropriation legislation

Committee appearances

• In the weeks after tabling, the President appears on behalf of the government before parliamentary committees; other Ministers and officials may also be called to appear

Introduction of Appropriation Acts

• After Committee review, Estimates are introduced, voted in the House of Commons on the last allotted day of the supply period, and the Senate (likely) the following week

Royal Assent

• Usually formalized within a week or so after the bill has passed the House of Commons, followed by the release of supply to departments

Reports tabled in Parliament as part of the business of supply

The President typically tables 4 different documents each year related to the supply process:

The public and parliamentarians can access the information presented across these various reports in GC InfoBase (www.canada.ca/GCInfoBase)

Current supply cycle at a glance

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The Government’s expenditure cycle at a glance includes the following steps:

The department requests spending authorities for Treasury Board approval.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat collects requests approved by Treasury Board and tables Estimates documents for interim supply, the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates in the House of Commons and the Senate.

The President of the Treasury Board, the Secretary and other senior officials appear before Parliamentary committees to answer questions about the Estimates.

The supply bill corresponding to the Estimates process is introduced in the House of Commons.

• Interim supply bill for interim supply
• Full supply bill for the Main Estimates
• Full supply for Supplementary Estimates

The House of Commons and the Senate vote on the Appropriation Act prior to the end of the supply period.

Appendix 1: snapshot of government spending

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This pie chart shows that budgetary expenditure authorities in the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year were $299.6 billion as of Main Estimates for the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, including $174.0 billion in statutory authorities (or 58.1%) and $125.6 billion (or 41.9%) in voted authorities.

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This bar chart shows the composition of budgetary authorities in the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year as of Main Estimates for the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year.

Of statutory authorities:

• public debt was $24.7 billion
• transfers to other levels of government was $77.9 billion
• transfers to persons was $56.2 billion
• other statutory payments were $15.2 billion

Of voted authorities:

• capital budgets were $8.1 billion
• transfer payments were $42.2 billion
• operating budgets, Treasury Board central votes, and payments to Crown corporations (which included projected expenditures of $1.1 billion in home care and mental health spending) were $75.2 billion

Note that the bars of the graph may not add to totals due to rounding.

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A line graph shows that the growth in budgetary expenditure authorities was outpaced by the growth in nominal GDP from the 2001 to 2002 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year with the exception of late 2009 to 2011. The result is that budgetary expenditure authorities were about 70% greater in 2017 than in 2001 as compared to nominal GDP, which was about 90% greater. (Source: Public Accounts and CANSIM table 380-0064)

Source: Public Accounts and CANSIM 380-0064

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A line graph shows that the growth in voted budgetary expenditure authorities since the 2015 to 2016 fiscal year has been notably higher (at 21%) than growth in nominal GDP (at 9%), whereas statutory expenditure authorities fell from the 2015 to 2016 fiscal year to the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year and returned to slightly above the 2015 to 2016 fiscal year levels in the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year (up 1% over the period).

Source: Public Accounts and CANSIM 380-0064

Appendix 2: GC InfoBase

Executive summary

The following explains the “business of supply,” by which the government asks Parliament to authorize the funds required to meet its financial obligations. The document summarizes:

• the key steps involved in transmitting to Parliament the government’s projected annual spending (called the Estimates) for review and approval, which “supplies” the government with the funds required for its operations
• the supporting role of the Treasury Board Secretariat regarding the Estimates and the parliamentary approval of spending

Introduction

The Expenditure Management System sets out the framework for how we prioritize, plan, allocate and oversee the expenditure of public funds across the government. The business of supply, the process by which Parliament’s authorization is sought for the government’s expenditures through legislation (the Appropriation Acts), is one part of that broader system. Parliament has sole authority to grant supply, which constitutes the amounts and objects (or destination) of all public spending.

Tabling of the government’s Estimates documents and introducing supply legislation, which authorizes government spending, in the House of Commons are among the key functions of the President of the Treasury Board.

Background and context

The federal Budget lays out how the government intends to allocate funding across its priorities. With approved sources of funds, Ministers seek to implement initiatives within their areas of responsibility by preparing Treasury Board submissions requesting the required expenditure and other authorities for their initiatives. Once approved by the Treasury Board, the related expenditure authorities are ready to be requested from Parliament.Parliament approves spending authority in 2 ways:

• Statutory approval: Parliament authorizes spending through specific legislation (e.g. public debt charges, income support programs, fiscal equalization, health and social transfers). Statutory items account for roughly two thirds of the government’s spending authorities.
• Annual appropriations: For the remaining one third of the government’s spending authorities, parliamentary approval is sought through supply (also known as appropriation) bills for programs that require approval by Parliament each year (e.g. departments’ operating and capital budgets, grants and contributions and certain payments to Crown corporations).

The government's annual spending plan and resource allocation priorities are reflected in the Estimates documents. Parliament has an opportunity to study these documents before the government introduces the related supply bill. Once approved by Parliament, the bill becomes an appropriation act that enables the government to make payments from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

The parliamentary business of supply entails 2 elements:

• the tabling in Parliament of documents (the Estimates) to support the supply bills introduced during each supply period
• the process by which the government seeks parliamentary spending authority (via supply bills) for the portion of overall expenditures that is appropriated annually as part of the fiscal plan

The President is responsible for tabling the Estimates documents, on behalf of the government, in the House of Commons. The Estimates include the proposed schedules to the appropriation bill, which is usually introduced in the House within a few weeks of the Estimates tabling. The schedules in the supply bill enable the government to obtain the parliamentary spending authority necessary for program spending.

The President is also responsible for responding to Parliament's questions about the government's spending plans, in addition to those of his or her department (Treasury Board Secretariat) and the larger portfolio (which includes the Canada School of Public Service, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada). Votes in the House of Commons on “money bills,” including the Estimates, are matters of confidence.

The President typically tables 4 different documents each year, related to the supply process:

• Parts I and II of the Main Estimates (the Government Expenditure Plan and the departmental Main Estimates): tabled by March 1
• Supplementary Estimates: there is no set number per year, but can be tabled in May, late October or early November, and February of a year
• Departmental Plans (Part III of the Main Estimates): usually tabled in March (a few weeks following the Main Estimates) and describe departmental program and expenditure plans and expected results for the year
• Departmental Results Reports: usually tabled in late October or early November, which describe the organizations’ performance against their Departmental Plan

Pilot to align the federal Budget with Estimates (“Budget-Estimates Alignment,” 2018 to 2019 fiscal year and 2019 to 2020 fiscal year)

Parliamentarians have expressed their desire for greater transparency in the reporting of government spending to enable them to better hold the government to account. A key concern of parliamentarians has often been the difficulty in cross-referencing the government’s annual Budget document with the spending authorities that the government asks Parliament to approve in the supply process (through the Estimates and supply bills). In particular, Budget announcements have not typically been included in the Main Estimates as they tend not to be ready early enough during the preparation process.

In response to parliamentarians’ concerns, a pilot to better align the Estimates and the federal Budget was carried out in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year and 2019 to 2020 fiscal years. It required the adjustment of the timing of documents and the House of Commons approved a temporary change in Standing Orders in June 2017 to those ends. During the last 2 years of the 42nd Parliament, these provisional Standing Orders allowed a delay in the tabling of Main Estimates until as late as April 16 of the fiscal year, in order to be able to reflect budget measures announced in the early spring. The government also committed to tabling the Departmental Plans at the same time as the Main Estimates in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year and 2019 to 2020 fiscal years, so that the Departmental Plans could speak to the budget measures announced for the upcoming fiscal year.

Specifically, the timing of the government’s reporting to Parliament on supply during the pilot was as follows:

• Interim Estimates: tabled by March 1
• Parts I and II of the Main Estimates (The Government Expenditure Plan and the departmental Main Estimates) and Departmental Plans (Part III of the Main Estimates): concurrently tabled and by April 16
• Supplementary Estimates: tabled twice in the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year, in the fall and winter
• Departmental Results Reports (October/November) and Public Accounts (October) continued to be tabled as before, as no change was required

As a result of the pilot, the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year and 2019 to 2020 fiscal year Main Estimates were tabled after the federal Budget and reflected the spending announced in each fiscal year’s budget. In the 2018 to 2019 fiscal year Estimates, this was supported by the introduction of a new Treasury Board managed central vote for Budget Implementation: Treasury Board Vote 40. To support timely implementation of Budget 2018 measures, the Treasury Board Vote 40 includes funding for all Budget 2018 items (i.e. they were included in the Main Estimates).   

In January 2019, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates released a report “Improving Transparency and Parliamentary Oversight of the Government’s Spending Plans.” The government introduced a number of changes to the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year Main Estimates in response to the report and other recommendations from parliamentarians. This included the implementation of measures-specific departmental votes for Budget 2019 spending, which was different than Treasury Board Vote 40 from the previous year. 

Further decisions will be required to confirm whether (and how) to pursue Estimates reform following the conclusion of the Budget-Estimates Alignment Pilot. 

How the Treasury Board Secretariat supports the business of supply

The Treasury Board Secretariat supports the work of the Treasury Board in overseeing ongoing program spending; providing oversight of expenditure plans; and contributing to upfront discipline for new spending initiatives through the review and approval of Treasury Board submissions.

Departmental spending proposals are submitted to the Treasury Board Secretariat in 2 ways:

• as input to the Annual Reference Level Update in the fall when adjustments are made to all departmental budgets (or reference levels), as required to reflect decisions taken since the previous exercise in preparation for the next Main Estimates
• departmental submissions, which seek authority to include items in supplementary estimates documents for Parliament's approval of in-year spending

Conclusion

The President of the Treasury Board, supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat, has a number of roles and responsibilities in the business of supply that help ensure that the government is able to advance its agenda. Specifically, these roles help ensure that the government is able to implement its priorities, secure required parliamentary expenditure authorities and oversee timely implementation, while ensuring adequate oversight, due regard for proper stewardship of public resources and accountability to Parliament and the public. On the part of the President, this requires close attention to the supply calendar and the activities in it.

The business of supply is one part of the broader Expenditure Management System, which sets out the framework for government-wide expenditure priority setting, planning, allocation and oversight functions.

The Expenditure Management System as a whole:

• establishes the Estimates and provides for parliamentary approval of supply
• provides oversight and control of government expenditures
• supports priority-setting by Ministers and expenditure decision-making at the federal level
• establishes departmental accountabilities, including the requirements to assess ongoing spending against priorities
• reports to Parliament on the performance and results of programs

Appendix

Estimates Calendar, From November 2019 to June 2021

Office of primary interest

Glenn Purves
Assistant Secretary
Expenditure Management Sector
613-369-9568

Appendix: The Estimates calendar, from November 2019 to June 2021

The federal government is the largest employer in the country

The federal government is the largest employer in the country

The Treasury Board serves as the Employer for 220,310 employees (as of March 31, 2019) for the 67 organizations listed in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act, constituting the core public administration

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This graph depicts the organizations within the federal public sector, and the Treasury Board’s role in the people management of each group. As of March 31, 2019, the federal public sector had 520,690 employees. The Treasury Board:

• Is the Employer for the core public administration, which includes 220,310 employees from 67 organizations;
• Sets pay and benefits for the 24,609 Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Force members, the 66,856 Canadian Armed Forces Regular Force members, and the 22,195 Royal Canadian Mounted Police members*; and
• Is not the Employer for the 119,052 employees within Crown corporations and 45 parent corporations or for the 67,668 employees within 20 separate agencies.

*This figure includes 3773 Civilian Members who are being deemed to be part of the core public administration as well as 17,811 RCMP officers, and 611 Commissioned Officers.

The core public administration by the numbers

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The core public administration by the numbers shows a line graph which illustrates growth within the core public administration from 2000 to 2019. There are three groups observed: executives, non-executives, and knowledge workers.

It is based on the index year of 2000, which was set to 100. It is a measure of growth from the index year of 2000.

In 2019, the growth index observed were:

• 196 for knowledge workers
  • which indicates a growth of 96% since 2000
• 170 for EXs
  • which indicates a growth of 70% since 2000
• 144 for non-EX
  • which indicates a growth of 44% since 2000
• 196 for knowledge workers
  • which indicates a growth of 96% since 2000

In 2000, the core public administration was comprised of 3,302 executives and 148,762 non-executives which included 24,748 knowledge workers.

The graph includes boxes that indicate the 2019 sex and first official language breakdown of each group as follows:

• Executives:
  50.6% male (65% English, 35% French)
  49.4% female (68% English, 32% French)
  Total EX Population = 5,626
• Non-Executives:
  44.8% male (70% English, 30% French)
  55.2% female (67% English, 32% French)
  Total Non-EX Population = 214,684 (includes knowledge workers)
• Knowledge workers:
  51.8% male (67% English, 33% French)
  48.2% female (69% English, 31% French)
  Total Knowledge Workers = 48,421

Roles and responsibilities of the Treasury Board

The Financial Administration Act confers the following authorities and responsibilities to the Treasury Board over the core public administration:

• Establishing compensation and terms and conditions of employment for 185,000 represented employees and 5,626 executives, including pensions and benefits
• Setting policy direction for people management
• Maintaining a healthy, diverse, inclusive, bilingual and safe workplace

Deputy Heads are accountable for human resources management within their organizations.

Setting total compensation

Collective bargaining

Text version

This graph depicts the collective bargaining process. The process follows the following steps:

• A global economic mandate to negotiate is obtained from the Prime Minister
• Group-specific mandates are obtained form the President of the Treasury Board and other Treasury Board Secretariat officials depending on delegated authority
• Treasury Board Secretariat officials negotiate* with bargaining agents
• A tentative agreement is reached
• Bargaining unit members vote to ratify the agreement
• Authority to sign the collective agreement is presented to the Treasury Board for approval
• The agreement is signed
• The agreement is implemented

*During negotiations, one of the parties can declare impasse, which will trigger the applicable dispute resolution mechanism, either Arbitration or Conciliation / Strike. For the core public administration in the 2018 round of bargaining, 13 groups have selected conciliation/strike, 13 groups have selected arbitration, and two groups have not yet served notice to bargain for this round.

Collective agreements govern key aspects of the relationship between the Government of Canada and its employees such as…

• Pay & Other Allowances
• Leave
• Labour Relations
• Career Development
• Workplace Conditions
• Job Security

In its role as Employer, the Treasury Board is responsible for pensions and benefits

Pensions:
Plans are set in legislation, and not subject to bargaining.

Benefits:
Health Care, Dental Care, and Disability Insurance are negotiated outside the collective bargaining process

Pensions and benefit plans

The President is the Minister responsible for the public service pension plan pursuant to the Public Service Superannuation Act, and reports to Parliament on behalf of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board.

As of March 31, 2018, the public service pension plan:

607,587 total members

303,483 active contributors

304,104 retired plan members, survivors & deferred annuitants

Annual average pension $31,628

Source: Report on the Public service pension plan for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018

The Government of Canada also provides other pension plans, including those for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, members of Parliament, Judges, Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, and Diplomats.

Treasury Board has the authority to establish, modify and provide for the administration of five major benefit plans, each of which has its own plan administrator or insurer. As of March 31, 2019, the membership of the Plans covers approximately 1.5 million Canadians:

Text version

This graphic depicts the number of Canadians covered by one of the five major benefit plans. As of March 31, 2019, the membership of the plans was:

• The Public Service Disability Insurance Plan: 230,000
• The Pensioners’ Dental Services Plan: 291,000
• The Public Service Health Care Plan: 691,500
• The Public Service Dental Care Plan: 360,000
• The Public Service Management Insurance Plan: 53,600

People management policies

The People Management Policy Suite consists of two policies and 19 directives:

1. The Policy on People Management sets expectations for the management of all core public administration employees, including executives. Examples include classification, employment equity, and performance and talent management.
2. The Policy on the Management of Executives sets additional expectations specific to the management of executives in the core public administration.

The Treasury Board policy suite on people management was updated in 2019 with a focus on enhancing governance, leadership, and performance measurement.

The workplace

The Treasury Board is responsible for maintaining a workplace that is diverse, inclusive, and free from harassment and violence; supporting employees’ ability to work in their official language; and providing clear expectations for behaviour and shared Values and Ethics. Some of the key initiatives in support of these objectives include:

Annex A: Key partners in human resources management

In addition to the Treasury Board Secretariat, other key partners with responsibilities for the management of human resources include:

Annex B: Legislative framework

Executive summary

This document provides an overview of the management of people in the public service, including the roles and responsibilities administered by Treasury Board as the Employer for the core public administration. The Employer is supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat through the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Introduction

The federal government is the largest employer in Canada with $60.3 billion annually in total compensation costs (3% of GDP, or 41% of direct program spending) and is comprised of the core public administration, separate agencies, crown corporations, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Armed Forces (Regular and Reserve Forces). As of March 31, 2019, the federal public sector employed nearly 530,000 people.

The Treasury Board is the Employer for 220,310 employees (as of March 31, 2019) within the core public administration, which is comprised of the 67 organizations named in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act (e.g. Health Canada, the Department of Justice and Natural Resources Canada). As the Employer, the Treasury Board is responsible for people management within the core public administration.

The Treasury Board and the President also have authorities and responsibilities for other parts of the federal public sector, though more limited than for the core public administration.

• Separate Agencies named in Schedule V of the Financial Administration Act (e.g. the Canada Revenue Agency and the Parks Canada Agency) are not part of the core public administration. These agencies are Employers in their own right and are responsible for their own people management. That being said, Treasury Board approves collective bargaining mandates and agreements for these separate employers
• As of 2019, Treasury Board as the Employer for uniformed members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has the authority to set members’ pay and benefits. Civilian employees of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are public service employees and part of the core public administration
• Members of the Canadian Armed Forces are not employees of Treasury Board, but the National Defence Act authorizes the Treasury Board to establish pay and benefits
• Crown corporations (e.g. Canada Post) are separate legal entities with authority over internal human resources. In some cases, the Governor-in-Council may require a Crown corporation to obtain Treasury Board approval of their collective bargaining mandates prior to bargaining

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, supports Treasury Board Ministers and its President by leading the research, policy, collective bargaining and the development of strategies and tools to ensure departments and agencies can effectively manage.

Background and context

As the Cabinet committee with overarching responsibility for the human and financial resources management within the core public administration, the Treasury Board, supported by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, has the following key responsibilities:

1. Setting total compensation: establishing competitive and sustainable compensation (including pensions and benefits) and terms of employment; leading the negotiation of 28 collective agreements with 16 bargaining agents representing 185,000 employees; setting the classification framework which determines how work is organized and valued
2. Establishing people management policies: setting policy direction for people management;
3. The workplace: maintaining a healthy, diverse, inclusive, bilingual and safe workplace.

Roles and responsibilities of Treasury Board as the Employer

Establishing people management policies

The Treasury Board issues policies which provide direction to departments on public sector management, including the management of people. The Treasury Board Policy on People Management and the Policy on the Management of Executives set out the expectations for the management of all core public administration employees and executives. The Treasury Board Secretariat, through the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, is responsible for supporting the implementation of these policies and works to ensure that deputy heads, managers and the human resources community are equipped with training, systems and tools to effectively implement the policies.

Updates were made to the Policy on People Management and the Policy on the Management of Executives that will come into force April 1, 2020. These two policies are supported by 21 directives, which contain mandatory procedures and standards (e.g. on telework, mandatory learning, interchange). These policies delegate authorities respectively to the President, the Secretary and the Chief Human Resources Officer, to issue, amend or rescind the supporting directives, provided the changes have no financial implications.

The President of the Treasury Board is also the sponsor of the Policies for Ministers’ Offices, which provide coherence and transparency for financial, personnel and administrative management, in addition to terms and conditions of employment.

The workplace

The Treasury Board is responsible for maintaining a workplace that is diverse, inclusive, free from harassment and violence, supportive of employees’ right to work in the official language of their choice and in which employees are guided by clear expectations for behaviour and shared Values and Ethics. The Annual Public Service Employee Survey provides relevant data on the issues in the workplace such as job and organizational satisfaction, the level of trust and respect and also on stress, mental health issues, harassment and discrimination.

Key partners

Outside of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, key partners who have people management responsibilities include:

• the Public Service Commission safeguards the integrity of the staffing system and the non-partisanship of the Public Service and manages the tools for public service recruitment
• Deputy Heads of departments and agencies who are responsible for the effective people management in their organizations
• the Canada School of the Public Service who provides learning, training and professional development opportunities to public servants and helps Deputy Heads meet the learning needs of their organizations
• the Privy Council Office who supports the Clerk as Head of the Public Service, including directing Public Service-wide people management priorities

Key legislation

The President is responsible for the following pieces of legislation insofar as they relate to the work of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer:

• Financial Administration Act
• Public Service Employment Act
• Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act
• Employment Equity Act
• Accessible Canada Act
• Pay Equity Act
• Canada Labour Code Part II
• Official Languages Act
• Public Service Superannuation Act (and other pension legislation)
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act

Office of primary interest

Nancy Chahwan
Chief Human Resources Officer
613-907-5126

Role of the Treasury Board President

The President of the Treasury Board of Canada provides leadership over the management of information technology, information management, service and digital transformation 

The principal roles include:

• chairing the Treasury Board, which approves submissions and investment plans, which can include a range of digital and information technology-enabled initiatives
• administering legislation related to access to information and privacy
• oversight of the largest Government of Canada information technology projects
• setting of digital policies, plans and standards for the Government of Canada
• providing whole of government leadership for the digital community

To advance these roles, you are supported by the Secretary of the Treasury Board, the Government of Canada’s Chief Information Officer, and the Canadian Digital Service team

Approving submissions and investment plans

In your role as Chair of Treasury Board, the Office of the Chief Information Officer supports you by:

• reviewing and approving initial direction for departmental digital projects
• reviewing Treasury Board submissions for technology-enabled initiatives to ensure that they are well-designed and aligned with digital standards
• collecting information related to departmental technology plans and expenditures

Administering legislation

As Treasury Board President and Minister of the Treasury Board Secretariat, you are responsible for the administration of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act:

• the Access to Information Act provides a right of access to government records and requires digital publication of certain information.
  Bill C-58 established a legislated requirement to launch a full review of the Act in 2020
• the Privacy Act protects the personal information held by government and provides persons in Canada with a right to access that information. Justice Canada is leading a comprehensive review of the Act in collaboration with Treasury Board Secretariat and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada to strengthen alignment of private and public sector requirements

Oversight of the largest information technology projects

The Treasury Board, supported by the Office of the Chief Information Officer, provides on-going oversight for the 18 largest Government of Canada information technology-enabled projects to encourage sound stewardship and value for money
Some of the more significant projects include:

• the Benefits Delivery Modernization Program at Employment and Social Development Canada
• the Passport Modernization Initiative at Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada
• the Export Import Control System II at Global Affairs Canada
• the Workplace Communications Services Project at Shared Services Canada
• the Canada Border Services Agency Assessment and Revenue Management System

Setting digital policies, plans and standards

The Office of the Chief Information Officer supports you by developing policies, plans and standards related to: access to information; security; information management/ information technology; privacy; and service for the Government of Canada
Key policies:

• the Treasury Board Policy on Service and Digital* sets out how federal departments manage service delivery, data, information technology and elements of cyber security
• the Treasury Board Policy on Government Security sets out how federal departments manage government security

Setting strategic whole of government plans and standards:

• the Digital Operations Strategic Planestablishes the integrated direction for the government on digital transformation, service delivery, security, information management and information technology
• Government of Canada Digital Standards form the foundation of the Government of Canada’s shift to becoming more user-focused, open, and agile. They are a set of consistent guiding principles to show what good digital service delivery looks like, across government

*The policy will take effect on April 1, 2020

Providing leadership on digital government

The Office of the Chief Information Officer supports you by leading certain whole of government initiatives and projects related to information technology, information management, service and digital transformation:

Digital Government in the Government of Canada

In addition to the Treasury Board, other key federal partners support digital government:

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Digital government is cross-cutting by nature, with concurrent implications for technology, social, economic and security mandates across the Government of Canada. Accordingly, other key federal partners support digital government in addition to the Treasury Board Secretariat.

This Venn diagram illustrates the primary responsibilities of these key digital government partners across four main areas. Note that the following list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

1. Government Operations and Services
   1. Public Services and Procurement Canada
      Government application provider (e.g. HR software)
   2. Shared Services Canada
      Shared digital infrastructure (e.g. providing servers)
   3. Service Departments (e.g., Employment and Social Development Canada)
      (e.g. Employment and Social Development Canada)
      Service delivery (e.g. Employment Insurance)
2. Privacy and Cyber Security
   1. Public Safety Canada
      Coordination and strategic policy-making on national cyber security matters
   2. Justice Canada
      Privacy Act Reform
   3. Communications Security Establishment and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
      Cyber Security Centre of Expertise
3. Economy
   1. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
      Digital economy in Canada
4. Data
   1. Library and Archives Canada
      Data preservation
   2. Statistics Canada
      collection, compilation, analysis and publication of statistical information

Annex: Digital Standards

The Government of Canada’s Digital Standards form the foundation of the government’s shift to becoming more user-focused, open and agile

They are a set of guiding principles to show what good digital service delivery looks like, across government

Regular review of services against the Digital Standards supports the aim of delivering digital services in a way that best serves Canadians

The Government of Canada’s Digital Standards are as follows:

• design with users
• iterate and improve frequently
• work in the open by default
• use open standards and solutions
• address security and privacy risks
• build in accessibility from the start
• empower staff to deliver better services
• be good data stewards
• design ethical services
• collaborate widely

Executive summary

The Government of Canada invests $6 billion per year in information technology and delivers approximately $161 billion in benefits through key services to Canadians. The President of the Treasury Board, supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat, sets the rules, provides oversight functions for digital and technology projects, and helps provide federal departments and agencies with the tools and practices they need to deliver these services with a focus on enabling modern digital approaches.

Introduction

Information and data and information technology enable the Government of Canada to deliver a broad range of programs and services to individuals and business in Canada and abroad.

The President of Treasury Board has a broad range of responsibilities related to information technology, information management, security and service. These responsibilities are derived from 3 legislative instruments:

• the Financial Administration Act
• the Access to Information Act
• the Privacy Act

The President of Treasury Board’s key responsibilities are oversight and approval, functional leadership, and enablement. Within the Treasury Board Secretariat, the President of the Treasury Board is supported by the Office of the Chief Information Officer and the Canadian Digital Service.

• the Office of the Chief Information Officer, led by the Chief Information Officer of Canada, is responsible for establishing policy, oversight and direction for service, information and data, information technology, privacy and security (amongst other administrative functions) for the Government of Canada
• the Canadian Digital Service provides hands-on support to departments and agencies in their delivery of digital services. The Canadian Digital Service works with partner departments to improve their digital service capacity by helping them redesign and implement digital services with a focus on user needs

Background and context

The Financial Administration Act mandates the Treasury Board to act as the Management Board for government and establishes the role of Chief Information Officer of the Government of Canada.

The President of the Treasury Board also has primary responsibility for both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

• the Access to Information Act provides a right of access to government records and requires digital publication of certain information. Changes to the Act came into force in June 2019 that included new proactive disclosure requirements and strengthening the oversight role for the Information Commissioner. 
• the Privacy Act protects the personal information held by the federal government and provides persons in Canada with a right to access and correct that information. The Office of the Chief Information Officer supports government institutions through the development of policies, and the provision of guidance and tools to assist them in fulfilling their obligations under the Acts.

The President of Treasury Board acts as the liaison between the Government and the Information Commissioner of Canada and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 2 independent Agents of Parliament responsible for overseeing compliance with the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, respectively.

Roles of the President of Treasury Board/Treasury Board Secretariat

Office of primary interest

Francis Bilodeau Acting Chief Information Officer of Canada
Office of the Chief Information Officer
613-369-9637

Aaron Snow Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Digital Service
613-907-7835

Who the Canadian Digital Service is

• The Canadian Digital Service is an 60-person team, reporting to the Secretary of the Treasury Board, working in partnership with departments across the Government of Canada to deliver better services
• It designs and builds public-facing services that put people’s needs at the centre of the work
• It uses digital approaches to reduce the cost and risk of project failure: constant iteration, informed by ongoing research and testing directly with the users of the service
• 80% of the team is from outside the Public Service, mostly from the private sector; it recruits based on skills and experience that are currently rare in government

Who the Canadian Digital Service is: mandate

• Established in 2017 with a three year mandate to help address the gap between Canadians’ expectations and federal service delivery, and a track record of IT failures
• The Canadian Digital Service is mandated to:
  • provide hands-on help to federal departments in designing and building user-centered services
  • build the capacity of federal departments to apply modern design and technology methods and tools
  • provide advice on major technology and service investments
• Initial mandate extended in Budget 2019 to 2021-22

How the Canadian Digital Service works: tools and practices

• Puts users first by engaging them directly at every stage, with a focus on measurable outcomes
• Lean, independent, multi-disciplinary teams that break functional silos and include Canadian Digital Service and partner department staff
• “Code is cheap”: continuous, incremental improvement through frequent code releases and testing with users, on cloud infrastructure
• All code, project documentation, and lessons learned are published in the open
• Accessible, inclusive services and products that work on any device or screen

How the Canadian Digital Service works: skills and talent

• 80% of employees are from outside federal government
  • Hiring from companies like Shopify, Google, and Mozilla
  • Recruiting global talent (U.S., U.K., France, etc.)
• 80% of staff are on tours of service (e.g., term, interchange)
• Employees are located across Canada based on where talent is, including Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto and Montreal
  • 30% of employees live and work outside of Ottawa
  • Put in place tools and practices to support distributed teams
• Piloting a “Civic Leave” program to enable hiring of private sector employees for short periods into the government
  • [redacted]

How the Canadian Digital Service works: scaling digital practices across the Government of Canada

The Canadian Digital Service uses its on-the-ground experience to help scale modern delivery practices across government:

• Assisted the Treasury Board Secretariat in changing federal public opinion research guidance to enable user research
• Hired the first federal Code for Canada fellows and helped make policy changes that enabled five more departments to hire fellows
• Partner departments are deploying services in the cloud for the first time
• Enabling compensation for research participants, consistent with research and international best practices
• Piloting an Accelerator (incremental investment fund) to finance, test, and help deliver ideas for services that demonstrate significant potential for Canadians

Overview: products delivered

The Canadian Digital Service has worked with federal departments on their services to deliver the following:

*Information about these products is available at https://digital.canada.ca/products/

Product Example 1: find benefits and services for veterans (Veterans Affairs Canada)

• Goal: Make it easier for 650,000 veterans and their families to determine which benefits and services are relevant to them, and make it clear how to apply
• Tested with veterans and their families
  • 79% found benefits relevant to their needs
  • 74% reported confidence in the results of the search
• More than 7,000 people have used the tool since its launch on Veterans Affairs Canada site in April 2019
• Canadian Digital Service helped establish and empower the multidisciplinary team at Veterans Affairs Canada that now runs the service

Product example 1: engaging directly with veterans to understand their needs

Text version

A portrait of a Veteran, Simon, in profile. The story says: “I retired from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2016. Where I was working was a pretty high-paced environment, so slowing down was a conscious effort. It definitely had to be a planned event because everyone plans financially for retirement in the military, generally speaking - you’ve got a pension and you’re thinking about those things - but emotionally, that transition can be difficult. It can be difficult for healthy people, so people who have operational stress injuries (like myself), can be very challenging. I think a lot of people feel a bit lost.”

Product example 1: testing with veterans to improve services

Text version

A photograph of Suzie, a veteran, standing in front of Canadian military flags. It reads: “Veteran. Served in NATO. Former Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General. Also, software tester. Suzie Bouchard’s expertise was the perfect fit for our work with Veterans. Thanks to her advice and guidance, we’ll deliver a simpler, better service. The best outcomes happen when you put people, like Suzie, at the heart of technology.”

Overview: products currently underway

The Canadian Digital Service is currently working with federal departments on their services to deliver the following:

*Information about these products is available at https://digital.canada.ca/products/

Product example 2: help low-income Canadians claim tax benefits (Canada Revenue Agency)

• The goal of this product is to help over 1 million low-income Canadians to make it easier to access benefits and income they are entitled to
• Research was conducted with tax filers to understand their needs
• The Canadian Digital Service is currently building a product that will be tested with a small public group while filing their taxes

Text version

Screenshot of the CRA prototype that shows the product and test information about a user

Product example 3: help Canadians report cybercrime and fraud (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)

• The goal of this product is to address the growing $14 billion in damages from fraud and cybercrime impacting the Canadian public and businesses
• The Canadian Digital Service is currently building and testing a prototype
• To date, tests show that prototypes that address victims’ emotional needs are proving more usable, with higher completion rates

Text version

Screenshot of the RCMP Report a Cybercrime prototype, with “Report a scam” as the title.

Product example 4: help Canadians access the Canada Pension Plan Disability Benefit (Employment and Social Development Canada)

• The goal of this product is to help over 400,000 annual benefit recipients to receive their support faster
• To date, recipients wait an average 120 days for a response and 42% of applications are sent back due to errors or missing information
• The Canadian Digital Service is currently conducting research with employees at Employment and Social Development Canada and applicants to the program to understand the application process and challenges

Text version

A service map of the Canada Pension Plan disability benefit, illustrating the process followed by applicants from application intake, to earnings and contributions analysis, to medical adjudication, to decision and post-decision steps. The map includes each of the steps and decision-points taken by applicants, ESDC officials, and medical staff throughout the process.

Regulations: an introduction

Regulations are a form of law and a key policy instrument used by government

• Legislation sets an overarching framework, while regulations establish operational details
• At the federal level, regulations can be made by the Governor in Council or by a Minister or head of an agency, as delegated by Parliament in enabling legislation

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This image shows that regulations are made by every order of government.

Three boxes show the types of regulations made by the three orders of government: federal, provincial and municipal.

The first box reads “Federal regulations deal with areas of federal jurisdiction (e.g. patent rules, vehicle emissions standards, drug licensing)”.

The second box reads “Provincial regulations deal with areas of provincial jurisdiction (e.g. land use, education, health)”.

The third box reads “Municipal by-laws deal with issues of local interest (e.g. zoning, property taxes, local roadways)”.

Regulations protect health, safety, security and the environment, and support innovation, productivity and competition

A significant part of government operations

Regulation is an important dimension of government activity and one in which the President of the Treasury Board plays a significant role

The Treasury Board reviews and approves 100 to 200 regulatory proposals annually

This includes proposals to add, remove and update regulations in order to address emerging technologies and new challenges to health, safety, security and the environment

The President of the Treasury Board establishes the Government of Canada’s regulatory policy framework and leads whole-of-government regulatory cooperation efforts

52 federal departments and agencies have regulatory responsibilities

Role of the Treasury Board President

The President of the Treasury Board has 2 principal roles in the federal regulatory system:

• leading the Government of Canada’s work on regulatory policy and regulatory cooperation
  • regulatory policy outlines the requirements that federal regulators must meet in developing and implementing regulations
  • regulatory cooperationwith provincial, territorial and international partners aims to harmonize regulations and reduce barriers
• chairing the Treasury Board, which considers and approves regulatory proposals and orders in council as the Cabinet committee responsible for Governor in Council matters, often referred to as “Treasury Board (Part B)”

The President is also the Minister responsible for regulations related to public administration (e.g. access to information) and employer-related issues (e.g. pensions, official languages)

Role 1: lead regulatory policy and cooperation

Canada’s regulatory system needs to constantly adapt to keep pace with rapid change

As the Minister responsible for federal regulatory policy and cooperation, the President:

• leads whole-of-government work to continuously improve and streamline the regulatory system
• advances the government’s regulatory priorities, including through Cabinet directives and Treasury Board policies
• leads the Government of Canada’s efforts to cooperate with other jurisdictions in the development and management of regulatory frameworks as a means to reduce barriers to trade

Federal regulatory policy is set out in the Cabinet Directive on Regulation, which establishes expectations and requirements in the development, management and review of federal regulations

Role 2: chairing Treasury Board (Governor in Council)

The Treasury Board is the Cabinet committee responsible for considering Governor in Council matters (i.e. regulations and most orders in council) when it is referred to by the official title of “Treasury Board (Governor in Council)”

• The Governor in Council is the Governor General acting on the advice and with the consent of the Queen’s Privy Council

The President of the Treasury Board:

• chairs the Treasury Board (Governor in Council)
• ensures that decisions on regulatory proposals are consistent with the Cabinet Directive on Regulation, are within ministerial authorities and are in the public interest

Role 2 (cont’d): types of Governor in Council proposals

There are 2 types of Governor in Council proposals: regulations and orders in council

Most Governor in Council proposals are made public after approval

Regulation approval process (usually 18 to 24 months)

There are 2 key decision points for the Treasury Board in this process:

1. approving the draft regulation for (or an exemption from) pre-publication in Canada Gazette, Part I
2. final approval of the regulation

Text version

The process begins with early stakeholder consultation and policy development. Following these consultations, federal regulators undertake:

• planning and preliminary review
• analysis of the potential impact of regulations
• drafting of the proposed regulations
• a review of the regulatory submission that will be brought to Treasury Board (Governor in Council)

During this process, federal regulators are supported by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, which reviews and provides feedback on the regulatory submission.

The Treasury Board (Governor in Council) reviews the regulatory submission and decides if it is ready for pre-publication in part 1 of the Canada Gazette, or, if the submission will be exempt from pre-publication. If the draft regulation is published, it allows the public an opportunity to provide comments on it. Federal regulators then address the comments and review the final regulatory submission before it is brought to the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) for final approval.

Once approved, the regulation is registered and published in part 2 of the Canada Gazette. The regulation is set to be reviewed by the Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations at a later date to ensure it is compliant with legal requirements.

Federal roles in regulatory development

In addition to the Treasury Board, other key federal partners support regulatory development:

Text version

This image shows the key federal partners who, in addition to the Treasury Board, support regulatory development.

Sponsoring Ministers bring forward regulatory proposals in keeping with their mandates.

The Treasury Board Secretariat reviews authorities, conducts regulatory design and analysis and supports Treasury Board decision-making.

The Privy Council Office ensures examination and registration according to the Statutory Instruments Act.

The Department of Justice Canada provides legal review to ensure compliance with the Statutory Instruments Act.

Public Services and Procurement Canada publishes draft and final regulations in the Canada Gazette.

The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations examines and scrutinizes regulations made by the government.

How the Treasury Board Secretariat supports you

Annex: legal and policy frameworks for Governor in Council regulatory proposals

Executive summary

The President of the Treasury Board has two principal roles in the federal regulatory system:

• leading the Government of Canada’s work on regulatory policy
• chairing the Treasury Board (Governor in Council), which provides federal regulatory oversight and considers and approves regulatory proposals and orders in council

The President is also the Minister responsible for regulations related to public administration (e.g. access to information) and employer-related issues (e.g. pensions and official languages).

Introduction

Regulations are a type of law and a key policy instrument used by the federal government to support a broad range of policy objectives, including the protection of health, safety, security and the environment. While legislation sets out an overarching legal framework, regulations establish requirements and operational details. A strong regulatory system helps build public confidence in government and in the safety of regulated products and services. Regulations also support a fair and competitive economy.

The principles for the federal regulatory system are enshrined in the Cabinet Directive on Regulation. Developed by the President of the Treasury Board [redacted], the directive serves as the regulatory policy framework for departments and agencies. The directive provides guidance on:

• regulatory development (e.g. stakeholder consultation, regulatory impact analysis and regulatory cooperation)
• regulatory management (e.g. compliance and enforcement)
• regulatory review (e.g. review of regulatory stock and programs)

Additional legal requirements for federal regulations are set out in the Red Tape Reduction Act (for which the President of the Treasury Board is responsible) and the Statutory Instruments Act (for which the Minister of Justice is responsible).

Through legislation, Parliament has delegated the authority to make regulations to the Governor in Council, Ministers and administrative agencies; this is why regulations are also referred to as “delegated,” “secondary” or “subordinate” legislation. The Governor in Council is the Governor General acting on the advice and with the consent of the Queen’s Privy Council. The Treasury Board is the Cabinet committee responsible for considering most Governor in Council matters. It carries out this function as a committee of the Privy Council, with the official title of “Treasury Board (Governor in Council).” This committee is sometimes referred to as “Treasury Board (Part B).”

Governor in Council decisions are final and do not require ratification by other Cabinet committees or Cabinet. Most Governor in Council proposals are made public after approval.

The Treasury Board (Governor in Council) considers two types of Governor in Council proposals: regulations and orders in council.

• regulations (form of law): examples include food and drug safety, environmental protection and transportation safety
• an order in council (legal decision): examples include authority to enter into an international agreement, tabling of budgetary estimates and release of supply, and bringing legislation into force

Roles of the Treasury Board President in the federal regulatory system

The President of Treasury Board has 2 principal roles in the federal regulatory system.

As the Minister responsible for federal regulatory policy, the President of Treasury Board is responsible for:

• leading whole-of-government work to continuously improve and streamline the regulatory system
• advancing the government’s regulatory policy priorities and regulatory cooperation

The President of the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) also:

• chairs the Treasury Board (Governor in Council), which considers most regulations and orders in council
• ensures that regulatory proposals are consistent with relevant Cabinet directives, are within ministerial authorities and are in the public interest

In addition, the President of Treasury Board is also the Minister responsible for the Treasury Board Secretariat and is responsible for regulations related to public administration (e.g. access to information) and employer-related issues (e.g. pensions and official languages).

Roles of the Treasury Board Secretariat in the federal regulatory system

The Treasury Board Secretariat supports the President as the lead Minister for federal regulatory policy and as chair of the Treasury Board (Governor in Council).

The Treasury Board Secretariat is responsible for the following:

1. Supporting Treasury Board through review and challenge of regulatory submissions and orders in council

The Treasury Board Secretariat reviews, applies due diligence and challenges regulatory submissions to the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Cabinet Directive on Regulations. Similarly, the Treasury Board Secretariat reviews and challenges orders in council submitted for Board approval. Treasury Board Secretariat officials brief the President and his or her staff and make recommendations to the Treasury Board regarding regulatory and order in council submissions.

Annually, the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) considers 100 to 200 regulatory proposals and 200 to 300 orders in council. These include proposals to add, remove and update regulations in order to address emerging technologies and new challenges to health, safety, security and the environment.

2. Central oversight of Canada’s regulatory system and regulatory policy framework

The Treasury Board Secretariat provides central oversight and it assesses and reports publicly on the government’s overall performance in delivering on recent regulatory reforms and on its regulatory policy framework.

The Treasury Board Secretariat has also been leading whole-of-government efforts to review regulatory requirements and practices that hinder economic growth and innovation. Examples of this work include:

• the creation of a Centre for Regulatory Innovation to speed up the integration, adoption and commercialization of new approaches and emerging technologies, and to facilitate collaboration between businesses and relevant regulators
• leading the development of the Annual Regulatory Modernization Bill to remove or update outdated or redundant requirements
• leading the legislative review of the Red Tape Reduction Act, which includes the One-for-One Rule that requires regulators to remove a regulation each time they introduce a new regulation that imposes new administrative burden on business

3. Regulatory cooperation

The Treasury Board Secretariat works with other federal regulators, as well as provinces, territories and international partners, to reduce duplicative requirements and barriers between jurisdictions.

The Treasury Board Secretariat also works to promote good regulatory practices internationally through leadership roles in international forums such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and through the negotiation of good regulatory practices and regulatory cooperation provisions and chapters in trade agreements.

4. Supporting the federal regulatory community and supporting departments

The Treasury Board Secretariat works closely with departments to support the regulatory community and help departments in the development of regulatory proposals. For example, the Treasury Board Secretariat works with the Canada School of Public Service and the Community of Federal Regulators to provide training to regulators on regulations and cost-benefit analysis.

Regulatory initiatives underway

For an overview of regulatory initiatives currently underway, see the Appendix. 

Office of primary interest

Tina Green
Assistant Secretary
Regulatory Affairs Sector
613-369-9518

Appendix: Regulatory initiatives underway

Executive summary

Sound stewardship of government resources relies on robust financial and management oversight functions, supported by a comprehensive policy framework that incorporates financial management, transfer payments, investment planning, procurement, project management, asset management and internal audit.

The Treasury Board President and Treasury Board Ministers, supported by the Treasury Board Secretariat through the Office of the Comptroller General, help ensure government departments and agencies have the tools and practices to deliver effective programs and spending.

Introduction

Canadians expect the government to make the most of finite public resources. Meeting this expectation requires government departments and agencies to spend public money in an accountable, effective and transparent manner.

The Treasury Board, as the government’s management board, sets policies and provides oversight to support these goals. The responsibilities assigned to the Treasury Board President, as Chair of the Treasury Board, are inseparable from this overall mandate. The Treasury Board President is supported by the Office of the Comptroller General, part of the Treasury Board Secretariat.

Background and context

Comptrollership incorporates multiple disciplines working to provide essential support to government programs. At the Treasury Board of Secretariat, it is divided into 3 areas:

1. financial management
2. acquired services and assets
3. internal audit

The Financial Administration Act as legal underpinning

The Financial Administration Act provides the Treasury Board with legislative authority to establish administrative policies for the Government of Canada, giving it specific authority to issue directions in areas related to the management and control of public funds.

The Treasury Board’s role includes approving:

• comptrollership-related policies and any proposals for exceptions or exemptions from those policies
• appointments of Audit Committee members
• departmental investment plans
• thresholds for the approval of government contracts, projects and real property transactions.

Role of the Treasury Board President

In addition to the responsibilities as Chair of the Treasury Board, there are specific responsibilities assigned to the Treasury Board President through the Financial Administration Act. These include:

• recommending individuals from outside the public service to serve on departmental audit committees (who are then appointed by Treasury Board)
• establishing the Public Accounts format and tabling the Public Accounts by December 31 of each year (or, if Parliament resumes after that date, within 15 sitting days)
• receiving and tabling reports required under legislation or under Treasury Board policy, such as the President’s Report on Fees that summarizes the revenues and costs related to service fees

Role of the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Comptroller General of Canada 

The Treasury Board Secretariat supports the Treasury Board and the Treasury Board President by providing government-wide leadership on resource management through the Office of the Comptroller General.

The Office of the Comptroller General is led by the Comptroller General of Canada. The Comptroller General provides direction for all of government on financial management, transfer payments, internal audit, investment planning, procurement, project management and the management of real property and materiel.

Key functions of the Office of the Comptroller General

The Office of the Comptroller General supports the 3 main areas of the comptrollership function:

1. financial management
2. acquired services and assets
3. internal audit

The Office of the Comptroller General supports these areas in a number of ways, including:

• ensuring that sound and modern policies are in place (e.g. the Policy on the Planning and Management of Investments and the Policy on Financial Management)
• overseeing policy compliance across the federal government (e.g. whether departments and agencies comply with the Policy on Internal Audit)
• conducting horizontal audits, regional development agency audits and audits of core financial and management controls (e.g. controls over travel, hospitality, leave)
• managing the Departmental Audit Committee recruitment and appointment process
• playing a due diligence function on Treasury Board submissions in areas such as cost estimates and policy compliance and by ensuring that Treasury Board submissions transparently identify and disclose the financial risks of the proposal
• building capacity in departments and agencies for comptrollership, including:
  • increasing cost-estimating capacity
  • ensuring departments and agencies use appropriate accounting standards
  • improving the management of projects
  • supporting the performance of internal audit
  • maintaining and building professional communities through a range of recruitment and development activities

Office of primary interest

Roch Huppé
Comptroller General
613-369-3081

Executive summary

The Government of Canada’s management regime establishes minimum standards for how Ministers and Deputy Heads use their authorities and manage public resources. The Treasury Board approves rules, known as the Treasury Board Policy Suite, that provide direction on the management of the public service and support departments and agencies in the delivery of programs and services to Canadians.

Introduction

This document outlines the role and function of the Treasury Board policy suite. As the Minister responsible, the President of the Treasury Board is accountable for the administration of the policy suite, including maintaining policy instruments and supporting departments in implementation. The President brings proposals to the Treasury Board that amend an existing policy or seek approval of a new policy.

Background and context

The policy suite provides direction to departments and assists Ministers in their accountability to Parliament. Collectively, rules set by the Treasury Board support consistency in government operations across departments by establishing minimum standards.

The Treasury Board is given the authority to issue rules by the Financial Administration Act as well as pursuant to more than 20 other pieces of legislation. As such, Treasury Board is accountable to Cabinet acting as the Governor in Council and to the Prime Minister for the requirements it issues and for management and financial performance across government.

The Treasury Board Secretariat supports the Treasury Board by:

• identifying and assessing management issues to determine whether a government-wide approach is necessary
• formulating, communicating, reviewing, adjusting and evaluating policies
• assessing compliance, interpreting policies and providing implementation advice to departments
• making decisions with regard to departmental submissions pursuant to a particular policy

The Treasury Board policy suite has 51 policies, which are supported by directives, mandatory procedures and standards. The supporting instruments provide direction to public servants to meet expectations set out in policy.

The policy suite is underpinned by 3 frameworks that ensure consistency: the Foundation Framework, the Framework on the Management of Compliance and the Framework on the Management of Risk. They describe the government’s management regime, including the responsibilities and accountabilities of Ministers, Deputy Heads and the Treasury Board.

The scope of the Treasury Board's policy suite covers a range of administrative and program-related functions. While the policy suite adapts to changing needs over time, the 51 policies can be divided into the following 10 functional areas:   

1. Financial Management
   • promotes proper use and accountability of public funds
2. Assets and Acquired Services
   • assesses and sets the framework for the stewardship and value for money through life cycle management of assets and acquired services (e.g. investment planning, procurement, real property, materiel, and project management)
3. Service and Digital
   • establishes the framework for the management of service delivery, information and data, information technology and cyber security in the digital era
4. Results, Evaluation and Internal Audit
   • measures performance and promotes public communication of information about results achieved and informs the oversight of public resources through the provision of advice and assurance to Deputy Heads for decision-making
5. Transfer Payments
   • guides how departments use transfer payments to advance government objective
     • transfer payments can range from statutory transfers such as Old Age Security to grants and contribution programs such as the New Horizons for Seniors Program and the Youth Employment Strategy
6. Access to Information and Privacy
   • sets rules for access to information in government records and the protection of privacy and personal information held by the government
7. Strategic Communications
   • sets rules for how the government communicates with the public (e.g. advertising, social media, public opinion research and web)
8. Government Security
   • establishes the framework for the protection of government operations and the people, information and assets that support them
9. Official Languages
   • promotes equality of English and French through communications and services
10. People Management
    • supports human resource management including a healthy and respectful workplace, compensation, collective bargaining, pensions and benefits, values and ethics, performance and talent management, learning and employee recourse

Policies strengthen government performance, results and reporting, and good governance and sound stewardship. This requires the policy suite to balance the need for minimum standards of management excellence while respecting the individual authorities and responsibilities of Ministers and Deputy Heads.

Deputy Heads hold the primary responsibility for ensuring that their departments follow the rules. In cases of non-compliance, Deputy Heads are responsible for taking corrective action and reporting non-compliance to Treasury Board Secretariat when appropriate.

The Treasury Board Secretariat reviews policy instruments to identify ways to modernize and streamline the rules and, along with departments, conducts an annual exercise (the Management Accountability Framework) to assess compliance and performance of key policies.

Office of primary interest

Samantha Tattersall
Assistant Secretary
Priorities and Planning
613-369-9433