BackgrounderThe Government of Canada has made a clear commitment to restoring trust and accountability in government. It has adopted a series of measures to further strengthen transparency, oversight, accountability and management across the public sector.February 10, 2004Today, in response to concerns raised by the Auditor General, the government will take immediate action to:Introduce legislation by March 31, 2004 to strengthen the regime governing disclosure of wrongdoing (whistleblowing) within the public sector; Strengthen audit committees for Crown Corporations that fall under Part 10 of the Financial Administration Act (FAA) - those for which the government has the legislative mandate to dictate immediate regulatory changes - to ensure greater transparency and oversight of financial management;Appoint a Special Counsel for financial recovery;Report by September 30, 2004 on proposed changes to the FAA;Report by September 30, 2004 on proposed changes to the governance regime for all Crown Corporations, including reviewing the possible extension of the Access to Information Act (ATI); andReport by September 30, 2004 on ways to improve clarity and understanding of the respective responsibilities and accountabilities, and the "interface" between Ministers and public servants as recommended by the Auditor General.December 12, 2003Today's initiatives build on and further strengthen the initiatives announced by the new government on its first day in office.On December 12, 2003, the new government:Refocused the mandate of the Treasury Board to provide more rigorous oversight of government expenditures;Created the Expenditure Review Committee, chaired by the President of the Treasury Board, to conduct an extensive and rigorous review of all government spending;Established the Comptroller General as a distinct office in the Treasury Board Secretariat to ensure that expenditure plans are sound, and directed that the Comptroller General be given functional authority over, and be involved in, the staffing of the comptroller positions in departments and agencies;Directed that departmental comptrollers must sign off on all departmental spending proposals before they are submitted to Cabinet for approval;Committed to reinstate legislation to establish the office of an independent Ethics Commissioner, as well as a Senate Ethics Officer;Introduced a new "proactive disclosure" policy that requires the mandatory quarterly publication of travel and hospitality expenses of ministers, ministers of state, ministers' offices, and parliamentary secretaries. This policy also applies to deputy ministers, associate deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers; andAnnounced measures to strengthen the Conflict of Interest and Post Employment Code for Public Office Holders including:A ban on ministers, ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries accepting travel on private aircraft for any purpose except in exceptional circumstances and only with the prior approval of the Ethics Counsellor, and public reporting on such travel within 30 days;Stricter provisions on accepting gifts, hospitality and other benefits; A requirement to place gifts valued over $1000 into the government inventory; andPublic disclosure of financial liabilities when requested by the Ethics Counsellor; and a recusal process which requires a public office holder to withdraw from participating in a matter that could create a conflict with their private interests as determined by the Ethics Counsellor.Broader Public Service InitiativesIn addition to these measures, the federal public service, under the leadership of theTreasury Board Secretariat and Privy Council Office, have introduced measures to strengthen oversight, management accountability, and integrity across the public service.Over the past year, they have introduced:A New Management Accountability FrameworkThe new Management Accountability Framework is a rigorous new tool for assessing management accountability both at the departmental level and government-wide. The Framework, introduced in June 2003 identifies key areas for management to assess, monitor and track performance, emphasizing citizen-centred services, the need for policies and programs to achieve intended results, sound risk and people management, effective stewardship, accountability and effective reporting to Parliament.A New Guidance Document for Deputy MinistersThe new Guidance for Deputy Ministers clarifies how Deputy Ministers are expected to fulfill their role in the Government of Canada. It is directly linked to the Management Accountability Framework and sets out the various roles and responsibilities of Deputy Ministers, as well as their accountabilities. The new guidance was issued in June 2003.A New Code of Values and EthicsThe Government introduced a new Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service which came into effect in September 2003. The new code outlines the values and ethical principles that should guide public servants in the conduct of their professional activities, requires all public servants to act in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny, and outlines the type of relationship that should exist between elected representatives and public servants.For more information, contact:Mario BarilMedia RelationsTreasury Board of Canada Secretariat(613) 957-2391IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS BACKGROUNDER, THE ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL PREVAIL.TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired) - (613) 957-9090
