Departmental Results Report 2021-2022
Table of Contents
From the president
I am pleased to present the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report for the Public Service Commission of Canada.
Considering the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our plans and priorities, we remained focused on improving our programs and services to departments and agencies across the Government of Canada as well as for Canadians.
We began implementing recent amendments to our enabling legislation, the Public Service Employment Act, while guiding departments and agencies in putting the changes into practice. These changes aim to increase diversity and inclusion within the public service by reducing barriers for, and promoting employment opportunities to, members of equity-seeking groups. We also enhanced our second language evaluation services and continued to explore solutions to modernize the federal public service’s recruitment platform.
Recognizing the value of user feedback and concrete data, we will leverage the results and findings from the 2021 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey Endnote 1 to improve our programs and services. I am pleased that progress has been made in terms of employee perceptions of the staffing process. We will continue to seek improvements with our partners.
I am very proud of our work, and I am confident that we will continue to successfully promote and safeguard a non-partisan, merit‑based public service, while playing a key role in shaping a public service that represents all Canadians.
I invite you to read this report to learn more about our progress over the last fiscal year.
Stan Lee
Acting President
Public Service Commission
Results at a glance
The Public Service Commission of Canada is a federal institution reporting independently to Parliament on its mandate. In 2021–22, we worked with departments and agencies across the country to make hiring processes and recruitment practices more effective and inclusive, while continuing to safeguard a non-partisan public service.
This year, we built on government actions related to diversity and inclusion, and we responded to June 2021 amendments to the Public Service Employment Act that sought to reduce biases and barriers faced by equity-seeking groups. This involved leading initiatives to identify, mitigate against and eliminate biases and systemic obstacles that Canadians face when pursuing a career in the federal public service. This included providing government-wide staffing and assessment guidance, products, services and programs to reduce barriers to hiring diverse individuals. Through these efforts, we have shaped policies, programs and services to reflect the needs, experiences and perspectives of all Canadians.
To meet the need for modern staffing solutions and approaches, we implemented new systems allowing for virtual testing of candidates. These new systems also allowed us to better manage our core recruitment programs in a pandemic environment, and to help hiring managers source diverse and qualified candidates more quickly and easily.
As the pandemic continued, so did our efforts to provide recruitment expertise and support key departments in their recruitment strategies in response to COVID-19.
Through our 2021 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey: Highlights Report Endnote 1 , we shed light on public servants’ perceptions of:
- merit, fairness and transparency in staffing
- the impacts of the pandemic on staffing
- their awareness of their rights and responsibilities related to political activities and non-partisanship
We will use the survey results to inform more research and improvements.
In working to achieve our results in 2021–22, our total actual spending was $86,049,789 and our workforce totalled 775 full-time equivalents.
For more information on the Public Service Commission’s plans, priorities and results achieved, see the “Results: what we achieved” section of this report.
Results: what we achieved
Core Responsibility
Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship
Description
The Public Service Commission promotes and safeguards a merit-based, representative and non-partisan public service that delivers results for all Canadians.
Through policy direction and guidance, it supports departments and agencies in the hiring of qualified individuals into and within the public service, helping to shape a workforce reflecting Canada’s diversity. It delivers recruitment programs and assessment services supporting the strategic recruitment priorities of the Government of Canada and the renewal of the public service, leveraging modern tools to reduce barriers for Canadians accessing public service jobs.
It oversees public service hiring, ensuring the integrity of the hiring process. It provides guidance to employees regarding their legal rights and responsibilities related to political activities and renders decisions on political candidacy, respecting employees’ rights to participate in political activities, while protecting the non-partisan nature of the public service.
Results
Gender-Based Analysis Plus
In 2021–22, the Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) Action Plan Endnote 2 came to an end, and we continued to apply a gender and diversity lens to our activities and decision-making. We focused on emerging and substantial changes to our ways of working. This involved applying GBA considerations to proposals and policy reviews for implementing amendments to the Public Service Employment Act. It also included reviewing all documentation and communications related to return-to-work planning and phased implementation.
We also expanded the integration and impact of GBA Plus by collaborating with our IT team to develop and present an evergreen document on concrete GBA Plus considerations in IT at interdepartmental gender and technology working groups, in partnership with Women and Gender Equality representatives. The project was welcomed with enthusiasm, with several departments asking to repurpose the product once finalised.
Experimentation
We sought opportunities to improve and optimize our service delivery where possible. However, due to capacity limitations, our resources were focused on delivering our core initiatives and on pressing needs related to our services.
In 2021–22, we advanced our priorities to achieve 3 key results under our core responsibility:
1. The public service effectively hires the workforce of the future that is capable and ready to deliver results for Canadians.
In 2021–22, we moved from prototyping to implementing new online second language testing services for assessing reading, writing and oral language skills. These new services help the public service navigate the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. They also make second language testing more accessible and efficient, enabling candidates to be tested remotely rather than travel to a government facility. We also leveraged technology and new assessment approaches to offer remote leadership assessments, and we continued to provide more flexibility to departments to conduct their own second language evaluations.
As managers adapted to virtual staffing, the median time to staff public service positions open to the public decreased slightly, by 23 days, to 227 calendar days. More efforts across government are required to reduce time to staff and make external hiring processes more efficient.
To support key priorities including reducing time to staff, improving data management, and increasing the participation of employment equity groups and persons with priority entitlements, we continued to work on replacing the existing online recruitment platform, known as GC Jobs Endnote 3.
A proof-of-concept conducted in 2021 confirmed that software as a service (a cloud-based delivery model) is a viable option to meet the recruitment solution needs of the Government of Canada. This model will allow us to future-proof the new recruitment platform, so that it can adapt to changes in recruitment trends and advancements in technology. It will also allow us to transform the way we work and align with modern best practices. These advancements will improve the experience of our users and include tools and approaches to ensure more diversity and inclusion.
In 2022, we completed an initial review of potential software-as-a-service solutions in collaboration with the Next Generation HR and Pay initiative. The goal was to determine how well the solutions met recruitment requirements, and whether there was value in pursuing more in-depth testing with client departments. Given the promising results of the initial review, we will conduct advanced prototyping work in the coming year.
Intelligence stemming from our surveys and audit findings will be used to improve our programs and services and inform future research. Our 2021 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey Endnote 1 results revealed that:
- employees’ views on merit, fairness and transparency have improved since 2018
- despite the difficulties of staffing during a pandemic, managers and staffing advisors expressed a high degree of confidence in their organizations’ ability to recruit needed staff
- differences persist in employment equity groups’ perceptions of merit, fairness and transparency
- there is a need to raise hiring managers’ awareness of persons with a priority entitlement as a valuable source of qualified candidates
Our Horizontal Audit of Student Hiring under the Federal Student Work Experience Program Endnote 4 revealed that organizations noted challenges regarding the usability and flexibility of the program. We will work with departments to optimize the use of the program and to clarify the information that is required to support student hiring decisions.
2. The public service reflects Canada’s diversity
Working with interdepartmental partners and community associations, we undertook new, targeted talent‑sourcing approaches and initiatives to support hiring managers in recruiting persons with disabilities and Indigenous people. To help increase Canada’s diversity and inclusion across the public service, we developed and implemented regional outreach plans to promote employment opportunities to members of employment equity groups. We also used new and innovative marketing strategies and advertising approaches to successfully promote job opportunities to persons with disabilities and Indigenous people.
We launched the third year of the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, through which 29 federal organizations have provided internship opportunities for consideration in 15 professional groups. This initiative aims to increase the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities by providing them with work experience and enabling them to develop the skills they need for future employment. Since the beginning of the program, 75 internships have been established, with 13 individuals securing indeterminate placements throughout the public service.
To reduce barriers and improve the recruitment of Indigenous Peoples to the federal public service, the Indigenous Centre of Expertise engaged with Indigenous partners and stakeholders to learn more about how to remove barriers for Indigenous recruitment. The lessons learned, key findings and best practices from these discussions were used to update the Indigenous Recruitment Toolbox to ensure culturally sensitive and Indigenous-centric approaches. We also shared these findings with more than 14 departments, agencies and committees over the past year.
As part of the Indigenous Learning Series, the Indigenous Centre for Expertise supported the Canada School of Public Service in developing a Turnkey Workshop: Making a Difference in Supporting the Careers of Indigenous Employees. Endnote 5 The workshop aims to reduce barriers to Indigenous recruitment by providing human resource professionals and managers with concrete ways to facilitate hiring, retaining and advancing Indigenous employees in the public service.
In June 2021, changes were introduced to the Public Service Employment Act to increase diversity and inclusion in the public service by reducing barriers in the appointment process for equity-seeking groups and by providing increased access to employment for permanent residents. The changes to the act that have already come into force established a new definition of equity-seeking groups, expanded Public Service Commission audit and evaluation authorities to include bias and barriers, and provided permanent residents with the same level of appointment preference as Canadian citizens for jobs open to the public. As a result of these amendments, we are undertaking substantial work to adapt our policies and processes, in consultation with several partners and stakeholders. Work stemming from changes to the act will continue in 2022–23 as amendments related to evaluating assessment methods and expanded investigation authorities come into force.
3. Canadians are served by a politically impartial public service
The federal election highlighted the importance of political activities. Our Political Activities Program also saw the highest total number of requests for permission to be a candidate in an election (federal, provincial, municipal combined) since the program’s inception in 2006. Founded investigations also increased.
We held targeted awareness sessions for managers to help raise public servants’ awareness of their rights and responsibilities related to political activities. The virtual sessions model resulted in a higher participation rate than in-person sessions. One-on-one and targeted small group sessions were also offered to designated political activity representatives and employees. The high volume of requests for permission to be a candidate is expected to continue in 2022–23 given the municipal elections in Ontario and provincial elections in Quebec.
Although a large portion of public servants are aware of their obligations related to political impartiality, there was an increase in founded investigations of allegations involving candidacy. These allegations usually involve employees seeking nomination as a candidate or engaging in political activities before requesting and obtaining permission from the Public Service Commission. Corrective actions ordered following a founded case are meant to protect the impartiality of the public service.
Results achieved
The following table shows, for Public Service Hiring and Non-Partisanship, the results achieved, the performance indicators, the targets and the target dates for 2021–22, and the actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.
Departmental results |
Performance indicators |
Target |
Date to achieve target |
2019-20 |
2020-21 Actual |
2021-22 Actual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The public service efficiently hires the workforce of the future that is capable and ready to deliver results for Canadians |
Number of days to complete an external staffing process |
At most 167 days a |
March 2022 |
203 days |
250 days |
227 days |
Percentage of managers who say they have the flexibility to fulfill their hiring needs |
At least 65% |
March 2022 |
Not available b |
Not available b |
60% |
|
Percentage of managers who believe that appointees meet the performance expectations of the position |
At least 90% |
March 2022 |
Not available b |
Not available b |
96% |
|
Percentage of new hires and internal promotions who fully meet the qualifications of the position (based on merit) |
At least 98% |
March 2022 |
Not available c |
Not available c |
Not available c |
|
The public service reflects Canada’s diversity |
Percentage of employees who are women |
At least 52.7% d |
March 2022 |
55.0% |
Not available e |
55.6% f |
Percentage of employees who are Indigenous |
At least |
March 2022 |
5.1% |
Not available e |
5.3% f |
|
Percentage of employees who are members of visible minority groups |
At least 15.3% d |
March 2022 |
17.8% |
Not available e |
18.9% f |
|
Percentage of employees who are persons with disabilities |
At least |
March 2022 |
5.2% |
Not available e |
5.7% f |
|
Percentage of new hires under the age of 35 |
At least 53% |
March 2022 |
55.9% |
53.9% |
54% |
|
Percentage of Official Language Minority applicants (French-speaking applicants outside of Quebec and English-speaking applicants within Quebec) |
At least 6.9% |
March 2022 |
10.8% |
10.1% |
12.1% |
|
Percentage of new hires who applied from outside the National Capital Region |
At least 75% |
March 2022 |
72.1% |
78.7% |
79.5% |
|
Canadians are served by a politically impartial public service |
Number of founded investigations related to political activities |
Exactly 0 |
March 2022 |
20 |
7 |
16 |
Percentage of employees who are aware of their legal rights and responsibilities regarding engaging in political activities |
At least 80% |
March 2022 |
Not available b |
Not available b |
76% |
Note a:
This indicator measures the median number of calendar days between the date the job poster was published and the first external hire (from outside of organizations subject to the Public Service Employment Act) based on the pay system.
Note b:
Data for this indicator is collected through a biennial survey (Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey); the first year of available data is 2018–19. Results were not available when the 2019–20 & 2020–21 Departmental Results Report were being written, as the survey was launched in 2021 instead of 2020 due to the pandemic.
Note c:
The data for this indicator is collected through the System-Wide Staffing Audit and should be available every 2 years beginning in 2022–23.
Note d:
The goal for each designated group is to meet or exceed workforce availability. For 3 of the groups, workforce availability is based on 2016 Census data. Workforce availability for persons with disabilities is derived from data, also collected by Statistics Canada, in the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability.
Note e:
These results were not available when the 2020–21 Departmental Results Report was being written.
Note f:
These results are for the 2020–21. The 2021–22 results were not yet available when the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report was being written.
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Public Service Commission’s Program Inventory is available in
The following table shows, for Public Service Hiring and Non-Partisanship, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as actual spending for that year.
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$57,903,175 |
$57,903,175 |
$60,098,095 |
$53,875,440 |
-$4,027,735 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Public Service Commission’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase Endnote 6.
The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to fulfill this core responsibility for 2021–22.
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
|---|---|---|
553 |
512 |
-41 |
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Public Service Commission’s Program Inventory is available in GC InfoBase Endnote 6.
Internal Services
Description
Internal services are groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal services refer to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct service categories that support program delivery in the organization, regardless of the internal services delivery model in a department. The 10 service categories are:
- acquisition management services
- communication services
- financial management services
- human resources management services
- information management services
- information technology services
- legal services
- material management services
- management and oversight services
- real property management services
Results
In 2021–22, the Public Service Commission supported its workforce by providing the resources, leadership and support needed to deliver on its commitments by:
1. Ensuring optimal implementation of government-wide information technology (IT) initiatives
In alignment with Government of Canada priorities and policy, we strengthened our digital foundation to deliver consistent and responsive IT services to employees and Canadians.
We developed a 5-year financial plan for IT hardware. Working with Shared Services Canada, we implemented our Digital Communication and Collaboration Platform, which included email migration to the cloud and keeping employees connected remotely within a more secure and collaborative environment.
We launched a technical debt management plan to mitigate the potential impact of the current infrastructure on reliability, security and enhancement of service delivery and operations. This plan, to be implemented in 2022–23, will ensure our priorities are aligned and allow us to better support digital service delivery while remediating our aging infrastructure.
In parallel, working on IT-enabled business projects related to government-wide initiatives and our digital services, our IT team supported the incremental implementation of virtual solutions for second language evaluation, which was prioritized as part of the Departmental Plan for Service and Digital.
2. Demonstrating leadership in effective people management
In 2021–22, we prepared for and announced the first phase of the return to the workplace scheduled for April 2022. With our employees’ health and wellness top of mind, we rolled out a well-being action plan and established a new Joint Subcommittee on Mental Health to prioritize and address the 13 psychosocial factors supporting a healthy and safe workplace.
To make our human resources tools, programs and processes more inclusive and accessible and to address potential barriers and issues, we collaborated with departmental equity-seeking employee networks to identify organizational barriers and challenges based on their lived experiences. We added training on unconscious biases in staffing as a prerequisite to staffing sub-delegation, thus ensuring completion by all sub-delegated managers. We also implemented data analytics dashboards to monitor progress on our People Management Strategy, workforce and organizational health and to support internal HR management decision-making. New professional development offerings were adapted to the needs of equity-seeking groups and to retain and develop our talent: the Talent Management Program for non-Executive Employees, the Second Language Acquisition Program as well as Mentorship and the Mosaic Leadership Development Program. We also launched a talent mobility directory, as part of the talent management program, to increase talent retention.
3. Providing internal services that effectively equip and support the Public Service Commission’s workforce in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic
Our Human Resources, Workplace and Security Directorate, in collaboration with our Ombuds and our organizational coach, provided a wealth of wellness resources and support to help employees navigate the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Training was delivered to managers with regular onsite staff; communications material was developed and new sessions in 2022 will help prepare for the increase in occupancy in all buildings. The “Have Your Say” survey launched at the end of July 2021 focused on wellness, accommodation measures, a gradual resumption of activities in the workplace, as well as the future of work. The results of this survey, along with operational requirements, will continue to guide decisions about the return to the workplace.
In addition, our Communications and Parliamentary Affairs team worked with partners to ensure employees were well informed and remained engaged. The team developed various internal communications tools and messages, and coordinated 3 all-staff meetings. As a result, employees are highly satisfied with the quality and frequency of the information they receive.
4. Providing effective resource management guidance and advice across the Public Service Commission to support its priorities in a context of financial restraint
Financial management advisors worked closely with the sectors to manage financial risks and to reallocate resources and changing needs, such as funding to implement amendments to the Public Service Employment Act. In the context of the pandemic and the scarcity of labour across the country, financial restraints subsided, and there were fewer human resources available across the organization to support our programs and services. Resources were realigned to facilitate delivery of our core activities and priorities, thus limiting our spending capacity.
The following table shows, for internal services, budgetary spending for 2021–22, as well as spending for that year.
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
$33,955,377 |
$33,955,377 |
$35,451,950 |
$32,174,349 |
-$1,781,028 |
The following table shows, in full time equivalents, the human resources the department needed to carry out its internal services for 2021–22.
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
|---|---|---|
300 |
263 |
-37 |
Spending and human resources
Spending
Spending 2019–20 to 2024–25
The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.
Text version
| Fiscal year | Voted | Statutory | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | 83,033,627 | 10,578,203 | 93,611,830 |
| 2020–21 | 82,356,618 | 11,204,740 | 93,561,358 |
| 2021–22 | 75,717,706 | 10,332,083 | 86,049,789 |
| 2022–23 | 80,160,078 | 11,698,474 | 91,858,552 |
| 2023–24 | 80,360,101 | 11,696,008 | 92,056,109 |
| 2024-25 | 80,232,025 | 11,677,052 | 91,909,077 |
Spending decreased from $93.6 million in 2020–21 to $86.0 million in 2021–22. The decrease of $7.5 million was primarily due to a higher turnover and the limited capacity to staff vacant positions.
Full-time equivalents decreased from 828 in 2020–21 to 775 in 2021–22. The decrease of 53 full-time equivalents is the result of slower staffing processes and unpredicted departures that took longer to replace.
Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services (dollars)
The “Budgetary performance summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the budgetary financial resources allocated for the Public Service Commission’s core responsibilities and for internal services.
| Core responsibilities and internal services | 2021–22 Main Estimates |
2021–22 planned spending |
2022–23 planned spending |
2023–24 planned spending |
2021–22 total authorities available for use |
2021–22 actual spending (authorities used) | 2020–21 actual spending (authorities used) | 2019–20 actual spending (authorities used) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Hiring and Non-Partisanship | $57,903,175 | $57,903,175 | $57,903,175 | $57,937,532 | $60,098,095 | $53,875,440 | $57,848,891 | $60,195,978 |
| Internal services | $33,955,377 | $33,955,377 | $33,955,377 | $33,971,545 | $35,451,950 | $32,174,349 | $35,712,467 | $33,415,852 |
| Total | $91,858,552 | $91,858,552 | $91,858,552 | $91,909,077 | $95,550,045 | $86,049,789 | $93,561,358 | $93,611,830 |
Human resources
The “Human resources summary for core responsibilities and internal services” table presents the full-time equivalents (FTEs) allocated to each of the Public Service Commission’s core responsibilities and to internal services.
Core responsibilities and Internal Services |
2019–20 |
2020–21 |
2020–21 |
2021–22 |
2022–23 |
2022–23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Service Hiring and Non-partisanship |
566 |
535 |
553 |
512 |
552 |
552 |
Internal Services |
291 |
293 |
300 |
263 |
300 |
300 |
Total |
857 |
828 |
853 |
775 |
852 |
852 |
Expenditures by vote
For information on the Public Service Commission’s organizational voted and statutory expenditures, consult the Public Accounts of Canada 2021 Endnote 7.
Government of Canada spending and activities
Information on the alignment of the Public Service Commission’s spending with the Government of Canada’s spending and activities is available in the GC InfoBase Endnote 6.
Financial statements and financial statements highlights
Financial statements
The Public Service Commission’s financial statements (unaudited) for the year ended March 31, 2022, are available on the Public Service Commission of Canada website Endnote 8.
Financial statements highlights
Financial information |
2021–22 |
2021–22 |
2019–20 |
Difference (2021–22 Actual results minus |
Difference (2021–22 Actual results minus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses |
127,643,180 |
114,568,440 |
118,768,527 |
-13,074,740 |
-4,200,087 |
Total revenues |
14,262,755 |
8,839,892 |
5,264,040 |
-5,422,863 |
3,575,852 |
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers |
113,380,425 |
105,728,548 |
113,504,487 |
-7,651,877 |
-7,775,939 |
For 2021–22, there was a decrease in expenses, mainly resulting from a decrease for indeterminate employees, related to the unexpected departure of employees and lack of staffing capacity. Revenue increase is mainly due to a higher demand for assessment and counselling services and products as a result of the Public Service Commission’s adapting to the new environment for working from home, and revenue returning to pre-pandemic rates.
Financial information |
2021–22 |
2020–21 |
Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
Total net liabilities |
16,850,883 |
17,516,359 |
-665,476 |
Total net financial assets |
10,830,807 |
8,585,758 |
2,245,049 |
Departmental net debt |
6,020,076 |
8,930,601 |
-2,910,525 |
Total non-financial assets |
8,959,955 |
8,562,960 |
396,994 |
Departmental net financial position |
2,939,879 |
-367,640 |
3,307,519 |
The $0.7M (4%) decrease in total net financial liabilities is mainly due to the following decreases:
- payments for more vacation or compensatory leave were paid out to several employees who had not used their accumulated leave
- amounts owed to employees for severance pay decreases due to lower severance percentage factor
The $2.3M (26%) increase in total net financial assets is mainly due to an increase from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, caused by late processing of accounts payable and receivable due to invoices received late at year-end. As well, accounts receivables and advances increased due to an influx of invoicing at year end for salaries and the Employee Benefits Plan, and an increase in revenue levels. The $0.4M (5%) increase in total non-financial assets came from tangible capital assets: mainly the capitalization of software development costs.
The 2021–22 planned results information is provided in the Public Service Commission’s Future-Oriented Statement of Operations and Notes 2021–22. Endnote 9
Corporate Information
Organizational profile
Appropriate minister: The Honourable Bill Blair, P.C., C.O.M., MP
Institutional head: Stan Lee, Acting President
Ministerial portfolio: The Public Service Commission of Canada is part of the Privy Council Office portfolio
Enabling instrument: Public Service Employment
Act (S.C. 2003, c.22. 12, 13) Endnote 10
Year of incorporation / commencement: 1908
Other: Public
Service Commission of Canada website Endnote 11.
Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the Public Service Commission of Canada website Endnote 12.
Operating context
The federal public service is Canada’s largest employer, with almost 288 000 employees serving as climate scientists, nurses in Northern regions, fisheries officers, policy advisors and in thousands of roles that shape the country. The federal government depends on a qualified and diverse public service that reflects the range of backgrounds and worldviews that make up Canadian society.
The Public Service Commission is responsible for safeguarding a merit-based, representative and non-partisan public service that serves all Canadians. To give departments and agencies the flexibility to build staffing systems adapted to their needs, we have delegated many appointment authorities to deputy heads. We guide and support deputy heads in respecting legislative and policy requirements. We rely on the actions and leadership of all hiring managers, human resources professionals and deputy heads to ensure the federal public service hires a diverse and professional workforce.
We manage the Public Service Resourcing System, also known as GC Jobs Endnote 3, an online recruitment platform used by 94 federal departments and agencies. Approximately one million job applications are submitted through this platform each year, for roughly 10 000 job postings. We also deliver recruitment programs and assessment services to help public service hiring managers hire qualified individuals. This includes French and English second language tests for reading, writing and oral proficiency to ensure Canadians can be served, and federal public servants can work, in the official language of their choice, as required.
Job seekers and hiring managers increasingly expect timely and innovative approaches to hiring. Long staffing processes can cause the federal public service to miss out on high-quality candidates, who may be recruited more quickly by other employers. The pandemic has heightened the demand for online recruitment and assessment solutions. Modernizing our outdated recruitment and assessment tools and platforms is a top priority.
Appointment processes must be effective and inclusive. We have always worked to achieve a public service that reflects Canada’s diversity. However, we are now looking beyond the 4 employment equity groups, and geographic and official language representation, at a wider range of socio-demographic and intersecting identity factors, to ensure hiring processes are free from bias and systemic barriers.
We implemented the New Direction in Staffing in 2016 to simplify staffing and help departments meet their unique hiring needs. The pandemic required us to adapt to working remotely and to grant hiring managers new, temporary flexibilities to carry on staffing; we will continue to adapt as hybrid work shapes our new reality.
Changes to our enabling legislation, the Public Service Employment Act, are being implemented as they come into force, and we have developed tools to guide departments and agencies on the resulting impacts to the hiring process. We will continue to work with them to remove barriers and biases in the staffing system.
Reporting framework
The Public Service Commission’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2021–22 are shown below.
|
Core Responsibility |
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
Departmental Result 1: |
Indicator 1 |
||
Indicator 2 |
|||
Indicator 3 |
|||
Indicator 4 |
|||
Departmental Result 2: |
Indicator 5 |
||
Indicator 6 |
|||
Indicator 7 |
|||
Indicator 8 |
|||
Indicator 9 |
|||
Indicator 10 |
|||
Indicator 11 |
|||
Departmental Result 3: |
Indicator 12 |
||
Indicator 13 |
|||
Program Inventory |
Program 1 Policy Direction and Support |
||
Program 2 Recruitment and Assessment Services |
|||
Program 3 Oversight and Monitoring |
|||
Supporting information on the program inventory
Financial, human resources and performance information for the Public Service Commission’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase Endnote 6.
Supplementary information tables
The following supplementary information tables are available on the Public Service Commission’s website. Footnote 8
- Reporting on Green Procurement
- Gender-based analysis Plus
Federal tax expenditures
The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures Endnote 13. This report also provides detailed background information on tax expenditures, including descriptions, objectives, historical information and references to related federal spending programs as well as evaluations and GBA Plus of tax expenditures.
Organizational contact information
Mailing address:
Public Service Commission
22 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M7
Email address: cfp.infocom.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca
Website(s): Public
Service Commission’s website Endnote 14
Appendix: definitions
- appropriation (crédit)
- Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
- budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)
- Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.
- core responsibility (responsabilité essentielle)
- An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
- Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)
- A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.
- departmental priority (priorité)
- A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
- departmental result (résultat ministériel)
- A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
- departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
- A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.
- departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
- A framework that connects the department’s core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.
- Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
- A report on a department’s actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.
- experimentation (expérimentation)
- The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.
- full time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
- A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person’s collective agreement.
- gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS Plus])
- An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.
- government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)
- For the purpose of the 2021–22 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities refers to those high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the 2020 Speech from the Throne, namely: Protecting Canadians from COVID-19; Helping Canadians through the pandemic; Building back better – a resiliency agenda for the middle class; The Canada we’re fighting for.
- horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)
- An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.
- non budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)
- Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.
- performance (rendement)
- What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
- performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)
- A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.
- performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)
- The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.
- plan (plan)
- The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.
- planned spending (dépenses prévues)
- For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates. A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.
- program (programme)
- Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
- program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
- Identifies all the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
- result (résultat)
- A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
- statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
- Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
- target (cible)
- A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
- voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
- Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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