Public Service Commission of Canada’s 2023-24 Departmental Results Report

• Description
• Progress on results
• Key risks
• Resources required to achieve results
• Related government-wide priorities
• Program inventory

Results achieved  

• To make the program more flexible and improve its delivery, and for a more diverse public service, the PSC launched the Specific Name Referral pilot project to improve the Federal Student Work Experience Program, and identified key actions in response to hiring managers’ needs for greater flexibility in student hiring
• To guide users and improve user experience for more intuitive use of the system, the PSC enhanced the use of a digital adoption platform (WalkMe) in the public service resourcing system, the GC Jobs recruitment platform
• The PSC reduced the number of accommodation requests for the unsupervised second language evaluation reading comprehension and written expression tests from 10% to 2% following the 2022-2023 launch of the Candidate Assessment Tool, a testing platform with accessible features such as the ability to include extra time, breaks and customized settings
• To further streamline the test administration process, the PSC enabled departments and agencies to administer unsupervised tests with common accommodation measures (such as breaks and extra time) on a self-serve basis
• We evaluated our assessment tools (used by departments and agencies in appointment processes) for biases and barriers that disadvantage people in equity-seeking groups, and we implemented mitigation measures where they were needed
• We implemented the new regulatory framework for the Locally Engaged Staff Exclusion Approval Order and related regulations, ensuring compliance with the Public Service Employment Act amendments
• As part of our progress in replacing the aging recruitment platform, we refined the government’s recruitment business requirements based on input received from departments that participated in the prototype testing of the proposed enterprise solution carried out over the previous year. We also developed a draft plan for the current platform while considering opportunities to align with a future enterprise solution
• To meet the needs of the federal human resources community for more efficient hiring, we shared our Data visualization hub, a set of interactive tools for exploring a wide range of public service staffing data
   

Results achieved

• To review their hiring strategies and address representation gaps, our partners from across the public service can consult the results of our concluded Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments
• To support diversity in hiring and close representation gaps, we:
• evaluated and adjusted the assessment tools used for our recruitment programs to remove and mitigate biases and barriers that disadvantage people in equity-seeking groups to align with changes to the Public Service Employment Act
• supported the Deputy Minister University Champions, a key partner in outreach and engaging students, promoting careers in the federal public service 
  • to help Deputy Minister University Champions in their roles, we equipped them with evidence-based modern tools such as a new data visualization tool, Deputy Minister University Champion Visualization Tool (available only on a Government of Canada network)
  • this tool encapsulates, in an interactive and dynamic way, information specific to universities represented by a Deputy Minister University Champion
  • among other things, the tool reports on applicants and hires by program, includes provincial facts, as well as regional hiring rates and workforce availability for students within employment equity groups
  • information is currently available for the past 3 fiscal years (up to 2022 to 2023) and the tool is scheduled to be updated on an annual basis
• hosted and participated in large-scale federal events with key partners, such as the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Office of Public Service Accessibility, the National Managers’ Community, and the Human Resources Council, to hire more diverse candidates, including persons with disabilities
• supported the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer’s Action Plan for Black Public Servants by:
• providing career development services to Black public servants
• preparing a research report on inclusive assessment and career counselling for Black public servants
• developing candidate preparation material for the screening phase of an appointment process
• participated in numerous outreach activities (job fairs, information sessions) focused on attracting Black and Indigenous talent to the public service
• consulted on, launched and promoted the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit (available only on a Government of Canada network) across departments.
  • this was done through large-scale events and tailored in-house presentations to equip hiring managers and human resources professionals with information, practical tips, tools, resources and inclusive strategies to recruit a diverse workforce 
• launched the Indigenous storytelling series to amplify the voices of Indigenous public servants and promote the Government of Canada as an employer of choice for Indigenous job seekers
• organized tailored outreach events in official language minority communities across the country
• To support federal departments and agencies in implementing the Public Service Employment Act amendments and improve inclusion and diversity in hiring practices, we:
• delivered over 50 nationwide information sessions and evaluation training to over 8 400 managers and human resources professionals
• expanded the Ambassador Network for Inclusive Assessment to share best practices on identifying and mitigating biases and barriers that disadvantage persons belonging to equity-seeking groups within the public service HR community
• implemented changes to the Appointment Framework
• developed and published a self-paced training video on how to conduct an evaluation of biases and barriers of an assessment method (available only on a Government of Canada network) and YouTube
• used social media to encourage students, members of official language minority communities and members of employment equity groups to apply to public service jobs

Results achieved

To continue safeguarding the political impartiality of the public service and public servants’ involvement in political activities, we:

• made 43 decisions on requests from public servants seeking to engage in candidacy-related activities for elected positions at the municipal, provincial and federal levels
• responded to 123 inquiries from public service employees, departments and agencies, and members of the public about candidacy and political activities of public servants
• organized information sessions open to all public servants as well as department-specific awareness sessions
• responded to requests and completed investigations related to political activities

In 2023-24, we continued to integrate Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) across key activities, business processes and decision-making, with a focus on intersectional diversity characteristics, including gender-based differences of employees and applicants. This involved applying GBA Plus considerations to proposals and policy reviews for implementing amendments to the Public Service Employment Act as well as in all program evaluations. It included assessing potential differential impacts for the Canadian population, as a function of intersecting diversity characteristics. This work is aligned with key pillars of the Gender Results Framework and supports inclusiveness in all core activities linked to our mandate.

In this respect, to better measure progress in inclusion and diversity, the 2023 Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey included new questions on equity-seeking groups and questions related to biases and barriers experienced in the staffing system.

To make our services more accessible, we provided departments and agencies with the ability to administer unsupervised second language tests for candidates requiring common accommodation measures.

We also developed tools to provide guidance to departments and agencies on removing barriers and biases that disadvantage persons belonging to equity-seeking groups. We launched the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit to equip hiring managers and human resources professionals with practical tips, tools and resources on inclusive strategies to recruit a diverse workforce. We also continued to administer the Federal Internship Program for Canadians with Disabilities, supporting interns and managers across the public service, further enabling many persons with disabilities to secure post-internship employments.

We have also completed the 2023-24 projects outlined in our 2023-2025 PSC Research and Development Plan, including:

• new data visualization tools
• a diversity and inclusion compass
• adding new components to our macrosimulation model to make more targeted projections on employment equity representation

Our activities under our public service hiring and non-partisanship core responsibility support Canada’s efforts to address the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The PSC is committed to advancing the following 3 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development:

• Goal 10: Advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and take action to reduce inequality
• Goal 12: Reduce waste and transition to zero-emission vehicles
• Goal 13: Take action on climate change and its impacts

More information on the Public Service Commission of Canada’s contributions to Canada’s Federal Implementation Plan on the 2030 Agenda and the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy can be found in our Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy

• Description
• Progress on results
• Resources required to achieve results
• Contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses

• Spending
• Funding
• Financial statement highlights
• Human resources

Spending increased from $98.9 million in 2022-23 to $106.9 million in 2023-24. The increase of $8 million was primarily due to the ratification of new collective agreements.

Spending increased from $86.0 million in 2021-22 to $98.9 million in 2022-23. The increase of $12.9 million was primarily due to a higher capacity to staff the vacant positions, new collective agreements, professional services and acquisition of computer equipment.

Spending is expected to decrease from $98.2 million in 2024-25 to $96.8 million in 2026-27. The decrease of $1.4 million is mainly the result of the refocusing of government spending reductions. As part of implementing the strategy of internally realigning resources, we will adopt a results-based approach to planning, budgeting and reporting to ensure the continued effectiveness and efficiency in the PSC’s program and service delivery.

Full-time equivalents increased from 775 in 2021-22, to 867 in 2022-23. The increase of 92 full-time equivalents is the result of greater capacity to fill vacancies and speed up recruitment processes.

Full-time equivalents decreased from 867 in 2022-23, to 853 in 2023-24, as a result of realigned and streamlined operations.

Full-time equivalents are expected to decline steadily, from 854 in 2024-25, to 845 in 2025-26, reaching 834 in 2026-27. The decrease of full-time equivalents is the result of realigned and streamlined operations.

Appropriate minister(s): The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, P.C., O.M.M., M.S.M., C.D., M.P

Institutional head: Marie-Chantal Girard, President

Ministerial portfolio: The Public Service Commission of Canada is part of the Privy Council Office portfolio

Enabling instrument(s): Public Service Employment Act (S.C. 2003, c.22. 12, 13)

Year of incorporation / commencement: 1908

Other: Public Service Commission of Canada website

Mailing address: Public Service Commission of Canada
22 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M7

Email: cfp.infocom.psc@cfp-psc.gc.ca
Website(s): Public Service Commission’s website

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, departments 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.

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. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue or opportunity being addressed by the initiative; identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted; and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography (including rurality), language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2023-24 Departmental Results Report, government-wide priorities are the high-level themes outlining the government’s agenda in the November 23, 2021, Speech from the Throne: building a healthier today and tomorrow; growing a more resilient economy; bolder climate action; fight harder for safer communities; standing up for diversity and inclusion; moving faster on the path to reconciliation; and fighting for a secure, just and equitable world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where 2 or more federal departments 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 a department did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the department 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 a department, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how a department 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 a department, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single department, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the department’s influence.

Indigenous business (entreprise autochtones)

For the purpose of the Directive on the Management of Procurement Appendix E: Mandatory Procedures for Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Businesses and the Government of Canada’s commitment that a mandatory minimum target of 5% of the total value of contracts is awarded to Indigenous businesses, a department that meets the definition and requirements as defined by the Indigenous Business Directory. 

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 a department, 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.