Quarterly Financial Report - For the quarter ended September 30, 2023

1. Introduction

This quarterly financial report should be read in conjunction with the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates for fiscal year 2023–24. It has been prepared by management, as required by section 65.1 of the Financial Administration Act and in the form and manner prescribed by the Directive on Accounting Standards, GC 4400 Departmental Quarterly Financial Report. It has been reviewed by the Internal Audit Committee of the Public Service Commission of Canada.

This quarterly report has not been subject to an external audit or review.

1.1 Authority and objectives

The Public Service Commission of Canada (the agency) is an independent agency established under the Public Service Employment Act and listed in schedules I.1 and IV of the Financial Administration Act.

A summary description of the agency’s programs can be found in its 2023–24 Departmental Plan.

1.2 Basis of presentation

This quarterly report has been prepared by management using an expenditure basis of accounting. The accompanying Statement of Authorities includes the agency’s spending authorities granted by Parliament and those used by the agency consistent with the Main Estimates for the 2023–24 fiscal year. This quarterly report has been prepared using a special purpose financial reporting framework designed to meet financial information needs with respect to the use of spending authorities.

The authority of Parliament is required before money can be spent by the government. Approvals are given in the form of annually approved limits through appropriation acts or through legislation in the form of statutory spending authority for specific purposes.

The agency uses the full accrual method of accounting to prepare and present its annual departmental financial statements that are part of the departmental results reporting process. However, the spending authorities voted by Parliament remain on an expenditure basis.

1.3 Financial structure

The agency has a financial structure comprised of voted budgetary authorities for program expenditures and statutory authorities for contributions to employee benefit plans.

In addition, the agency has the authority to re-spend certain revenues received from other government departments and agencies in a fiscal year to offset expenditures incurred in that same year, for the provision of assessment and counselling products and services.

2. Highlights of fiscal quarter and fiscal year-to-date results

This section highlights the significant items that contributed to the change in resources available for the current year and in the actual expenditures for the quarter ended September 30, 2023.

The following graph provides a comparison of the net budgetary authorities available for spending and the expenditures for the quarters ended September 30, 2023, and September 30, 2022, for the agency’s combined Vote 1 – Program Expenditures and Statutory Authorities.

Figure 1 – Budgetary authorities and expenditures - 2023–24 and 2022–23
Alternative Text
Year Net budgetary authorities Q1 Expenditures Q2 Expenditures
2023-24 $97,617 $25,354 $25,596
2022-23 $97,236 $23,431 $23,710

2.1 Significant changes to authorities

As shown in Section 6: Statement of Authorities, at September 30, 2023, there was a net increase of $381,000 in authorities available for use in the current year, as compared to the previous year.

The variance mainly is due to the following:

2.2 Significant variances in net expenditures from prior year         

As shown in Section 7: Budgetary expenditures by standard object, total net budgetary expenditures during the quarter increased from $23,710,000 in  fiscal year 2022–23 to $25,596,000 in fiscal year 2023–24, a variance of $1,886,000 or 7.95%.

The variance is due mainly to the following:

3. Risks and uncertainties

The agency is evolving in a dynamic and complex environment that requires it to be effective, adaptive and innovative to support staffing in federal departments and agencies across Canada. As part of its departmental planning and reporting cycle, the agency undertakes an annual review of its organizational risks, as well as quarterly monitoring. This monitoring includes strategic oversight of the changes in external risk factors and internal vulnerabilities that may have an impact on the agency’s results.

The agency’s risks can be found in its 2023–24 Departmental Plan, which also includes a link to the operating context.

Changes to the agency’s enabling legislation, the Public Service Employment Act, are being implemented as they come into force, and the agency has developed tools to guide departments and agencies to address biases and barriers that disadvantage members of equity-seeking groups in the hiring process. The 2 remaining amendments came into effect on July 1, 2023. The agency will continue to work with departments and agencies, 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 remove or reduce barriers and biases in the staffing system.

4. Significant changes in relation to operations, personnel and programs

In response to Budget 2023, which plans to refocus government spending, the agency has undertaken an analysis of its activities, including planning for some reductions in revenue and a spending review.

5. Approved by senior officials

Approved by:

Stan Lee
Interim President

Emile Wandji, for
Farhat Khan, CPA, CMA
Chief Financial Officer and Vice President Corporate Affairs Sector

Gatineau, Canada
November 29, 2023

6. Statement of authorities (unaudited)

Fiscal year 2023–24 (in thousands of dollars)
  Total available for use for the year ending March 31, 2024 1 Used during the quarter ended September 30, 2023 Year-to-date used at
quarter-end
Vote 1 – Program Expenditures 85,361 22,518 44,808
Statutory – Refund of Previous Year Revenue 0 15 15
Statutory – Employer Contributions to Employee Benefit Plans 12,256 3,063 6,127
Total Budgetary Authorities 97,617 25,596 50,950

1. Includes only authorities available for use and granted by Parliament at quarter-end.

6. Statement of authorities (unaudited)(continued)

Fiscal year 2022–23 (in thousands of dollars)
  Total available for use for the year ending March 31, 2023 1 Used during the quarter ended September 30, 2022 Year-to-date used at quarter-end
Vote 1 – Program Expenditures 85,311 20,729 41,173
Statutory – Refund of Previous Year Revenue 0 0 6
Statutory – Employer Contributions to Employee Benefit Plans 11,925 2,981 5,962
Total Budgetary Authorities 97,236 23,710 47,141

1. Includes only authorities available for use and granted by Parliament at quarter-end.

7. Budgetary expenditures by standard object (unaudited)

Fiscal year 2023–24 (in thousands of dollars)
  Planned expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2024 Expended during the quarter ended
September 30, 2023
Year-to-date used at quarter-end
Personnel 94,518 24,503 48,058
Transportation and telecommunications 111 45 88
Information 223 87 105
Professional and special services 14,105 2,125 2,811
Rentals 1,399 221 1,334
Repair and maintenance 61 10 13
Utilities, materials and supplies 122 55 85
Acquisition of machinery and equipment 1,209 73 194
Other subsidies and payments 121 46 163
Total gross budgetary expenditures 111,869 27,165 52,851
Less: Revenues netted against expenditures (14,252) (1,569) (1,901)
Total net budgetary expenditures 97,617 25,596 50,950

7. Budgetary expenditures by standard object (unaudited)(continued)

Fiscal year 2022–23 (in thousands of dollars)
  Planned expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2023 Expended during the quarter ended
September 30, 2022
Year-to-date used at quarter-end
Personnel 93,980 22,600 44,452
Transportation and telecommunications 333 28 40
Information 237 22 47
Professional and special services 14,220 1,889 2,710
Rentals 1,483 516 1,009
Repair and maintenance 62 4 8
Utilities, materials and supplies 150 90 116
Acquisition of machinery and equipment 873 187 749
Other subsidies and payments 150 140 326
Total gross budgetary expenditures 111,488 25,476 49,457
Less: Revenues netted against expenditures (14,252) (1,766) (2,316)
Total net budgetary expenditures 97,236 23,710 47,141

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