2019 Transition Letter to new minister: The Honourable Anita Anand
Dear minister:
Congratulations on your election as a Member of Parliament and your appointment as Minister and Receiver General for Canada. On behalf of all departmental staff, I would like to offer you a very warm welcome. We look forward to working with you to implement the government's agenda and to supporting you as you assume your new responsibilities.
As you may know, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is one of the oldest federal departments. It was established in 1841 and was instrumental in the building of the Houses of Parliament, Canada's roads, bridges and canals, post offices and federal buildings across the country. Today, the department has evolved into a sophisticated operational arm of government with over 17,000 employees across the country. PSPC has an annual budget of $7 billion, of which just under $4 billion is appropriated by Parliament and approximately $3 billion is revenue. It is a key enabler for the government to achieve its agenda, and it provides critical services to other government departments and agencies that help them deliver on their mandates.
In your new role, you are responsible for government procurement, managing approximately $16 billion of procurements on behalf of other federal departments and agencies, including complex defence and marine projects such as the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the replacement of Canada's fighter jet fleet. You are responsible for providing office space for public servants and parliamentarians, which affords the opportunity to ensure that government facilities are green, accessible and efficient, leveraging modern technology. Furthermore, you are responsible for managing real estate, construction projects, bridges, docks and dams across the country, as well as enhancing and preserving the cultural heritage of buildings and monuments throughout Canada. For example, the rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Precinct is being advanced under your authority. You are also accountable for implementing the new science infrastructure initiative, including support for federal laboratories, in collaboration with the Minister of Science and all science-based federal departments and agencies.
As the Receiver General for Canada, you are responsible for the overall collection, reconciliation and reporting of government monies and for issuing all Government of Canada payments. While the Minister of Finance is responsible for managing the funds of the government, the Receiver General administers these funds, including how they are deposited, kept and disbursed. You are also required to report annually to Parliament on the Public Accounts, the government's financial records.
In addition, you manage the overall Government of Canada pay and pension administration, including the public service pay system.
Your core responsibilities include translation and interpretation services provided to government departments, and in Parliament.
PSPC officials are ready to provide you with briefings on your new responsibilities. We have considerable expertise available to support you, including highly experienced engineers, real estate experts, industrial security professionals, procurement specialists, information technology (IT) specialists, forensic auditors, policy advisors, financial specialists, pay and pension administrators, and language professionals providing services in English, French, Indigenous languages and over 100 foreign languages.
We have dedicated units to support your participation in Parliament and Cabinet meetings. Due to the complexity and breadth of our business, stories about PSPC are often in the media, and you will be assisted by departmental communications teams. You will be briefed and provided with speeches or speaking points in response to invitations you receive from industry associations and other key stakeholders.
Most importantly, we are always available to provide you with counsel and support, as required, to implement your government's agenda and your mandate letter, and on regular departmental business.
Our goal is to build a close, productive working relationship with you and your office. We will make available regular opportunities to discuss your priorities and needs, as well as briefing sessions on departmental business. Among the first things you may wish to discuss are the priorities that will be set out in your mandate letter, and the decisions that will be required on key files over the coming months.
In order to assist you in learning more about this department, briefing materials have been loaded on to your devices. Enclosed with this letter, you will also find a short series of initial communications lines to help you in these early hours as Minister.
We will organize more detailed departmental briefings on many of these topics, based on your preferences on timing and pacing. Once again, welcome to the department. Our management teams are here to serve, and we look forward to working with you.
Yours sincerely,
Bill Matthews
Deputy Minister
Public Services and Procurement Canada
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