2023 Minister’s Transition Book 2: Welcome letter
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Dear Minister:
Congratulations on your appointment as minister of Public Services and Procurement and Receiver General for Canada. On behalf of all departmental staff, I would like to offer you a warm welcome. We look forward to working with you in implementing the Government of Canada's agenda and supporting you as you assume your new responsibilities.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and its predecessors represent some of the longest‑standing activities of the federal government. Established in 1841, the Department of Public Works was instrumental in building the Houses of Parliament, Canada's roads, bridges and canals, as well as post offices and federal buildings across the country. Similarly, Canada has had a receiver general since before Confederation. The War Purchasing Commission was established in 1915 to provide a coordinated and centralized approach to procurement during World War I.
Today, PSPC continues to play an essential role in government operations. With over 17,000 employees nationwide and an annual gross budget of approximately $8.2 billion, the department plays a central role in achieving the government's agenda and provides critical services to other government departments and agencies in support of their mandates. The department’s activities fall within 4 broad areas that are in many ways mutually supportive and tied together by a commitment to innovation and effective service delivery:
- acquisitions
- assets and infrastructure
- payments and accounting
- government services
Managing approximately $25 billion in procurements annually, the department supports a wide range of government initiatives through its Acquisitions Program while also leveraging the government’s purchasing power to increase access to economic opportunities for a greater diversity of Canadians. Major procurements under your responsibility include complex defence and marine projects such as the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the replacement of Canada’s fighter jet fleet. The department has also played a key role in the pandemic response by procuring a broad range of services and goods, including vaccines. More recently, the department has been a key partner in supporting the Canadian Dental Care Plan, the High frequency rail project, and the Firearms Buyback Program, as well as service delivery transformation projects at Employment and Social Development Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
With respect to assets and infrastructure, it is important to note that you are responsible for one of the largest and most diverse real property portfolios in the country. This includes office space for public servants, Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct, and a wide range of assets across the country such as bridges, laboratories, docks and dams.
As with all large employers, we are at an inflection point with respect to the office portfolio with opportunities to reduce our footprint while taking meaningful steps to ensure we have modernized, green and accessible spaces that are aligned with the workplace of the future. The rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Precinct is the largest and most complex heritage restoration project ever conducted in Canada and presents tremendous opportunities to revitalize this critically important institution. We have also taken the lead on an exciting $2.8 billion project to revitalize federal science laboratories while advancing new approaches to science collaboration across government.
With respect to payments and accounting, 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 disburses these funds. PSPC managed cash flows of $3.15 trillion from 2021 to 2022 through the issuance and settlement of more than 395 million payments on behalf of the federal government, and the collection of revenues for all federal organizations.
In addition, you oversee Government of Canada pay and pension administration. As you know, the pay system has faced considerable challenges in recent years, but foundations are in place to consider new directions. These foundations include recent investments in Pay Centre capacity to respond to a significant increase in pay transactions and to accelerate work on backlog reduction. They also include a project nearing completion, “Next Gen,” to test the viability of a “software as a service” solution, as well as considerable efforts to stabilize and improve the current system.
In terms of government services, your core responsibilities include translation and interpretation services provided to government departments and Parliament. The Translation Bureau has significantly evolved during the pandemic and, among other things, has provided important support to enable virtual parliamentary operations and has been providing increasing service offerings in Indigenous languages and sign language (American Sign Language [ASL] and langue des signes du Québec [QSL). PSPC provides a range of other services such as government travel, contractor security screening, as well as sale and donation of a wide range of government assets.
With respect to your portfolio, you are also responsible for Shared Services Canada (SSC), which operates as a separate department. PSPC works closely with SSC, especially in information technology (IT) procurement, where we have closely related responsibilities, and in ensuring that Government of Canada workplaces are well supported from both a workspace and IT perspective.
Furthermore, you are also responsible for a number of Crown corporations, namely Canada Post, the National Capital Commission, Canada Lands Company Limited, and Defence Construction Canada, which operate at arm’s length but report to Parliament through you. PSPC serves as your source of policy advice with respect to major issues and files, such as the work underway on the future of Canada Post, work with the National Capital Commission on bridges and official residences in the National Capital Region, and work with Canada Lands Company Limited on accelerating the disposal of surplus properties and supporting affordable housing. Additional entities in the portfolio include the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, the Payments in lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel, and the Office of the Procurement Ombudsman. The department supports you with respect to all appointments to the above bodies.
The work of the department is broad and often complex. To support you, we have dedicated units that ensure you are prepared for both your role in Parliament and Cabinet. Our departmental communications team is also available to assist you with a broad range of services, including speech writing, media relations and strategic planning.
Our goal is to build a close and productive working relationship with you and your office. We look forward to discussing your priorities and needs, as well as providing briefing sessions on departmental business. Among the first things you may wish to discuss are the key files of the department and important decisions required over the coming months.
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 you and we look forward to working with you.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Thompson
Deputy Minister
Public Services and Procurement Canada
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