Response to Parliamentary committees and external audits - 2018–19 Departmental Results Report - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Responses to parliamentary committees

Thirty-Sixth Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of the House of Commons, entitled Report 1, Managing the Risk of Fraud, from the 2017 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

The committee reviewed the Auditor General of Canada’s observations in relation to the management of fraud risk, as part of his annual spring audit. The committee made 8 recommendations to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, Global Affairs Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Health Canada, the Canada Food Inspection Agency, and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), and asked that the committee be provided with progress reports on actions taken to date.

In its response, the government agreed with the recommendations and committed to ensuring effective management of the risk of fraud to maintain Canadians’ confidence in public services. TBS is continuing to improve awareness and provide guidance to departments and agencies to manage fraud risk.

Twelfth Report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates of the House of Commons, entitled Reaching Canadians with Effective Government Advertising

The committee studied the changes made in 2016 to the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity with respect to government advertising. The committee made 10 recommendations to address the framework, effectiveness, transparency, non‑partisanship and governance of government communications.

In its response, the government stated that it is committed to the ongoing initiatives to regularly review policies and directives, and to improving communication to Canadians on all platforms. The government is also implementing recommendations from the Auditor General of Canada’s spring 2019 report, Report 4: Oversight of Government of Canada Advertising.

Tenth Report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the House of Commons, entitled Growing up in French in Western Canada: A Review of Federal Support for Early Childhood Education

The committee reviewed how to improve education in official language minority communities. The committee made 6 recommendations to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and Employment and Social Development Canada in relation to creating new policy instruments and principles and to amend the Official Languages Act.

In its response, the government committed to ensuring compliance with the obligations pursuant to the Official Languages Act and will require institutions to report on actions being taken in this regard in the departmental Management Accountability Framework.

Eleventh Report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the House of Commons, entitled Media in the Digital Age: Reconciling Federal Responsibilities to Official Language Minority Communities with New Trends

The committee studied federal support programs for official language minority communities and the media. The committee made 6 recommendations to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Department of Canadian Heritage in relation to funding considerations and amendments to the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity.

In its response, the government stated that the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity was updated in and that it provides clear guidance to officials on the requirements of government communications activities.

Forty-second Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of the House of Commons, entitled Report 1, Phoenix Pay Problems, of the 2017 Fall Reports of the Auditor General of Canada: Part I

The committee reviewed the Auditor General of Canada’s observations in relation to the problems with the Phoenix pay system as part of his annual fall audit. The committee made 5 recommendations to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Public Services and Procurement Canada.

In its response, the government gave the committee a progress report on the work being done to resolve the issues with the Phoenix pay system.

Fifty-second Report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts of the House of Commons, entitled Report on the Message of the Auditor General in the 2018 Spring Reports

The committee reviewed the message of the Auditor General of Canada in the 2018 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada. The committee made 3 recommendations aimed at improving the accountability regime, implementing best practices for public sector transformations, and addressing public service culture concerns.

In its response, the government provided a progress report on improving processes for major transformative initiatives in . As the committee recommended, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is continuing efforts to improve the accountability regime in the federal public service.

Sixteenth Report of the Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates of the House of Commons, entitled Improving Transparency and Parliamentary Oversight of the Government’s Spending Plans

The committee reviewed the implementation of aligning the Estimates process with the budget process. The committee made 12 recommendations, some of which had been previously included in their 2012 report on the Estimates alignment.

In its response, the government gave the committee an overview of improvements to the process and expressed its overall support of the committee’s recommendations to improve the clarity and transparency of the Estimates.

Thirty-second Report of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance, entitled The Phoenix Pay Problem: Working Toward a Solution

The committee studied the Phoenix pay system and progress toward resolving pay issues. The committee provided 5 recommendations to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Public Services and Procurement Canada on improving training to federal employees, regular progress reporting, and ways forward with alternative pay solutions.

In its response, TBS and Public Services and Procurement Canada gave the committee an overview of the efforts being made to improve the training available to public servants and to provide them with more resources, and provided some details on the new pay system initiative. TBS committed to providing Parliament with annual updates on the government’s total expenditures associated with Phoenix in its Departmental Results Reports. The first such update is provided in TBS’s 2018–19 Departmental Results Report.

Responses to audits conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada (including audits conducted by the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development)

Report 1, Building and Implementing the Phoenix Pay System, of the 2018 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

This audit examined whether Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) effectively and efficiently managed and oversaw the building and implementation of the new Phoenix pay system. This included examining:

  • whether PSPC’s decision to implement the new system was reasonable given the information available at the time
  • whether the system was fully tested, would deliver the functions needed to pay federal employees, was secure, and would protect employees’ private information
  • whether PSPC adequately supported selected departments and agencies in their transition to Phoenix

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and 8 other departments and agencies were also included in the audit. TBS received 1 recommendation. TBS’s response to the recommendation can be found in the list of recommendations in the report.

Report 1, Call Centres, 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

The audit examined whether Employment and Social Development Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and Veterans Affairs Canada provided clients with accessible and timely call centre services, and whether these departments reported on their call centre performance in a way that was relevant to clients, transparent, consistent, and verified to confirm accuracy. The audit also focused on whether TBS and Shared Services Canada provided a strategy and support to enable these services.

TBS received 2 recommendations. TBS’s responses to the recommendations can be found in the list of recommendations in the report.

Report 4, Oversight of Government of Canada Advertising, 2019 Spring Reports of the Auditor General of Canada

The audit examined whether the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) and Public Services and Procurement Canada provided adequate oversight to ensure that the Government of Canada met its commitment to non‑partisan advertising. Specifically, the audit examined whether the review processes were adequately designed, implemented, operated, and monitored to ensure non‑partisan government advertising.

TBS received 5 recommendations. TBS’s responses to the recommendations can be found in the list of recommendations in the report.

Response to audits conducted by the Public Service Commission of Canada or the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

There were no audit reports in 2018–19.

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