2018–19 Departmental Plan: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Description

• Review spending proposals and authorities
• Review existing and proposed government programs for efficiency, effectiveness and relevance
• Provide information to Parliament and Canadians on government spending

Context

Cabinet and Parliament need accurate and timely performance and financial information to make decisions about laws, programs and services that affect Canadians.

At the start of the mandate:

• less than half of large departments were using information from their performance measurement frameworks and strategies, their evaluations and other results-based management tools to support their proposals to Cabinet
• it took an average of 13 months after funding was announced for an initiative for a department to receive the funds
• the capacity to identify the costs of legislative and program proposals varied among departments

In his mandate letter to the President of the Treasury Board, the Prime Minister instructed the President to work with his colleagues to:

• improve reporting to Parliament
• strengthen the oversight of taxpayer dollars and the clarity and consistency of financial reporting
• ensure consistency and maximum alignment between the Estimates and the Public Accounts
• exercise due diligence regarding costing analysis prepared by departments for all proposed legislation and programs
• take a leadership role to review policies to improve the use of evidence and data in program evaluation
• ensure that a fixed percentage of program funds is devoted to experimenting with new approaches to existing problems and measuring the impact of programs
• conduct a review of tax expenditures and other spending to reduce poorly targeted and inefficient measures

Planning highlights

In keeping with the mandate letter, the Secretariat aims to achieve the following results through its Spending Oversight activities.

Departmental result 1: Departments achieve measurable results

In 2016-17, 69.2% of departments’ targets were achieved for departmental results indicators. That same year, the Treasury Board Policy on Results came into effect with the aim of improving how government organizations measure, evaluate and report results. In addition, the government directed departments and agencies to allocate a percentage of program funding to testing innovative policy solutions.

In 2017-18, the Secretariat started a 3-year horizontal review of federal fixed assets, a review of business innovation and clean technology programs, as well as reviews of 3 departments and agencies (the Canada Border Services Agency, the Canada School of Public Service and Health Canada) to ensure that spending is aligned with priorities and is achieving results for Canadians.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will strengthen support and guidance to departments on:

• developing departmental results, results indicators and targets, including in departmental spending proposals
• developing experimental approaches to policies and programs to address persistent problems that traditional approaches have failed to solve
• integrating gender-based analysis plus into departmental performance measurement and reporting to explain how planned results help achieve the government-wide priorities of gender equality, diversity and inclusiveness

The Secretariat will also undertake a departmental review of the Canada Revenue Agency, a horizontal review of skills programming, and establish a central performance evaluation team to undertake innovation performance evaluations.

Departmental result 2: Treasury Board proposals contain information that helps Cabinet ministers make decisions

In 2015-16, the Secretariat developed a strategy to improve the quality of costing estimates in government decision-making. In 2016-17, the Secretariat reviewed 72 high-value or high-risk Cabinet documents that covered projects valued at a total of about $66 billion.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• update the guide to cost estimating
• encourage departments to document financial risks in cost estimates
• provide feedback to departments and encourage them to adopt the practices outlined in the updated guide to cost estimating

Departmental result 3: Budget initiatives are approved for implementation quickly

In 2016-17, 66% of Budget 2016 funding was included in the first available Estimates document. In 2017-18, the government introduced, and the House of Commons adopted, changes to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons, on a 2-year pilot basis, to allow for improved alignment between the Budget and the Estimates. This change takes effect in 2018-19 and allows for the Main Estimates to be tabled after the Budget and to incorporate Budget initiatives. Parliamentarians will have greater clarity when voting on appropriations, and departments will receive funding sooner for initiatives outlined in budget plans.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• work with the Department of Finance Canada to clearly connect, for Canadians and Parliamentarians, the announcement of spending decisions in the Budget with the reporting of spending in the Estimates
• introduce changes to the 2018-19 Main Estimates to support the timely allocation of funding to Budget 2018 initiatives

Departmental result 4: Reporting on government spending is clear

In 2016-17, as part of the implementation of the Treasury Board Policy on Results, Part III of the Estimates, which consists of departmental plans and departmental results reports, was simplified. New features and data were also added to GC InfoBase, the government’s interactive data-visualization tool that explains financial, human resources and results data to Canadians. The new features make it easier for parliamentarians and Canadians to examine government spending.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• assess the purpose-based vote pilot project of Transport Canada’s grants and contributions vote and determine whether to expand it to a wider range of operating and capital appropriations in more departments
• enhance the functionality and content of GC InfoBase
• improve reporting to Parliament in departmental plans and departmental results reports by requiring departments to clearly state:
  • the results they plan to achieve
  • the actual results they do achieve
  • the resources they used to achieve those results

Risks

There is a risk that departments may not be able to show that they have achieved results because of multiple priorities, insufficient information to set realistic targets, and an inability to meet the reporting deadlines.

The Secretariat will work with departments to:

• set ambitious but achievable targets
• help departments anticipate factors that will affect their performance
• develop tools that facilitate timely reporting

The Secretariat will also support the alignment of resources with results by reviewing departments’ program spending in collaboration with the Department of Finance.

Planned spending of $10,619 million a year for the Secretariat’s Core Responsibility of Spending Oversight relates largely to Government-Wide Funds.

The Secretariat transfers funding from Government-Wide Funds to supplement the appropriations of other federal organizations, once approved by the Treasury Board, for items such as government contingencies, government-wide initiatives, compensation requirements, operating and capital budget carry forward, and paylist expenditures.

A central vote was created in 2018-19 for Budget implementation to provide new appropriations or to supplement existing appropriations for initiatives announced in Budget 2018 that are within the legal mandates of government organizations. The 2018-19 Main Estimates and planned spending include $7,040 million in relation to these initiatives.

Planned spending in 2018-19 also includes $44 million in program expenditures for the Secretariat to deliver on this Core Responsibility.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Description

• Lead government-wide initiatives
• Develop policies and set the strategic direction for government administration related to:
  • service delivery
  • access to government information
  • the management of assets, finances, information and technology

Context

Canadians expect better and more accessible government services. They also expect better access to government records and data, and they expect the government to manage its resources effectively and sustainably.

At the start of the mandate:

• only 45 departments had published datasets
• the government answered 87.5% of access to information requests within established timelines; the growing volume and complexity of requests made it difficult to maintain service standards
• the government answered 82.1% of personal information requests within established timelines
• the financial policy suite had changed little since the 1990s; made up of 44 Treasury Board policy instruments containing over 600 requirements, it was overly prescriptive and was difficult to use
• the delivery of federal services was inconsistent, and many services were not available online
• there was a 19% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from federal facilities and fleet relative to 2005 levels
• according to the Auditor General, the government had no strategy for a government-wide approach to investing in and providing information technology

In his mandate letter to the President of the Treasury Board, the Prime Minister instructed the President to work with his colleagues to:

• enhance the openness of government, including leading a review of the Access to Information Act to ensure that Canadians have easier access to their own personal information
• make government data available digitally so that Canadians can easily access and use it
• develop a new service strategy that aims to create a single online window for all government services with new performance standards
• establish new performance standards, in collaboration with the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, who is responsible for Service Canada, the Minister of Public Services and Procurement, the Minister of Democratic Institutions, and the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and set up a mechanism to conduct rigorous assessments of the performance of key government services and report findings publicly
• take a more modern approach to comptrollership

In 2016-17, the Government of Canada adopted a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy that includes a commitment to making its operations low-carbon.

Planning highlights

In keeping with the mandate letter, the Secretariat aims to achieve the following results through its Administrative Oversight activities.

Departmental result 1: Canadians have timely access to government information

The Secretariat added rich content from across government to open.canada.ca, the open government portal, to make it easier for users to search that content. As of 2016-17, 10,232 datasets were available to the public through the portal. Canada now ranks second in the world on the Open Data Barometer and, in recognition of its leadership on open government, is lead government co-chair of the Open Government Partnership.

The government still needs to do more to provide Canadians with timely access to government information. From 2014-15 to 2016-17, the percentage of access to information requests and personal information requests responded to within established timelines went from 87.5% to 80.7% and from 82.1% to 80.4%, respectively.

In June 2017, the President of the Treasury Board proposed amendments to modernize the Access to Information Act. The amendments would:

• give the Information Commissioner the authority to issue orders
• legislate proactive publication of key government information
• require a review of the act every 5 years

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• expand and improve open data by, for example, coordinating implementation of the current Third Biennial Plan to the Open Government Partnership and of the forthcoming Fourth Open Government Plan
• contribute to global leadership on open government by supporting the President of the Treasury Board as he represents Canada in its role as lead government co-chair of the Open Government Partnership, which aims to promote transparency, empower citizens, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance
• report on departments’ progress on implementing Canada’s open government plans by requiring departments to complete annual self-assessments and by posting quarterly reports on open.canada.ca
• invest in the quality of the content on open.canada.ca
• create more opportunities for Canadians to influence open government initiatives
• develop learning opportunities on open government with support from the Canada School of Public Service
• support Parliamentary consideration of proposed amendments to the Access to Information Act
• create a central website where Canadians can submit access to information and personal information requests
• implement the 30-day guarantee for requests for personal information

Departmental result 2: Government service delivery meets the needs of Canadians

The government provides services to Canadian citizens and businesses. In 2014, 57% of citizens were satisfied with the delivery of Government of Canada services. In 2016, 61% of businesses were satisfied with Government of Canada services. To address these results and better meet clients’ needs, the Government of Canada has adopted a service strategy aimed at:

• ensuring that services are designed and delivered in a way that puts clients’ needs first
• making the online service experience so easy that users choose online service over other service options
• connecting services to each other so that all levels of government offer a “tell-us-once” experience to minimize how often Canadians have to provide the same information

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• implement the Treasury Board Policy on Service and the Government of Canada Service Strategy by supporting departments in enhancing their online services
• develop a new digital policy to streamline, integrate and replace existing policies on information technology, information management, and service in order to provide better and more secure services to Canadians, transparently examine the value of government information and data, and take advantage of the potential of technology in innovative and cost-effective ways
• help departments, through the Canadian Digital Service, by building services to meet users’ unique needs
• modernize the government’s digital tools, both internal and public-facing tools, to better meet the expectations of Canadians
• help departments improve their service standards and make their service standards meaningful to Canadians

Departmental result 3: Government promotes good asset and financial management

In 2016-17, the Treasury Board adopted the Treasury Board Policy on Financial Management. This policy, which replaced a number of policy instruments, aims to ensure that financial resources are well managed in the delivery of programs to Canadians. At the same time as the Secretariat was developing the policy, it worked with departments to improve their internal controls. From 2015-16 to 2016-17, the percentage of departments that had assessed all internal controls over financial reporting in high-risk areas increased from 77% to 94%.

The Treasury Board also updated the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit so that the oversight of public resources in the federal public administration is informed by a professional and objective internal audit function that is independent of departmental management. The renewed Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit helped achieve gender parity among departmental audit committee members in 2017-18 and enhance the representation of under-represented groups on departmental audit committees to align with the diversity of the Canadian population.

In 2017-18, to promote continued improvement in asset management practices, the Secretariat launched a 3-year horizontal review of federal fixed assets, as announced in Budget 2017, and developed preliminary findings on science facilities.

In April 2017, the Secretariat began publicly disclosing Government of Canada contracts and amendments over $10,000 on the open government portal through a centralized, machine-readable database.

Over 2017-18, the Secretariat developed an integrated project management strategy to enhance project management maturity across departments.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• develop a new, integrated policy on planning and management of investments. The objective of the policy will be to ensure that federal government assets, investments, procurement and projects of the Government of Canada are well managed in the delivery of programs to Canadians and are safeguarded through well-balanced controls that enable flexibility and risk management
• develop a new Directive on the Management of Projects. The objective of the directive will be to ensure that projects and investment programs are effectively planned, implemented, monitored and controlled to enable the realization of expected benefits
• propose targeted amendments to streamline and update the Government Contracts Regulations
• strengthen central leadership of the federal procurement, materiel, real property and project management communities by evaluating the procurement certification program, developing government-wide competencies and leading a national recruitment campaign
• develop guidance for departments on monitoring plans for their internal control over financial management, which includes a risk-based approach to developing these plans so that sound financial information is readily available to decision makers
• increase the representation of under-represented groups on departmental audit committees to align with the diversity of the Canadian population
• advance the implementation of a modern, integrated financial management solution that provides easy access to the data and information required for sound decision making
• provide departments with best practices for processes and procedures pertaining to internal control management

Departmental result 4: Technology enhances the effectiveness of government operations

In 2017-18, the Secretariat published the Government of Canada Strategic Plan for Information Management and Information Technology 2017 to 2021 to set the information management and information technology direction for the Government of Canada and identify enterprise-wide priorities and key activities for departments. It also published the Direction on the Secure Use of Commercial Cloud Services and finished migrating the web content of 4 institutions to Canada.ca, which now houses over 70% of the most visited federal government web content.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• strengthen the governance of information technology through an enhanced role for the Government of Canada’s Chief Information Officer.
• implement and update the Government of Canada Strategic Plan for Information Management and Information Technology 2017 to 2021
• help departments comply with the Treasury Board Policy on Management of Information Technology to achieve efficient and effective information technology management practices and processes across the government
• implement targeted changes to the Treasury Board Policy on Management of Information Technology to improve the governance and management of information technology government-wide and to support innovation and improved service delivery

Departmental result 5: Government demonstrates leadership in making its operations low-carbon

The Government of Canada is committed to addressing climate change and growing the clean economy. The government will lead by example through operations that are low-carbon, climate-resilient and green. To drive results across government, leadership for greening government operations was transferred in 2016-17 from Public Services and Procurement Canada to the Secretariat.

In 2017, the Secretariat introduced the Greening Government Strategy. The strategy sets a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from federal operations by 80% by 2050 relative to 2005 levels, consistent with climate science and world-leading jurisdictions. This target builds on the earlier target under the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy of reducing emissions by 40% by 2030 or earlier. The strategy outlines what the federal government will do to meet the new target. The strategy also outlines a broader scope for the government’s greening efforts, including actions on climate adaptation, water and waste.

The Secretariat also released an updated greenhouse gas inventory that tracks the government’s greenhouse gas emissions, starting in 2010-11. As of 2016-17, greenhouse gas emissions had decreased by 28% from 2005, the baseline year.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will implement the Greening Government Strategy by:

• expanding the inventory of greenhouse gas emissions from government operations by tracking a broader set of emissions for all key emitting departments and agencies
• developing guidance for greening government real property
• working with departments to speed up improvements in energy efficiency in federal buildings; to promote clean electricity, heating and cooling; and to improve energy efficiency of building operations and maintenance
• updating guidance and working with the fleet and procurement communities to meet the new targets for how many hybrid and zero-emission vehicles departments must have in their fleets
• making low-carbon, green and climate-resilient considerations part of investment planning through guidance and tools such as a shadow price for carbon
• working with the corporate risk and business continuity communities to consider risks relating to climate change in risk and business continuity planning
• mobilizing employees to green government through a government-wide green network, greening awareness initiatives, and the Greening Government website

Risks

Several initiatives under the Core Responsibility Administrative Leadership affect Canadians directly, for example:

• open government
• improving access to information
• service strategy

A risk for all of these initiatives is that they will not meet public expectations because they are complex and because they depend on public perceptions and on factors beyond the Secretariat’s control.

To address this risk, in the coming year, the Secretariat will:

• be proactive in communicating with and in engaging with stakeholders and partners
• increase government-wide project management capacity
• improve planning
• increase support to departments to facilitate implementation of the initiatives through change management strategies in targeted areas

Description

• Develop policies and set the strategic direction for people management in the public service
• Manage total compensation (including pensions and benefits) and labour relations
• Undertake initiatives to improve performance in support of recruitment and retention

Context

The federal public service is Canada’s largest employer, with approximately 200,000 people in the core public administration. The government’s ability to deliver high-quality services and programs to Canadians depends on a diverse, healthy and respectful public service workforce working in a culture of excellence based on productivity, non-partisanship, professionalism and integrity.

At the start of the mandate:

Diversity

Overall, the public service represented the diversity of Canada’s population. Representation rates for all 4 employment equity groups (women, visible minorities, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disability) exceeded workforce availability. Although diversity in the executive ranks has improved over time, there still remain some challenges.

Employee wellness

• 19% of employees reported that they had been harassed in the workplace
• women were more likely than men to indicate that they had been a victim of harassment on the job in the previous 2 years (20% versus 16%)
• of employees who experienced harassment, women were more likely than men to indicate that the nature of the harassment was a sexual comment or gesture (11% versus 5%)
• 49% of disability claims in 2015 related to mental health

Employee engagement

• 79% of employees liked their job
• 74% of employees indicated that they were satisfied with their organization.
• women were more likely than men to say that they received a sense of satisfaction from their work (76% versus 72%)
• persons with a disability were less likely than other employees to say that they received a sense of satisfaction from their work (68% versus 75%)

Recruitment

In 2015-16, 32.7% of new indeterminate employees were under the age of 30 and the public service increased its student hiring rates by 6.3%.

Career development

52% of employees believed their department did a good job of supporting employee career development.

Collective agreements

In the core public administration in 2015-16, 27 collective agreements with 15 bargaining agents needed to be renewed.

Pay equity

In 2015-16, employees continued to be covered by complaint-based pay equity legislation. Many of them had been waiting years, and sometimes decades, before receiving equal pay for work of equal value.

In his mandate letter to the President of the Treasury Board, the Prime Minister instructed the President to work with his colleagues to:

• ensure that the public service is free from harassment and sexual violence
• ensure that all federal services are delivered in compliance with the Official Languages Act
• bargain in good faith with Canada’s public sector unions

The Prime Minister also directed all ministers to do their part to:

• fulfill the government’s commitment to transparent, merit-based appointments
• help ensure gender parity
• help ensure that Indigenous Canadians and minority groups are better reflected in positions of leadership

Planning highlights

In keeping with the mandate letter, the Secretariat aims to achieve the following results through its Employer activities.

Departmental result 1: Public service is high-performing

The Secretariat has implemented a rigorous approach to performance management for employees at all levels and to talent management for senior leaders. In 2015-16, 93.8% of eligible employees met their performance objectives.

The Secretariat also launched the Executive Leadership Development Programs, in partnership with the Canada School of Public Service and the Public Service Commission, to support the development of promising and diverse leaders.

The Secretariat has expanded the functionality of the Jobs Marketplace opportunities platform, which provides public servants with new experiences and networking opportunities by facilitating at-level mobility and mentor relationships and using the open-to-the-public tool GCcollab, which connects federal, provincial and territorial public servants from across Canada with students and academics from Canadian colleges and universities. In 2017-18, 57% of employees reported that their department or agency does a good job of supporting employee career development.

In 2016-17, the Government of Canada announced consultations to review the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations to bring them into line with new technologies and current socio-demographic realities.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• start administering the Public Service Employee Survey annually so that workplace improvements are based on up-to-date evidence
• review the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations to modernize service delivery and provide services in both official languages; in doing so, the Secretariat will work with Canadian Heritage to ensure a comprehensive approach to the regulations that includes considerations of minority language community vitality

Departmental result 2: Public service attracts and retains a diverse workforce

The Secretariat has taken a number of steps to attract and retain a diverse workforce. It has created a joint union-management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion in the Public Service made up of representatives from across the public service and from the public sector bargaining agents. It piloted 2 targeted recruitment programs: the Indigenous Youth Summer Employment Opportunity and the Youth with Disabilities Summer Employment Opportunity. It also initiated a deputy head pledge to support student employment in the public service, a commitment to ‎improve student hiring, onboarding and orientation, provide meaningful work opportunities and ensure they are paid accurately and on time. In 2016-17, 37.3% of new indeterminate hires were under the age of 30. In 2017-18, 77% of all employees reported receiving a sense of satisfaction from their work.

The Secretariat collaborated with the Public Service Commission of Canada to support the Commission’s name-blind recruitment pilot, which tested anonymized recruitment in the federal public service. The Commission released the final report on the pilot on January 23, 2018.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• establish a Public Service Centre on Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness to support departments and agencies in creating safe, healthy, diverse and inclusive workplaces
• analyze and implement elements of the Final Report of the Joint Union/Management Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, to develop a diversity and inclusion strategy and framework for the public service, including:
  • creating tools for considering diversity and inclusion in decision making, policy making, and recruitment practices
  • promoting engagement of senior leaders and employees in creating a diverse culture
  • improving education and awareness, including by creating a common curriculum for training
  • collecting robust human resources data to clearly understand representation of the public service workforce
• implement recommendations from the report The Next Level: Normalizing a Culture of Inclusive Linguistic Duality in the Federal Public Service Workplace so that both official languages are used more equitably in the public service

Departmental result 3: Employee wellness is improved

The Secretariat is leading efforts to improve employee wellness across the public service.

In November 2016, the Secretariat introduced a deputy minister pledge to commit to building a healthy, respectful and supportive work environment. All public service employees can take the pledge, which is available on GCintranet.

In February 2017, the Secretariat launched the virtual Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace with resources, tools and services to organizations, managers and employees.

The Secretariat has established a strong network of champions to share leading practices and to discuss challenges and opportunities. The Secretariat has also developed a strategy for addressing harassment and sexual violence in the workplace.

As of 2017-18, 56% of employees believed their workplace was psychologically healthy and 18% of employees indicated that they had been a victim of harassment on the job in the past 2 years.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• build upon the success of the virtual Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace as it establishes a Public Service Centre on Diversity, Inclusion and Wellness
• help departments develop their action plans for achieving the 3 strategic goals of the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy:
  • change the culture
  • build capacity
  • measure, report and continuously improve
• raise awareness about the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy to help destigmatize mental health problems
• continue to build departments’ capacity through the virtual Centre of Expertise
• work with bargaining agents to make joint recommendations for improving employee wellness across the public service for consideration in the next round of collective bargaining
• support the implementation of amendments to the Canada Labour Code by implementing a new strategy for addressing harassment and sexual violence in the workplace

Departmental result 4: Modernized employment conditions

The Secretariat has supported the workforce of the future by negotiating in good faith to reach collective agreements that are fair and reasonable for employees and for Canadians. As of January 1, 2018, the government had reached 21 agreements with bargaining agents for which the Treasury Board is the employer. These agreements cover more than 90% of represented employees in the core public administration.

In addition, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, all outcomes of cases relating to the 2014 round of collective bargaining heard by the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board confirmed that the Treasury Board, as employer, had bargained in good faith.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• bargain in good faith to complete the 2014 round of collective bargaining with all 27 bargaining units in the core public administration
• support the government in introducing and implementing proactive pay equity legislation to reduce the gender wage gap for federally regulated workers, including employees in the core public administration
• continue to support the financial health of the group insurance and benefit programs such as the Public Service Health Care Plan and the long-term disability benefit plan for medically released members of the Canadian Armed Forces
• provide mandates and advice to separate agency employers to support them in completing their ongoing collective bargaining negotiations in 2018-19
• launch the next round of collective bargaining and implement and administer the new series of collective agreements for the core public administration once they are ratified and signed
• advise the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on their new labour relations regime
• modernize classification in the Program and Administrative Services occupational group, which makes up about 40% of the core public administration

Risks

There is a risk that issues with the Phoenix pay system will continue to impact the Secretariat’s ability to exercise its role as government-wide employer. This could adversely affect labour relations with bargaining agents, and employee morale and stress levels.

Starting this year, the Secretariat will lead efforts to begin the development of the next generation of the federal government’s pay system, working with experts, federal public sector unions and technology providers.

The Secretariat is also continuing to identify human resources business processes impacted by the Phoenix pay system, and is developing measures to minimize the impact on employees, such as:

• launching new, mandatory online courses on the human resources and Phoenix pay systems for all employees and managers‎
• developing and rolling-out training for all departmental human resources and compensation practitioners to enhance their understanding of the linkages between the human resources and pay systems
• working closely with departments and agencies to establish standard timelines for common human resources transactions that lead to a pay action, and establishing performance measures to assist in the tracking and reporting of pay actions
• conducting a risk assessment across the Secretariat on the impact of the Phoenix pay system on the department’s work and identifying how these risks are being mitigated and managed

The Secretariat continues to engage and share information with bargaining agents to find solutions to address concerns of their membership related to Phoenix.

Planned spending of $2,739 million a year for the Secretariat’s Core Responsibility of Employer covers the following:

• payments under the public service pension, benefit and insurance plans, including the employer’s share of health, income maintenance, and life insurance premiums
• payments to or in respect of provincial health insurance plans
• payments of provincial payroll taxes and Quebec sales tax on insurance premiums
• funding to address actuarial deficits in the Public Service Pension Fund

Planned spending in 2018-19 includes $59 million in program expenditures for the Secretariat to deliver on this Core Responsibility.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Description

• Develop and oversee policies to promote good regulatory practices
• Review proposed regulations to ensure they adhere to the requirements of government policy
• Advance regulatory cooperation across jurisdictions

Context

Regulations protect and advance Canadians’ health, safety and environment, and help create the conditions for an innovative and prosperous economy.

Good regulatory practices help ensure that regulations inspire confidence and meet their economic, social and environmental goals.

In 2012, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development began assessing the regulatory practices of 34 member countries and the European Commission against internationally recognized practices. In the most recent 2015 assessment, Canada ranked among the top 5 countries overall, third in stakeholder engagement, and fourth in both regulatory impact analysis and ex-post evaluation, which is the process of assessing the effectiveness of policies and regulations once they are in force.

The Government of Canada’s regulatory policy includes protecting and advancing the public interest by working with Canadians and with other governments to promote regulatory activities that will benefit current and future generations of Canadians. The Government of Canada has also committed to taking measures to advance interjurisdictional regulatory cooperation, domestically and internationally.

Planning highlights

The Secretariat aims to achieve the following results through its Regulatory Oversight activities.

Departmental result 1: Government regulatory practices and processes are open, transparent, and informed by evidence

The Secretariat has taken a number of steps to improve government regulatory practices and processes.

In 2017-18, it launched public consultations on proposed changes to the federal regulatory policy. The changes seek to strengthen the requirements for early stakeholder engagement, regulatory cooperation and alignment, mandatory stock reviews, gender-based analysis plus, consultations with Indigenous peoples, and assessing environmental impacts while maintaining important tools to minimize burden on business, including small and medium enterprises.

Also in 2017-18, to further enhance transparency, the President of the Treasury Board tabled the first Annual Report to Parliament for the 2016 to 2017 Fiscal Year: Benefits and Costs of Significant Federal Regulations, and the Implementation of the One-for-One Rule. According to this report, in 2016-17:

• the net benefit of significant regulations was $9.6 billion
• a net reduction of $455,692 in administrative burden costs was achieved

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• finalize and begin implementing the draft Cabinet Directive on Regulation and supporting policies
• provide regulatory policy guidance to departments and support horizontal policy management
• challenge departments and agencies on their proposed regulatory changes based on the requirements of federal regulatory policy
• support the Treasury Board by providing advice on regulatory and order-in-council matters
• pursue a regulatory reform agenda focused on supporting innovation and business investment, including targeted reviews of regulatory requirements in key sectors and developing an e-regulation system

Departmental result 2: Regulatory cooperation among jurisdictions is advanced

In 2016-17, the Secretariat assumed responsibility for the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council. Since then, the Secretariat has worked to advance the 23 department and agency work plans that fall under this initiative.

In 2017-18, the Secretariat took over responsibility for implementing 2 new regulatory cooperation forums:

• the Regulatory Cooperation Forum established under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement
• the Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table established under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement to address regulatory barriers to trade, investment and labour mobility within Canada

Efforts are ongoing to advance regulatory cooperation in these new jurisdictions and to support the negotiation of regulatory cooperation provisions in new trade agreements.

In 2017-18, the Secretariat launched 3 consultations to solicit suggestions for regulatory cooperation initiatives from consumer, industry and citizen stakeholders.

In 2018-19, the Secretariat will:

• bring additional programs under the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council to achieve greater regulatory alignment with Canada’s largest trading partner
• implement the Regulatory Cooperation Forum established in the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement and work with regulatory departments and agencies to begin regulatory cooperation efforts with the European Union; work with departments to identify regulatory cooperation opportunities that could be developed into work plans through the various regulatory cooperation forums
• increase the number of work plans by an average of 2 a year by 2020 and look for ways to increase this number as arrangements are established under new trade agreements

Risks

Because of changing government priorities and delays associated with implementing complex regulatory proposals, there is a risk that regulatory initiatives may not be implemented at the expected pace and achieve the desired results.

The planned initiatives are closely linked to the priorities, operational environment and strategic direction of other departments and governments; the Secretariat may therefore have limited influence on implementation.

The Secretariat will mitigate the risk by:

• finalizing and implementing the new Cabinet Directive on Regulation
• drafting additional policies and guidance on the new directive
• providing a challenge function on regulatory proposals
• fostering strategic working relationships with Canada’s trading partners to maintain momentum and deliver on regulatory cooperation commitments

In addition, changes to the new Cabinet Directive on Regulation will highlight the importance of regulatory cooperation at each stage of the regulatory lifecycle.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Secretariat’s Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

“Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do” is available on the Secretariat’s website.

Operating context and key risks

Information on operating context and key risks is available on the Secretariat’s website.

The Secretariat’s Departmental Results Framework and Program Inventory of record for 2018-19 are shown below: