Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat 2019–20 Departmental Plan

Departmental result 1 for Spending Oversight: departments achieve measurable results

TBS works with departments to:

• set ambitious but achievable targets in relation to performance indicators for their core responsibilities, programs, and spending proposals
• review departmental spending

This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitments to:

• strengthen the oversight of taxpayers’ dollars
• improve the use of evidence and data in evaluating programs
• reduce poorly targeted and inefficient measures

The Treasury Board Policy on Results came into effect in 2016–17 and aimed at improving how departments measure, evaluate, and report results in order to:

• improve the achievement of results across government
• more clearly communicate the results of government spending

In the first 2 years of implementation of the policy, government-wide, the percentage of departmental results indicators for which targets were achieved decreased, from 69% in 2016–17 to 65% in 2017–18. This decrease stemmed from TBS’s encouraging departments to set more ambitious results and targets when developing their new Departmental Results Frameworks.

TBS wants to see this result improve to between 70% and 80% in 2019–20. A result in this range would suggest that departments are setting targets that are ambitious but achievable.

In pursuit of this target, TBS will provide advice to departments on refining their departmental results, results indicators, and targets.

In addition, to help departments achieve measurable results more broadly, TBS will continue to advise departments on:

• applying experimental approaches to policies and programs to address persistent problems that traditional approaches have failed to solve
• using performance measurement information when designing programs and developing spending proposals
• incorporating gender-based analysis plus into their performance measurement information to explain how they are helping achieve the government-wide priorities of gender equality, diversity, and inclusiveness
• measuring the performance and impact of federal innovation programs as part of a joint initiative between TBS and Statistics Canada that began in 2018

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

TBS works with federal organizations when they are preparing spending proposals for the Treasury Board’s consideration. Before these proposals are submitted to the Treasury Board, TBS works with departmental staff, primarily during the Treasury Board submission process but also when the memorandum to Cabinet is being drafted, to ensure that the proposals:

• align with Treasury Board policies and government priorities
• support value for money
• clearly explain the results that will be achieved and how those results will be measured
• contain clear assessments of risk, including financial risk

Once proposals have been submitted to the Treasury Board, TBS advises Treasury Board ministers accordingly.

TBS also has an ongoing support, oversight, and advisory role with respect to broader departmental and whole-of-government management matters, including departmental reviews^{Footnote 5} and complex, long-term priorities.

This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitments to:

• strengthen the oversight of taxpayer dollars
• exercise due diligence regarding costing analysis prepared by departments
• accelerate and expand open data initiatives and make government data available digitally
• take a leadership role to review policies to improve the use of evidence and data in program innovation and evaluation
• ensure that all federal services are delivered in full compliance with the Official Languages Act

TBS reviewed the degree to which Treasury Board submissions transparently disclosed financial risk in 2017–18 and found that 13% did so.^{Footnote 6} The target is to improve this result in the medium-term so that 75% transparently disclose by 2023.

In pursuit of this target, in 2019–20, TBS will update guidance to departments on presenting cost information. The new guidance will focus on how to build comprehensive, well-documented cost estimates. It will, for example, explain how to identify and document costing assumptions, which will help departments identify and communicate financial risks.

TBS is also considering changing its approach to working with departments, in an effort to provide better support to departments when they are developing cost estimates and to address a capacity risk in this area. See the “Key risk to spending oversight” section of this report for more information on this risk.

Departmental result 3 for Spending Oversight: Budget initiatives are approved for implementation quickly

TBS aligns the Estimates process with the annual Budget so that financial reporting is clear and consistent, and timely funding is available to departments.

This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitments to:

• strengthen the oversight of taxpayers’ dollars
• improve the clarity and consistency of financial reporting

In 2017, following Budget 2017, 40% of initiatives were included in the next available (supplementary) Estimates. However, in June 2017, the House of Commons adopted changes to the Standing Orders of the House of Commons to allow the Main Estimates to be tabled after the Budget and to incorporate Budget initiatives. As a result of these changes, which took effect in 2018 as a 2-year pilot initiative, 100% of Budget 2018 initiatives were included in the 2018–19 Main Estimates.

In 2019–20, TBS aims to again have 100% of Budget 2019 initiatives included in the next available Estimates.

In pursuit of this target, TBS will:

• incorporate funding for Budget 2019 initiatives into the Main Estimates
• review the results of the pilot and make recommendations for the next (2020) Budget cycle
• continue to update its Budget Tracker, which is available on a public website (GC InfoBase), so that Canadians can track Budget items as funding is distributed to departments and allocated to programs

Departmental result 4 for Spending Oversight: reporting on government spending is clear

TBS is always working to improve reporting to Canadians. This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitment to improve reporting to Parliament.

TBS’s work in this area includes:

• continuing to improve the GC InfoBase, an interactive publically accessible tool for finding the latest information on all government finances, people and results
• simplifying Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports

In 2017–18, TBS surveyed GC InfoBase users for the first time. The survey showed that 71% found the information useful. The aim is to reach 80% in 2019–20. TBS will continue to update the GC InfoBase to meet users’ needs, including by adding links between datasets to make it easier to find information.

As part of its efforts to improve Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, in 2018–19, TBS began surveying online readers about the usefulness of these documents. As of December 2018, the preliminary result was an average rating of 3.4 out of 5. TBS will work with departments to help them communicate their plans and results in an effort to achieve at least an average rating of 4 out of 5 in 2019–20.

Departmental result 1 for Administrative Leadership: Canadians have timely access to government information

TBS works with departments to provide Canadians with timely access to government information. This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitments to:

• make government more open
• make government data available digitally

TBS has worked steadily with federal government organizations to add datasets to open.canada.ca, the open government portal. In 2018, Canada ranked number 1 in the world on the Open Data Barometer (tied with the United Kingdom) and, in recognition of its leadership on open government, was co-chair of the Open Government Partnership in 2018–19.

In 2017–18, federal government organizations made 1,807 new datasets available to the public. The target for 2019–20 is at least 2,000.

In pursuit of this target, TBS will continue to provide guidance and technical support to federal government organizations to help them add content to open.canada.ca.

Also in 2019–20, in support of open government, TBS will:

• lead the implementation of Canada’s 2018–20 National Action Plan on Open Government
• share best practices with other jurisdictions by:
  • supporting the President of the Treasury Board as she represents Canada in its role as co-chair of the Open Government Partnership
  • hosting the 2019 Open Government Partnership Global Summit in May 2019

In support of government institutions’ efforts to provide Canadians with information that they specifically request, TBS tracks the degree to which institutions respond to Canadians’ access to information requests and personal information requests within legislated timelines.

Performance in these areas has been declining. The percentage of access to information requests responded to within legislated timelines dropped from 86% in 2015–16 to 76% in 2017–18. The percentage of personal information requests responded to within legislated timelines also dropped in that period, from 80% in 2015–16 to 75% in 2017–18. This downward trend reflects the continuing increase in the number of requests the government receives each year.

In 2018–19, TBS set the following targets, to be achieved by the end of the 2019–20 fiscal year:

• 90% of access to information requests are responded to within legislated timelines
• 85% of personal information requests are responded to within legislated timelines

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS will explore ways to increase support to the offices that respond to access to information and personal information requests by, for example, coordinating staffing and training. In addition, the new Access to Information and Privacy Online Request Service, launched in 2018, is expected to contribute to better results in this area. The new service is helping reduce misdirected requests for government information by helping requesters choose the institution that is most likely to have the information they want. As well, the service collects the $5 fee for access to information requests submitted electronically. As a result, institutions have a lighter administrative burden and can focus on responding to requests. By 2021, all government institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act will receive requests through this service.

The “Key risk to administrative leadership” section provides more information on the risk to the government’s ability to achieve these targets.

To further support improved access to government information, TBS will help government institutions implement proposed amendments to the Access to Information Act, including by providing guidance and tools to help them implement new requirements to proactively publish key government information.

The amendments would also require the President of the Treasury Board and Minister for Digital Government to begin a full review of the act within 1 year of the amendments coming into force. TBS would support the President in fulfilling these requirements.

Departmental result 2 for Administrative Leadership: government service delivery is digitally enabled and meets the needs of Canadians

TBS sets outs the requirements and expectations for government services, with the aim of:

• making services across all channels (for example, in person, phone, online) easy to use and responsive to the needs of Canadians
• making more services available online
• making these services secure and accessible to all Canadians

These efforts support the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitment to improve government service delivery.

In 2017–18, targets in this area were not met. In 2018–19, TBS worked with departments to help them improve service delivery, including through direct, hands-on delivery partnerships offered by the Canadian Digital Service.

TBS has also been working to increase the secure delivery of digital services; in June 2018, it issued new requirements and supporting guidance for secure web communications.

The aim is to improve the following results in the area of service delivery:

• In 2017–18, 62% of Government of Canada priority services were available online; the aim is to increase this to at least 70% by March 2020.
• In 2017–18, the degree to which clients were satisfied with how the Government of Canada delivered services, expressed as a score from 1 to 100, was 58; the aim is to increase this to at least 60 in the next survey, the results of which are expected by March 2022.
• In 2017–18, 70% of priority services met the service standard; the aim is to increase this to at least 80% by March 2020.
• When tracking began in August 2018, 19% of all publicly accessible Government of Canada websites and web services communicated with citizens securely; the aim is to reach 100% by December 31, 2019.

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS plans to introduce a new digital policy that streamlines, integrates, and replaces existing policies on information technology, information management, and service. The policy will aim to:

• make the design and improvement of government services more informed by user input, the need to safeguard personal information, and the need to protect against cybersecurity threats
• improve the management of government information, including data

TBS will also:

• help departments comply with the new requirements for secure web communications by:
  • offering information sessions
  • advising them on resolving specific compliance issues
• work with departments, provinces, and territories to develop a pan-Canadian approach to digital identity^{Footnote 8} so that the public has seamless access to government services
• continue to help departments design and deliver services that meet their users’ needs, by providing policy guidance and training, as well as hands-on help through the Canadian Digital Service
• through the Office of Public Service Accessibility, develop and monitor the implementation of a new Public Service Accessibility Strategy, which will promote full accessibility for government websites and online services

Departmental result 3 for Administrative Leadership: government has good asset and financial management practices

TBS works with departments to improve their asset and financial management practices. This work supports the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitment to take a more modern approach to comptrollership.

In 2017–18, 97% of departments had assessed all internal controls over financial reporting in high-risk areas and had shown that they annually realign, implement and monitor systems on internal control. The aim is to maintain this result in 2019–20.

A new indicator was added for 2017–18 to measure whether assets are well-managed. Based on a small sample of 10 departments, 80% of departments were effectively maintaining and managing their assets over their life cycle^{Footnote 9} during that year. The aim is to increase this to 90% of departments in 2019–20.

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS will:

• issue new guidance to departments on how to maintain their systems of internal control over financial management
• continue to implement a modern, integrated financial management system for the federal government so that decision-makers will have easy access to key financial information
• develop guidance and tools to help departments implement a new policy that sets direction for the planning and management of federal assets, investments, procurement, and projects
• implement a project management strategy to help strengthen the capacity of the government to deliver projects

Also in 2019–20, in further support of good asset and financial management practices, TBS will advise departments on accessible procurement, through the Office of Public Service Accessibility.

Departmental result 4 for Administrative Leadership: government demonstrates leadership in making its operations low-carbon

TBS works with departments to make the transition to low-carbon, climate-resilient, and green operations; and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This work aligns with the Federal Sustainability Development Strategy goal of greening government.

The federal government has been steadily reducing its greenhouse gas emissions. Relative to 2005 levels, it reduced its emissions by 24% by 2015–16, by 28% by 2016–17, and by 32% by 2017–18.

TBS has set targets for long-term emission reductions. Specifically, it wants to see a reduction in the federal government’s overall greenhouse gas emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 (with an aspiration to achieve this target by 2025), and by 80% by 2050.

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS will work with departments to implement the government’s Greening Government Strategy. It will, for example, coordinate federal efforts to reduce emissions from real property and fleet. Under the strategy, departments must meet new requirements for 100% of executive vehicle purchases, and 75% of administrative vehicles purchases, to be zero-emission or hybrid vehicles.

TBS will also fund the first group of projects under the Greening Government Fund, an initiative that will:

• promote and share innovative approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions
• provide funding for innovative projects in departments to reduce greenhouse gases in their operations

Departmental result 1 for Employer: public service attracts and retains a skilled and diverse workforce

Effective people management is a cornerstone of a high-performing public service and helps build Canadians’ trust in government. TBS works with key stakeholders, including the Public Service Commission of Canada and the Canada School of Public Service, to lead excellence in effective people management. Although departments manage their own human resources, TBS ensures an appropriate degree of consistency in people management across the public service in order to achieve a public service that:

• attracts and retains talented and skilled individuals, and maximizes the potential of its workforce to meet both current and future organizational needs
• is healthy, diverse and inclusive, and that is representative of the population it serves
• fosters leadership that sets clear direction, engages employees, and embodies the public service values and ethics
• innovates and invests in human resources systems and processes that enable high­-quality people management services

TBS will continue to set the strategic direction for departments on government-wide people management needs, including innovation, performance, and inclusion.

TBS will also continue to support the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitment to work with departments to deliver services in full compliance with the Official Languages Act, and the commitment to create a workplace free from harassment and sexual violence.

There are several facets to Departmental result 1 for Employer.

• Recruitment
  The federal public service is trying to attract younger talent. The percentage of new indeterminate hires under the age of 35 has been fairly stable in the last 3 years, at a little over 50% each year. The target is to keep this rate at least 55% annually.

• Retention
  One way the federal government gauges employee retention is by looking at their sense of satisfaction from their work. From 2014 to 2017, this increased from 74% to 77%. The target is to at least maintain this result.

• Skills
  A key skill is bilingualism, and one way the public service measures this is by tracking the percentage of federal organizations where “communications in designated bilingual offices ‘nearly always’ occur in the official language chosen by the public.” This percentage increased from 84.5% in 2015–16 to 92.6% in 2017–18. The target is to maintain a result of at least 90%.

• Diversity
  

  With respect to attracting and retaining a diverse public service, the federal government has set specific targets for the percentage of executive employees who are members of employment equity groups. These targets are, at minimum, consistent with the current availability of these groups in the Canadian executive workforce.

  The percentages of executives who are members of a visible minority group, women, or persons with disabilities, are above current workforce availability. The target is to at least maintain workforce availability rates, annually, for visible minorities and women.^{Footnote 10} For persons with disabilities, given TBS’s work to improve accessibility in the public service, the target is to reach 5% annually, compared with the workforce availability rate of 2.3%.

  The percentage of executive employees who are Aboriginal persons, however, is below workforce availability. This percentage decreased between 2016–17 and 2017–18, indicating that the rate of attrition for this group at the executive level exceeds recruitment. The target is to at least match workforce availability for this group at the executive level by March 2022.

In pursuit of these targets, TBS will strengthen its research capacity by using business intelligence tools and analytics in order to provide a holistic picture of the state of people management across the public service. Research and innovation in the area of people management will put the public service at the leading edge of workplace wellness, employee engagement, and the future of work.

In 2019–20, TBS will:

• provide departments and agencies with a framework, tools, and guidance on wellness, diversity and inclusion
• advise departments on accessibility issues related to recruitment, retention, and career progression (for example, on how to acquire and fund assistive devices) and discuss accommodation needs with departments’ staff, through the Office of Public Service Accessibility
• work with departments to continue to implement the recommendations in the report The Next Level: Normalizing a Culture of Inclusive Linguistic Duality in the Federal Public Service Workplace, such as improving language training and accommodating the second-language learning needs of Indigenous public servants

As well, in support of expanding bilingual services, TBS will work toward implementing new official languages regulations, which will result in more bilingual federal services by 2023.

Departmental result 2 for Employer: employee wellness is improved

To improve employee wellness across the public service, TBS provides resources, tools, and guidance on creating safe and healthy workplaces. These efforts support the fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s mandate letter commitment to take action in support of a public service workplace that is free from harassment and sexual violence.

Results in these areas have been mixed. The percentage of employees who believe that their workplace is psychologically healthy decreased between 2016–17 (60%) and 2017–18 (56%). The target is year-over-year increase.

The percentage of employees who indicate that they have been harassed on the job in the past 2 years decreased between 2016–17 (22%) and 2017–18 (18%). The 2018–19 survey results indicate that 15% of employees believe that they have been harassed on the job in the past 12 months. The target is to have a year-over-year reduction in this percentage.

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS will:

• expand resources for departments in the areas of mental health and preventing harassment and violence in the workplace, including profiles of initiatives that are considered best practices
• provide guidance to departments on how to address incidents of harassment and violence
• develop updated Treasury Board policy requirements related to harassment and violence to align with changes to the Canada Labour Code

Departmental result 3 for Employer: modernized employment conditions

TBS works with bargaining agents to modernize employment conditions in the federal public service, in fulfillment of the Treasury Board President’s commitment to bargain in good faith with Canada’s public sector unions.

Labour relations issues are sometimes brought to the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, a quasi-judicial tribunal that resolves such issues through adjudication or mediation. In the past 3 years, all decisions by this board have found that the Treasury Board, as employer, bargained in good faith. TBS seeks to maintain this result and to maintain the trust of employees and their representatives.

In 2019–20, TBS will:

• advance a partnership between bargaining agents and the employer to better reintegrate employees into the workplace after long periods of leave due to illness or injury
• advance planning on proactive pay equity reform

In addition, to support the stabilization of the pay system, TBS will continue to work with:

• departments to implement standard timelines and performance measures for key transactions that lead to a pay action
• bargaining agents to develop an approach for addressing damages for employees who have experienced hardships
• industry and stakeholders, including employees, through a staged procurement process, to identify options for a new human resources and pay solution, as part of the government’s plans to move away from the Phoenix pay system

Departmental result 1 for Regulatory oversight: government regulatory practices and processes are open, transparent, and informed by evidence

TBS promotes open, transparent, and evidence-based regulatory practices and processes to protect and advance Canadians’ health, safety, and environment, and to help create the conditions for an innovative and prosperous economy. This includes setting out, in the Cabinet Directive on Regulation, requirements and expectations for the development, management, and review of federal regulations. It also includes modernizing Canada’s regulatory policy framework to be more efficient and agile, and less burdensome for business.

In 2017–18, performance in this area was strong. For 97% of regulatory initiatives,^{Footnote 11} departments reported that they consulted the public before publishing the proposed regulations. In addition, 99% of regulatory proposals^{Footnote 12} had an appropriate impact assessment (for example, including cost-benefit analysis). The target for 2019–20 is at least 95% for each result.

In 2018, Canada’s regulatory system maintained its high international rankings, as reported in the OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2018. This publication considers factors such as stakeholder engagement, regulatory impact analysis, and ex-post evaluation. The target is to keep Canada in the top 5 in the next issue of the report, in 2021.

In pursuit of these targets, in 2019–20, TBS will:

• pursue a regulatory modernization agenda focused on supporting innovation, business competitiveness, and economic growth, including:
  • introducing an annual regulatory modernization bill to remove outdated or duplicative legislative requirements
  • establishing an external advisory committee on regulatory competitiveness
  • launching a new Centre for Regulatory Innovation to develop and conduct regulatory experimentation
  • coordinating additional regulatory reviews of targeted sectors to examine regulatory bottlenecks to economic growth and innovation
  • developing a new online regulatory consultation system
  • launching a full review of the Red Tape Reduction Act and Red Tape Reduction Regulations
• continue helping departments implement the Cabinet Directive on Regulation,^{Footnote 13},  by:
  • providing them with updated regulatory guidance and advice
  • monitoring and assessing their progress
• continue to support Treasury Board ministers by providing advice on regulatory and order-in-council matters
• continue to represent Canada in international and domestic regulatory policy and trade forums

Departmental result 2 for Regulatory oversight: regulatory cooperation among jurisdictions is advanced

TBS promotes regulatory cooperation among jurisdictions to support the interests of industry, consumers, and regulators, both domestically and internationally.

In 2017–18, 100% of significant federal regulatory proposals took regulatory cooperation considerations into account, where appropriate. The target is a result of at least 95%.

Although regulatory cooperation considerations are being taken into account in all regulatory proposals, the number of federal regulatory programs that had a regulatory cooperation work plan remained the same from 2015–16 to 2017–18, at 23.

In 2017–18, TBS established 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

Since the inception of these forums, 28 additional work plans were started, resulting in a total of 51 active regulatory cooperation work plans. Taking into account the progress made through these forums, as well as the expected completion of some existing work plans, the aim is for 35 federal regulatory programs to have regulatory cooperation work plans by March 2020.

In 2019–20, TBS will:

• continue to pursue new areas for regulatory cooperation work plans under the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council, the Canada-European Union Regulatory Cooperation Forum, and the Canadian Free Trade Agreement Regulatory Reconciliation and Cooperation Table to achieve greater regulatory alignment domestically and internationally
• continue to support and coordinate efforts to foster regulatory alignment between Canada and key trading partners in select sectors
• continue to support the negotiation of good regulatory practices and regulatory cooperation provisions in new trade agreements
• implement changes to the Red Tape Reduction Act and Red Tape Reduction Regulations to increase flexibility so that regulators can consider the benefits of regulatory cooperation initiatives under the “One-for-One” Rule
• promote good regulatory practices, including international cooperation, through initiatives to share information and build capacity, such as the Memorandum of Understanding between Canada and Mexico for the Advancement of Good Regulatory Practices