Secretary of the Treasury Board - Transition 2024: Briefing Book 1

On this page

Role of the Secretary of the Treasury Board

Outline

The President of the Treasury Board

Supporting the President of the Treasury Board

Treasury Board

The President of the Treasury Board chairs Treasury Board meetings, and:

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Secretary supports the President in their mandate to:

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Portfolio

The President of the Treasury Board is the Minister responsible for a portfolio of four organizations:

  1. Canada School of Public Service
  2. Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
  3. Public Sector Integrity Commissioner
  4. Public Sector Pension Investment Board

The Treasury Board and its Secretariat

Treasury Board

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Key facts

Core responsibilities

As the administrative arm of the Treasury Board, TBS provides leadership to help departments effectively implement government priorities and meet citizens’ evolving expectations of government.

TBS’s four core responsibilities mirror those of the Treasury Board, which are:

  1. spending oversight
  2. administrative leadership
  3. employer
  4. regulatory oversight

President’s responsibilities

TBS deputy head legislative authorities

Ministerial portfolio

The President has oversight responsibilities for four portfolio agencies. This includes responsibility for the legislation governing these bodies and tabling any amendments in Parliament.

Canada School of Public Service: departmental corporation

Taki Sarantakis, President

Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada: Agent of Parliament (arm’s length)

Nancy Bélanger, Commissioner

Public Sector Integrity Commissioner: Agent of Parliament (arm’s length)

Harriet Solloway, Commissioner

Public Sector Pension Investment Board: Crown corporation (arm’s length)

Deborah K. Orida, President and Chief Executive Officer

The roles and powers of the Treasury Board and the President

Treasury Board

The Treasury Board was first established as a committee of the King’s Privy Council for Canada on July 2, 1867, and was made a statutory committee in 1869. It is the only Cabinet committee recognized in legislation.

The Treasury Board consists of the President of the Treasury Board (the President), the Minister of Finance and four other members of the King’s Privy Council for Canada that are designated as members by an order-in-council. The composition of the Treasury Board is provided for in the Financial Administration Act, which also provides for the appointment of alternates who can serve in the place of members. The Treasury Board’s quorum is three members (including alternates)., which also provides for the appointment of alternates who can serve in the place of members. The Treasury Board’s quorum is three members (including alternates).

The Treasury Board exercises authority over a range of issues, and its role can generally be classified into powers of supervision, recommendation, decision, approval, reporting and regulation-making. While the primary statute setting out the role of the Treasury Board is the Financial Administration Act, there are over 20 other statutes that also establish its roles and authorities. The Treasury Board’s powers and responsibilities are also set out in regulations, orders-in-council, policies, guidelines and practices.

The Treasury Board has three principal roles:

  1. It acts as the government’s “Expenditure Manager”:
    • preparing the government’s expenditure plans (the Estimates) and monitoring program spending by government departments
    • approving the use of new money that has been set aside in the Budget, including for major procurements, assets, new programs, and grants and contributions
  2. It acts as the government’s “Management Board”:
    • setting the rules that establish how people, public funds and government assets are managed
    • reviewing departmental investment plans in support of accountability of government operations
  3. It acts as the “Employer” of the core public administration (including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police):
    • approving collective bargaining for the core public administration
    • determining terms and conditions of employment
    • setting rules on human resources management

Treasury Board (Governor in Council)

Since December 2003, the members of the Treasury Board have also been asked to serve as members of the Committee of the Privy Council advising the Governor in Council. This role is often referred to as “Treasury Board, Part B.” The principal role of Treasury Board, Part B, is to:

  1. Provide “Regulatory Oversight”: reviewing and approving most regulations and orders-in-council

When advising the Governor in Council, Treasury Board, Part B’s quorum is four members. The composition of the Treasury Board, Part B, is not governed by the Financial Administration Act. In the absence of a sufficient number of Treasury Board members, other Cabinet ministers may be invited to participate.

President of the Treasury Board

Responsibilities and key accountabilities

The responsibilities assigned to the President as Chair of the Treasury Board are implicitly inseparable from the Treasury Board’s mandate: the management, expenditure and employer responsibilities that fall to the Treasury Board are also the President’s own responsibilities and form the basis for their key accountabilities. Appendix A provides further information about the legislative mandate and responsibilities of the Treasury Board and the President.

Specific responsibilities assigned directly to the President include:

The Treasury Board may delegate to the President (in addition to other officials) any of the powers or functions it is authorized to exercise under any Act of Parliament or by any order made by the Governor in Council. The Treasury Board may make the delegation subject to terms and conditions it considers appropriate. In turn, the Financial Administration Act provides that such delegated powers can be further delegated. Any sub-delegation is subject to the terms and conditions of the original delegation.

Other statutes assign specific authorities to either the President or the Treasury Board. For example, the President has the authority to:

The Treasury Board’s authority to act as the Employer for the core public administration is established under various statutes. As the Chair of the Treasury Board, the President supports the Treasury Board’s employer responsibilities. Legislation gives the Treasury Board the authority to:

Legislative portfolio

The President maintains overall responsibility for the statutes within their legislative portfolio. Should the government decide to amend these statutes, the President would be responsible for sponsoring any bills introduced in the House of Commons and tabling any required Government Response. Appendix B contains a list of statutes that fall under the President’s legislative portfolio.

Ministerial portfolio

The President is the minister responsible for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Canada School of Public Service. The Canada School of Public Service provides a common, standardized curriculum to support the learning and development of public servants.

Operating at arm’s length and reporting to Parliament through the President of the Treasury Board are the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada.

The President’s ministerial portfolio is subject to change based on ministerial or machinery decisions by a new government.

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS)

TBS was established as a department in 1966 as the administrative arm of the Treasury Board. It supports the Treasury Board by making recommendations and providing advice on program spending, regulations, and management policies and directives, while respecting the primary responsibility of deputy heads in managing their organizations and in their roles as accounting officers before Parliament. In this way, TBS helps to strengthen government performance, results and reporting and supports good governance and sound stewardship.

The business lines of TBS are expressed through its Departmental Results Framework. The Departmental Results Framework sets out the core responsibilities for the organization, which are:

The Departmental Results Framework also focuses on the results the department is aiming to achieve in these core areas as well as how progress will be assessed. This information helps support TBS’s reporting to Parliament through its Departmental Plan and Departmental Results Report. The Departmental Plan, tabled in the spring, describes what TBS will do over the next three years to achieve results for Canadians and the resources that are required to do so. The Departmental Results Report, tabled in the fall, describes TBS’s actual performance and the resources it used during the previous fiscal year.

The Secretary of the Treasury Board

The Secretary of the Treasury Board is the deputy head of TBS. The Secretary is appointed by the Governor in Council.

Subsection 12(1) of the Financial Administration Act sets out the powers assigned to deputy heads in the core public administration, which include, among others:

The Secretary, as are all other deputy heads and chief executive officers, is an accounting officer pursuant to sections 16.1 through 16.4 of the Financial Administration Act. Accounting officers are senior officials that can be called to testify before a parliamentary committee regarding the management of their department and the performance of their duties.

Under section 16.5 of the Financial Administration Act, the Secretary has a role in providing guidance on the interpretation of policies, directives or standards issued by the Treasury Board in disputes between deputy heads (as accounting officers) and ministers.

Although the Secretary oversees TBS, three other senior officials within TBS, established under the Financial Administration Act and appointed by order-in-council, have specific government-wide leadership responsibilities:

The Treasury Board may delegate to the Secretary any of the powers or functions it is authorized to exercise under any Act of Parliament or by any order made by the Governor in Council (section 6(4) of the Financial Administration Act). The Treasury Board may also delegate some of its powers to the three other senior officials listed above, in addition to other officials (sections 6(4), (4.1) and (4.11) of the Financial Administration Act). Such delegated powers can be further delegated. Any sub-delegation is subject to the terms and conditions of the original delegation (section 6(6) of the Financial Administration Act).

Appendix A: overview of the legislative mandate of the Treasury Board and the President

The Financial Administration Act is the primary statute that outlines the role of the Treasury Board and the President. Other federal laws also contain provisions that implicate the Treasury Board and the President.

Financial management and administrative policy

1. General

The Financial Administration Act provides that the Treasury Board may act for the King’s Privy Council for Canada in specified areas, including general administrative policy in the federal public administration, the organization of the federal public administration, financial management, and the review of departmental spending plans and programs. The Act also provides for various powers of delegation.

The Financial Administration Act also provides important rules for the financial administration of the Government of Canada, the establishment and maintenance of the accounts of Canada and the control of Crown corporations. A variety of other statutes also grant authorities to the Treasury Board on financial matters such as presenting financial statements to the Auditor General for audit and approving rates of remuneration, travel expenses and other allowances.

The appropriation acts implement the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates. They are approved by the Treasury Board and tabled in the House of Commons by the President.

2. Management of assets

The Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act provides for the authorization and regulation of the acquisition, administration, and disposition of real property by or on behalf of the Crown. Under that Act, the Treasury Board is given authority to establish financial or other limits, restrictions or requirements respecting any real property transaction or class of transactions. Policies have been adopted ensuring proper stewardship of Crown property and maximization of value for any property acquired or disposed. Although the Act has delegated full authority to ministers to complete most transactions, certain transactions are subject to Cabinet approval (Governor in Council) on the recommendation of the Treasury Board. The President acts as the minister responsible for this Act.

3. Access to information and privacy

The Access to Information Act provides a right of access to records under the control of government institutions, requires a range of institutions to proactively publish specified information, and establishes the Office of the Information Commissioner. The President is one of the ministers designated by the Governor in Council for the purposes of the Act. As such, the President is responsible for:

The Privacy Act establishes rules to protect personal information held by government institutions, provides individuals with a right to access and correct their personal information that is held by government institutions, and establishes the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. The President is the minister designated by the Governor in Council for the purposes of certain provisions of the Act. As such, the President is responsible for:

4. Official languages

The President is responsible for exercising leadership within the Government of Canada in relation to the implementation of the Official Languages Act and, in consultation with the other ministers of the Crown, for coordinating the implementation of the Act and ensuring good governance of the Act.

The Treasury Board is responsible for the general direction and coordination of the policies and programs relating to the implementation of Part IV (Communications with and Services to the Public), Part V (Language of Work) and Part VI (Participation of English-Speaking and French-Speaking Canadians), subsection 41(5) (Positive Measures) and paragraph 41(7)(a.1) (Inclusion of linguistic clauses in agreements with provincial or territorial governments) of the Official Languages Act within all federal institutions except:

The President must submit an annual report to Parliament concerning the implementation of these programs. The President may also be designated by the Governor in Council to undertake public consultations on proposed regulations.

5. Auditor General

The Auditor General Act establishes the position of Auditor General, who is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the government’s financial statements and providing Parliament with independent information, assurance and advice regarding the stewardship of public funds. With respect to the Auditor General, the President:

6. Red tape reduction

The Red Tape Reduction Act provides that the President may establish policies or issue directives respecting the way the One-for-One Rule is applied. The One-for-One Rule requires federal government regulators to offset the cost increases of administrative burdens on businesses and remove one regulation for every new regulation added that imposes an administrative burden. The President is also responsible for publishing a report each year and causing a review of the Act to be conducted five years after its coming into force. A review of the Act is currently underway. The Regulations provide that the Treasury Board may exempt a regulation from the One-for-One Rule in certain circumstances.

7. Service Fees Act

The Service Fees Act requires responsible authorities, before certain fees are fixed, to develop fee proposals for consultation and to table them in Parliament. It also requires that performance standards and procedures for refunding certain fees be established in accordance with Treasury Board policies or directives. It adjusts certain fees on an annual basis in accordance with the Consumer Price Index. Furthermore, it requires responsible authorities to table a report on their fees in Parliament in accordance with Treasury Board policies and directives. Finally, the President is required to publish a report that consolidates the information set out in the reports tabled in Parliament.

Human resources management

1. General

The Treasury Board acts as the Employer for the core public administration and, as such, the Financial Administration Act gives it general responsibility for the organization of the public service and personnel management within the public administration, including the determination of the terms and conditions of employment of persons employed in it. It further allows the Treasury Board to delegate to the Chief Human Resource Officer any of its powers and functions – other than its power to make regulations – in relation to human resources management, official languages, employment equity, values and ethics and its authorities under the Public Service Employment Act.

The Financial Administration Act also provides direct authority for certain aspects of personnel management in the hands of deputy heads, subject to policies and directives of the Treasury Board. Deputy head responsibilities include determining learning and developmental requirements, providing for awards and setting standards of discipline and imposing penalties (up to and including termination) and the termination or demotion of employees for unsatisfactory performance or other non-disciplinary reasons.

2. Staffing

The Public Service Employment Act provides for the appointment of public servants in the public service and other related matters.

Under the Act, staffing in the public service is based on the core values of merit, excellence, non-partisanship, representativeness and the ability to serve members of the public with integrity in the official language of their choice. The Act defines merit, assigns certain functions directly to the employer and creates arrangements for staffing recourse. The Public Service Commission of Canada has the authority to make appointments, and this authority can be delegated to deputy heads. The Commission can also conduct investigations and audits on matters within its jurisdiction.

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board is responsible for the resolution of staffing complaints related to internal appointments and layoffs in the federal public service.

3. Labour relations

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act establishes a labour relations regime within the public service, provides for the negotiation of collective agreements with unions representing public servants and establishes a grievance process for public servants. The Act provides for a labour relations regime based on cooperation and consultation between the employer and bargaining agents, notably by requiring labour-management consultation committees, enabling co-development of workplace improvements and enhancing collaboration. The Act also establishes an essential services regime whereby, although the employer determines the level at which services are to be provided during a strike, an essential services agreement must be entered between the employer and the bargaining agent prior to the bargaining agent being in a strike position. The Act provides for the establishment of informal conflict resolution system within departments and for comprehensive grievance resolution provisions.

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act was amended in 2017 to include a new collective bargaining and labour relations regime for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board is responsible for administering the collective bargaining and grievance adjudication systems in the federal public service.

4. Employment equity

The Employment Equity Act aims to ensure that members of designated groups (women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities) are equitably represented in both the federal public service and the federally regulated private sector (which includes airlines, interprovincial rail, ship or ferry operations, radio broadcasting stations and banks). While the Minister of Labour is the responsible minister, the Act specifies that the Treasury Board and the Public Service Commission of Canada are responsible for carrying out obligations in the Act, as employer. Moreover, the Treasury Board plays an important role in the implementation of the Act for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The President is responsible for tabling in Parliament an annual report on the state of employment equity in the public service.

5. Disclosure of wrongdoing and reprisal protection

The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act establishes a regime to enable public servants to make disclosures of information that they believe could show that a wrongdoing has occurred in relation to the public sector. The regime includes access to the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. The Act also provides protection from reprisal to public servants who have made a protected disclosure or have cooperated in an investigation into a disclosure under the Act.

The Treasury Board, as required by the Act, has created a code of conduct for the public sector. The Treasury Board is also responsible for approving the procedures for handling disclosures that must be set up by certain public sector organizations that are excluded from the Act (the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the Communications Security Establishment).

Under the Act, the President is responsible for:

6. Health and safety

Part II of the Canada Labour Code creates a regime of requirements and recourse to prevent work-related accidents and illness that is applicable to employers and employees subject to federal jurisdiction. The Treasury Board is currently the largest employer subject to Part II of the Code. The Treasury Board is also subject to Part IV of the Code, which establishes an administrative monetary penalty regime for violations of Part II of the Code.

7. Pensions

The Treasury Board and the President have responsibilities in relation to a number of legislated pension plans.

The President is the responsible minister for:

The Canadian Forces Superannuation Act, Defence Services Pension Continuation Act, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Superannuation Act and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Pension Continuation Act provide pension benefits to all Canadian Armed Forces personnel, to members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their survivors, and to retired officers of the military or Royal Canadian Mounted Police who were part of the old Defence Services Pension Act and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act and their survivors. The Minister of National Defence and the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness are responsible for each of their respective plans. However, the President is accountable to Parliament for funding and financial policies for these plans and thus has a shared responsibility.

8. Pay equity

The Pay Equity Actcame into force on August 31, 2021. The Act creates a proactive pay equity regime that applies to the federal public service as well as to federally regulated businesses in Canada. The Act requires employers to establish and maintain a pay equity plan and to identify and correct differences in compensation between predominantly male and predominantly female job classes where the work performed is of equal value. Under the Act, the Treasury Board of Canada is the employer for the core public administration, the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and will be responsible for developing and maintaining the pay equity plans for these workplaces. TBS may be called on to provide guidance to separate agencies in the establishment of their plans.

Government ethics and lobbying

1. Conflict of Interest Act

The Conflict of Interest Act establishes ethical rules for public office holders to protect the integrity of government decision-making. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner administers the Act by reviewing confidential reports submitted to their Office, investigating possible contraventions of the Act and tabling reports to Parliament. Although the Act does not assign any specific legislative responsibilities to the President, the Act falls under the President’s legislative portfolio.

2. Lobbying Act

The Lobbying Act establishes the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying and provides for the appointment of the Commissioner of Lobbying. The Commissioner of Lobbying is mandated to establish and maintain the registry of lobbyists, which includes information about all registered lobbyists as well as their activities. Although the Act does not assign any specific legislative responsibilities to the President, the Act falls under the President’s legislative portfolio

Appendix B: legislative portfolio of the President

Statutes for which the President is named as responsible minister:

Treasury Board of Canada at a glance

About the Treasury Board

Established in 1867, the Treasury Board is the only statutory Cabinet committee.

It has two distinct functions:

Part A: Management Board

Makes decisions about:

  • funds (expenditure manager)
  • authorities, rules and compliance (management board)
  • people (employer)

Treasury Board responsibilities are delegated by the Financial Administration Act, which creates the Board’s public service support: Secretary, Comptroller General, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Information Officer

Part B: Governor in Council

Since 2003, the Treasury Board has been designated as the Cabinet Committee responsible for considering Governor in Council matters.

Makes recommendations to the Governor General about:

  • regulations
  • most orders-in-council (that is, non-appointment orders-in-council)

In addition to the Financial Administration Act, over 20 other statutes establish the Treasury Board’s roles and authorities. Powers and responsibilities are also set out in regulations, orders-in-council, policies, guidelines and practices.

Where the Treasury Board fits

Between the genesis of a policy idea and its implementation by a department, ministers must secure certain approvals to ensure policy alignment, affordability and feasibility.

The graphic presents the process from policy idea to implementation by a department. Text version below:
Text version

Graphic showing the process from policy idea to implementation by a department.

  • The first step is mandate and policy development.
  • The second step is policy cover by Cabinet, which includes confirmation that Cabinet as a whole supports the approach.
  • The third step is a funding decision through the Budget, which includes approval by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance to fund the measures.
  • The fourth step is implementation authorities by Treasury Board, which includes the right to seek spending authority from Parliament and/or to carry out certain operational steps.
  • The fifth step is parliamentary spending authorities, which includes approval from Parliament to release money to departments.
  • The final step is departmental implementation.

The fourth step (implementation authorities by Treasury Board) is circled to indicate where Treasury Board fits within the process.

Combined, these key decisions help ensure the government can implement its agenda.

How Treasury Board helps implement the government’s agenda

Cabinet focuses on the what

For example:

Treasury Board focuses on the how

For example:

Treasury Board lenses

Alignment

Does the proposal align with the government’s policy goals?

Design

How is the program or regulation designed?

Value

Does the proposal represent good value?

Risk

Are solid risk mitigation plans in place for the overall risks of the proposal?

Implementation capacity

Does the proposal work within the department’s existing administrative capacity?

Impact

Will it achieve outcomes? How will these be measured?

The roles of the Treasury Board

Part A

Expenditure manager
Management board
Employer

Part B

Regulatory oversight

Treasury Board takes a wide range of decisions

Key features of the Treasury Board

Ministers play a corporate role as opposed to representing their own departmental priorities.

Highest-volume Cabinet committee with a wide scope of decision-making authority:

TBS officials present proposals, unlike at Cabinet, where Ministers present their proposals:

Quorum for Part A is three ministers and for Part B is four ministers.

Annex A: how the Treasury Board works

Due diligence

Submissions reviewed for:

TBS provides advice

Treasury Board ministers receive materials in advance of the meeting that contain:

Cases are presented at the Treasury Board

Process:

TBS officials answer questions on any item.

Treasury Board ministers challenge and decide

For Part A, members either:

For Part B, members:

Part B decisions are only to approve or not approve.

Annex B: assessment of impact and implementation risks

High impact

Submission is considered to have a high impact when it has one or more of the following:

High implementation risk

Submission is considered to have a high implementation risk when it includes one or more of the following elements:

For Part A only: In circumstances where risks haven’t been appropriately mitigated by the department, the Assistant Secretaries may recommend conditions or adjustments to the authorities to be provided (for example, less money, requirement to return to the Board, and so on)

Figure 2.1. Text version below
Text version

Three-by-three grid showing implementation risk on the horizontal axis and impact on the vertical axis. Impact increases from bottom to top and implementation risk increases from left to right.

This grid demonstrates when a Treasury Board submission can be flagged for presentation and discussion to the Treasury Board:

  • Low implementation risk, low-impact items are not flagged
  • Low implementation risk, medium-impact items are not flagged
  • Low implementation risk, high-impact items are possibly flagged
  • Medium implementation risk, low-impact items are not flagged
  • Medium implementation risk, medium-impact items are possibly flagged
  • Medium implementation risk, high-impact items are flagged
  • High implementation risk, low-impact items are possibly flagged
  • High implementation risk, medium-impact items are flagged
  • High implementation risk, high-impact items are flagged

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat at a glance

Outline

Overview of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

TBS plays a central coordinating function for the Government of Canada, promoting coherence across programs and services.

Central agency Department

Sets the government-wide management agenda and provides guidance to departments on a wide range of management issues

As a department, it is subject to this agenda and guidance

Performs a challenge function and advises Ministers on proposals brought forward by departments (for example, on Memoranda to Cabinet, Budget items, and Treasury Board submissions)

Submits proposals to Cabinet for the President’s own initiatives

Central agency and departmental functions

Central agency

The central agency function supports the Treasury Board’s mandate. This role is generally carried out by the following groups:

Department

Enabling functions support the smooth operation of the Treasury Board Secretariat. These functions are carried out mainly by the following groups:

TBS organizational chart

The Honourable Anita Anand - President of the Treasury Board
The Honourable Anita Anand

President of the Treasury Board

Anthony Housefather - Parliamentary Secretary
Anthony Housefather

Parliamentary Secretary

Dominique Blanchard - Associate Secretary
Dominique Blanchard

Associate Secretary

Catherine Blewett - Secretary of the Treasury Board
Catherine Blewett

Secretary of the Treasury Board

Matthew Partridge - Acting Chief of Staff to the Secretary
Matthew Partridge

Acting Chief of Staff to the Secretary

Program sectors
Jen O’Donoughue - International Affairs, Security and Justice
Jen O’Donoughue

International Affairs, Security and Justice

David Peckham - Social and Cultural
David Peckham

Social and Cultural

Heather Sheehy - Government Operations
Heather Sheehy

Government Operations

Anuradha Marisetti - Economic
Anuradha Marisetti

Economic

Policy sectors
Annie Boudreau - Expenditure Management
Annie Boudreau

Expenditure Management

Tina Green - Regulatory Affairs
Tina Green

Regulatory Affairs

Nick Xenos - Centre for Greening Government
Nick Xenos

Centre for Greening Government

Enabling functions
Mallika Nanduri Bhatt - Priorities and Planning
Mallika Nanduri Bhatt

Priorities and Planning

James Stott - Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs
James Stott

Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs

Karen Cahill - Corporate Services
Karen Cahill

Corporate Services

Marie-Pierre Jackson - Human Resources
Marie-Pierre Jackson

Human Resources

Manon LeBrun - Internal Audit and Evaluation
Manon LeBrun

Internal Audit and Evaluation

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer
Jacqueline Bogden - Chief Human Resources Officer
Jacqueline Bogden

Chief Human Resources Officer

Francis Trudel - Associate Chief Human Resources Officer
Francis Trudel

Associate Chief Human Resources Officer

People and Culture
Mireille Laroche - Assistant Deputy Minister
Mireille Laroche

Assistant Deputy Minister

Heidi Kutz - Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
Heidi Kutz

Associate Assistant Deputy Minister

Strategic Directions and Digital Solutions
Jean-François Fleury - Assistant Deputy Minister
Jean-François Fleury

Assistant Deputy Minister

Pankaj Sehgal - Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
Pankaj Sehgal

Associate Assistant Deputy Minister

Employee Relations and Total Compensation
Carole Bidal - Acting Assistant Deputy Minister
Carole Bidal

Acting Assistant Deputy Minister

Carole Bidal - Associate Assistant Deputy Minister
Carole Bidal

Associate Assistant Deputy Minister

Office of the Comptroller General
Roch Huppé - Comptroller General
Roch Huppé

Comptroller General

Monia Lahaie - Financial Management
Monia Lahaie

Financial Management

Sheri Ostridge - Internal Audit
Sheri Ostridge

Internal Audit

Samantha Tattersall - Acquired Services and Assets
Samantha Tattersall

Acquired Services and Assets

Christine Walker - Financial Management Transformation
Christine Walker

Financial Management Transformation

Office of the Chief Information Office
Dominic Rochon - Chief Information Officer of Canada
Dominic Rochon

Chief Information Officer of Canada

Po Tea-Duncan - Chief Information Security Officer
Po Tea-Duncan

Chief Information Security Officer

Minh Doan - Chief Technology Officer
Minh Doan

Chief Technology Officer

Stephen Burt - Chief Data Officer, Digital Policy and Performance
Stephen Burt

Chief Data Officer, Digital Policy and Performance

Mike MacDonald - Security Policy Modernization
Mike MacDonald

Security Policy Modernization

Len Bastien - Special Advisor to the Chief Information Officer / Digital Community Development
Len Bastien

Special Advisor to the Chief Information Officer / Digital Community Development

Office of Public Service Accessibility
 Alfred MacLeod - Assistant Deputy Minister
Alfred MacLeod

Assistant Deputy Minister

Department of Justice Canada
Carol McLean - Legal Services
Carol McLean

Legal Services

The Secretary and Associate Secretary

Catherine Blewett, Secretary of the Treasury Board

Catherine Blewett

Deputy head of TBS supported by an Associate Secretary and four other deputy ministers

Dominique Blanchard, Associate Secretary

Dominique Blanchard

Works with the Secretary, providing leadership on the management of the Treasury Board Cabinet committee

The Secretary and Associate Secretary lead TBS, which is divided into seven thematic areas:

  1. human resources
  2. comptrollership
  3. information (including digital)
  4. accessibility
  5. greening government
  6. direct support to the Treasury Board
  7. enabling functions

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

Jacqueline Bogden

Jacqueline Bogden, Chief Human Resources Officer

Francis Trudel

Francis Trudel, Associate Chief Human Resources Officer

The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership on people management to recruit and retain talent, support a work environment in which employees can thrive, and manage human resources using the best possible tools and evidence.

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer supports the Treasury Board’s mandate by:

Key policies

Office of the Comptroller General

Roch Huppé

Roch Huppé, Comptroller General

The Comptroller General is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership on comptrollership, in the areas of financial management, management of assets, and internal audit.

The Office of the Comptroller General supports the Treasury Board’s mandate by:

Key policies

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Dominic Rochon

Dominic Rochon,Footnote 4 Chief Information Officer

The Chief Information Officer is responsible for the planning and management of technology and the stewardship of information and data for the Government of Canada.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada supports the Treasury Board’s mandate by:

Key policies

Office for Public Service Accessibility

Alfred MacLeod

Alfred MacLeod, Assistant Deputy Minister

The Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Service Accessibility is responsible for supporting the Canadian public service in meeting the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act.

The Office for Public Service Accessibility supports TBS’s mandate by providing strategic advice to government departments and agencies regarding issues related to accessibility and inclusion through:

Centre for Greening Government

Nick Xenos

Nick Xenos, Executive Director

The Centre for Greening Government works to ensure the Government of Canada is a global leader in government operations that are net-zero emissions, climate-resilient, and green.

The Centre for Greening Government supports TBS’s mandate by:

Supporting the Treasury Board directly

Expenditure Management Sector

The Expenditure Management Sector (EMS) plays a central role in the planning and coordination of federal spending.

EMS supports the Treasury Board by:

EMS is also responsible for refining and strengthening the Quality of Life Framework and advancing its implementation across government.

Program sectors

Program sectors are the interface with departments preparing proposals for the Treasury Board.

There are four program sectors:

Program sectors support the Treasury Board by:

Regulatory Affairs Sector

The Regulatory Affairs Sector (RAS) establishes policies and strategies to support the federal regulatory system by:

RAS supports the Treasury Board in its role as a Committee of the Privy Council by:

Enabling functions

Enabling functions support the internal operations of TBS. In some cases, they may also work with other organizations to advance the department’s mandate for good management.

Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs

Responsible for departmental communications and government-wide communications policy direction, secretariat support for meetings of the Treasury Board, Cabinet and Parliamentary Affairs, departmental Access to Information and Privacy, and correspondence.

Human Resources

The Human Resources Division is responsible for providing strategic human resources advice, guidance and services to TBS’s senior leaders, managers and supervisors, and employees.

Corporate Services and Chief Financial Officer

Provides support to the Secretary of the Treasury Board in financial management, security, information management and technology, facilities and materiel management, and Phoenix-related damages claims processing.

Internal Audit and Evaluation

Provides independent, neutral and objective assurance and evaluation services to support the departmental mandate and priorities.

Priorities and Planning

Provides an integrated lens to TBS policy and planning activities that underpin both government-wide management excellence, as well as corporate governance within the Secretariat. Priorities and Planning also provides leadership on management priorities of strategic importance to the President and the Secretary of the Treasury Board, as well as provide support to the rest of TBS to ensure coherence in priorities, aligned progress on key files, clear accountabilities, and continuous improvement.

Departmental Legal Services

Provides legal advice to the Treasury Board and TBS.

People management in the federal public service

Overview of the federal public sector

Public service employees impact the lives of Canadians every day through an array of services and programs. The federal government is the largest employer in Canada with total compensation cost of $84.9 billion (2022–23).

Federal public sector: 611,874 employees
Federal government
Federal public service
Federal public sector organizations Core public administration Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceFootnote * Separate agencies Canadian Armed Forces Crown corporations & other
Number of employees (as of March 2023) 270,798 21,504 86,449 85,781 147,342
Human resource authorities

The Treasury Board has overarching responsibility for human and financial resources management within the core public administration (CPA)

(69 departments)

Uniform and Civilian Members are employees of the Treasury Board. The Treasury Board has authority under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act to set members’ pay and benefits

Employers in their own right, are responsible for classification, staffing, and amending changes to terms and conditions of employment for their employees. Separate Agencies must have their collective bargaining mandates approved by the President of the Treasury Board (21 separate agencies)

Canadian Armed Forces members serve at the pleasure of the Crown and are not employees of the Treasury Board. Treasury Board’s authority to establish Canadian Armed Forces members’ pay and benefits is provided by the National Defence Act

As separate legal entities, Crown corporations have authority over internal human resources. The Governor in Council may require a Crown Corporation to obtain Treasury Board approval of their collective bargaining mandates in advance of bargaining

Federal public sector profile

Quick facts

The size of the federal public sector is unmatched by any other public or private institution in the country

The federal public service contains two distinct populations within the federal public sector:

  1. the core public administration
  2. separate agencies

Treasury Board as the employer oversees and approves the human resources (HR) policies, providing guidance to deputy heads in managing the core public administration population.

Federal public sector population as of March 31, 2023
Figure 3

*RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) public service employees are included in core public administration.

Figure 3 - Text version

Pie chart describing the population of the federal public service and its relationship with the Treasury Board as the employer.

  • The Treasury Board is the employer of the core public administration, which has 270,798 employees from 69 organizations.
  • The Treasury Board sets the pay and benefits for uniformed members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Treasury Board is the employer of civilian members. In total, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has 21,504 employees.
  • The Treasury Board is not the employer for the Canadian Armed Forces but does set pay and benefits. The Canadian Armed Forces have 85,781 employees. 
  • The Treasury Board is not the employer for Crown corporations and others, which have 147,342 employees.
  • The Treasury Board is not the employer for separate agencies, which have 86,449 employees from 21 agencies. Separate agencies are employers in their own right.

In total, there are 611,874 employees in the federal public sector.

RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) public service employees are included in core public administration.

The core public administration by the numbers

Core public administration population growth: 2000 to 2023
Figure 4
Figure 4 - Text version

Line graph showing population growth in the core public administration from 2000 to 2023. There are three groups observed: knowledge workers, executives and non-executives.

The graph is based on the index year of 2000, which was set to 100. The graph shows the growth of the three observed groups since the index year of 2000.

In 2023, the growth index values observed were as follows:

  • 261 for knowledge workers, which indicates growth of 161% since 2000
  • 222 for executives, which indicates growth of 122% since 2000
  • 177 for non-executives, which indicates growth of 77% since 2000

Knowledge workers include Actuarial Science (AC), Auditing (AU), Commerce Officers (CO), Economics and Social Science Services (EC), Financial Management (FI), Information Technology (IT), Law (LP, LA, LC), Mathematics (MA) and Personnel Administration (PE).

The number of knowledge workers within the core public administration has more than doubled in the past twenty years.

2022–23 Public Service Employee Survey

Employee engagement
Diversity and inclusion

Subject of harassment: 12%

Subject of discrimination: 8%

Note: The information provided is for the core public administration, a subset of the federal public service. It includes all employment tenures and active employees only (employees on leave without pay are excluded), and it is based on effective employment classification (acting appointments are included).

Snapshot: core public administration

There are 72 classifications of employees ranging from air traffic control to engineering and scientific support, program and service providers, and policy analysts.

Core public administration by occupational category as of March 31, 2023
Figure 5
Figure 5 - Text version

Pie chart showing the number and percentage of employees by occupational category in the core public administration as of March 31, 2023.

Occupational category Number of employees Percentage of the core public administration
Program and service delivery 70,347 26
Internal services 66,841 25
Scientific and professional 52,553 19
Operational 29,610 11
Clerical support 20,559 8
Technical 14,473 5
Other 8,726 3
Executive 7,689 3

The total number of employees in the core public administration is 270,798.

Between 2017 and March 31, 2023, the core public administration has grown consistently and has increased by 71,107 employees.

Core public administration demographics
Figure 6.1
Figure 6.1 - Text version

Graph showing the percentage of employees in the core public administration by first official language as of 2023:

  • English: 70%
  • French: 30%
  • Unknown: less than 1%
Figure 6.2
Figure 6.2 - Text version

Graphic showing the representation of employment equity groups in the core public administration as of 2022:

  • Indigenous people: 4.9%
  • visible minority: 14%
  • with disability: 6.5%
  • women: 53.2%
Figure 6.3
Figure 6.3 - Text version

Graph showing the number of employees in the core public administration by employment tenure as of 2023:

  • indeterminate: 84%
  • term: 10%
  • casual: 4%
  • student: 2%
Figure 6.4
Figure 6.4 - Text version

Graph showing the percentage of employees in the core public administration by age group as of 2023:

  • under 25: 5%
  • 25 to 29: 11%
  • 30 to 34: 12%
  • 35 to 39: 13%
  • 40 to 44: 15%
  • 45 to 49: 14%
  • 50 to 54: 13%
  • 55 to 59: 10%
  • 60 to 64: 5%
  • 65 and older: 2%

Source: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Human Resources Statistics

Treasury Board as the employer

Established in 1867, Treasury Board is the only statutory Cabinet Committee. It has several responsibilities including being the Employer for the core public administration; these responsibilities are delegated to the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) through the Financial Administration Act.

As the employer, Treasury Board has three primary duties:

1. Establishing compensation and terms and conditions of employment for represented employees:

2. Setting policy direction for people management. Two primaryFootnote 5 policies supported by 22 directives guide people management in the core public administration:

3. Maintaining a healthy, diverse, inclusive, accessible, bilingual and safe workplace. This is achieved through:

People management roles and responsibilities

There are distributed accountabilities and roles across the Government of Canada for people management:

Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) supports Treasury Board in its role as the employer by driving excellence in people management and providing guidance to support consistency across the public service.

Deputy heads

Hold primary responsibility for human resources management within their organizations. This includes directing the administration of financial and human resources.

Privy Council Office

The Privy Council Office (PCO) supports the Clerk as Head of the Public Service, including directing public service–wide people management priorities.

Collective agreements

As of March 2023, in the core public administration:

Collective agreements cover issues such as pay and other allowances, leave, labour relations, career development, hours of work and job security.

These terms and conditions of employment are negotiated with bargaining agents through the collective bargaining process.

During negotiations, one of the parties can declare impasse, which will trigger the applicable dispute resolution mechanism, either arbitration or conciliation or strike.

The National Joint Council complements traditional collective bargaining by offering an alternate and innovative way to address issues on a public service–wide basis through the work of 12 committees and 11 directives included in collective agreements which are negotiated with bargaining agents through the cyclical review.

Bargaining agents

Notes

  1. Populations are as of March 2023 and exclude non-employees (casuals, terms of less than three months and students).
  2. All numbers are rounded.
  3. Source for bargaining agents: Pay system, Employee Relations and Total Compensation for National Police Federation only.

Key partners in human resources management

There are four other key partners that work closely with OCHRO and who are responsible for the various aspects of human resources management within government:

Public Service Commission of Canada

Safeguards the integrity of the staffing system and the non-partisanship of the public service and manages the tools for public service recruitment.

Canada School of Public Service

Provides learning, training, and professional development opportunities to public servants and helps deputy heads meet the learning needs of their organizations.

Public Services and Procurement Canada

Acts as the central purchasing agent, real property manager, treasurer, accountant, pay and pension administrator,Footnote 7 integrity adviser and translation services for the public service.Footnote 8

Shared Services Canada

Responsible for delivering information technology and network services to partner organizations to support the delivery of federal programs and services.

Pensions and benefit plans

Pensions

Public Service Pension Plan statistics

Benefits

Public Service Benefits Plan membership

A healthy and safe workplace

The Treasury Board is responsible for maintaining a workplace that is healthy and safe, diverse and inclusive, free from harassment and violence, supportive of employees’ ability to work in their official language; and where expectations for behaviour and shared values and ethics are clear. Some of the key initiatives in support of these objectives:

Centre on Diversity and Inclusion

Playing a leadership role on innovative initiatives and the change management required to build a diverse and inclusive public service culture

Official Languages Centre of Excellence

Support the coordinated implementation of the Official Languages Act, establish certain policies and programs for its application, particularly with respect to language of service, language of work and participation of English- and French-speaking Canadians in federal institutions, and monitor compliance with these

Centre of Expertise on Mental Health

Supporting federal organizations in implementing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace; supports mental health and wellness champions, leaders and employees through the provision of expert advice, resources and tools

Senior leaders and talent

Providing leadership, programs and policies to support a purpose-led, accountable, impact- and results-driven, diverse and inclusive senior leadership cadre across the federal public service

Harassment, discrimination and violence prevention

Ensuring the public service is a workplace free from harassment, discrimination and violence

Occupational health and safety

Providing direction to the various stakeholders regarding their respective duties and responsibilities under the Canada Labour Code and to make certain that the required measures are taken to ensure compliance

People management policies and regulations

As the Employer, the Treasury Board sets the people management policy requirements that deputy heads are responsible for implementing within their organizations. OCHRO is responsible for the provision of direction, feedback and functional leadership to deputy heads and​ heads of human resources on HR management matters, and any associated​ tools, systems, and oversight.

People management policy suite

The policy suite consists of seven policies and 25 directives:

The policy suite, with some exceptions,Footnote 10 was renewed in 2020 with a focus on enhancing governance, leadership, and performance measurement.

Ministerial mandate letter commitments supported by Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer

  1. Ensure vaccination across the public service.
  2. Ensure that public service workplaces are free from sexual harassment and violence, as well as racism and all forms of hate.
  3. Bargain in good faith with Canada’s public sector unions.
  4. Support departments in implementing the plans outlined in their responses to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service.
  5. Ensure the use of disaggregated data to track the public service’s progress in implementing the plans outlined in their responses to the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity and Inclusion.
  6. Build a whole-of-government approach for the improved collection, analysis, availability and publication of disaggregated data.
  7. Create a Diversity Fellowship to mentor and sponsor diverse groups of public servants.
  8. Implement an action plan to increase representation in hiring, appointments and leadership development.
  9. Create a fellowship for 1,000 students and new graduates.
  10. Offer language training to post-secondary students to reduce barriers to public service recruitment.
  11. Hire 5,000 new public servants with disabilities by 2025.
  12. Offer language programs to racialized public service employees.
  13. Expand public service recruitment programs to international students and permanent residents.
  14. Help community organizations support students to enter the public service.
  15. Establish a mental health fund for Black public servants.
  16. Support career advancement, training, sponsorship and educational opportunities for Black public servants.
  17. Advance the implementation of the Pay Equity Act across the public service.
  18. Bring forward a coherent and coordinated plan for the future of work within the public service.
  19. Develop a long-term, government-wide public service skills strategy.
  20. Require Crown corporations to implement gender and diversity reporting, starting in 2022.
  21. Improve government whistleblower protections and supports, including exploring possible amendments to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.
  22. Ensure that Canadians across the country can receive services from federal institutions in both official languages.
  23. Implement measures outlined in the White Paper, English and French: Towards a Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada, that are related to the public service.

Legislative framework

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it; subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can demonstrably be justified in a free and democratic society. Courts have determined that the “freedom of association” clause confers rights of collective bargaining, including benefit plans.

Financial Administration Act

Confers HR management powers to the Treasury Board and/or deputy heads (organization of work, classification, discipline, termination of employment, terms and conditions of employment, establishment and modification of the public service benefit plan)

Public Service Employment Act

Sets out staffing rules, restrictions on political activities administered by the Public Service Commission of Canada

Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act

Governs collective bargaining and labour relations in the federal public service

Employment Equity Act

Establishes rules for employers to engage in proactive employment practices to increase the representation of four designated groups: women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, and visible minorities

Canadian Human Rights Act

Prohibits federally regulated employers from discriminating based on the grounds listed in the Act. It also protects the right to pay equity by establishing that it is a discriminatory practice for an employer to establish differences in wages between male and female employees who perform work of equal value

Accessible Canada Act

Provides for the development of accessibility standards and gives the government the authority to work with stakeholders and persons with disabilities to create new accessibility regulations that will apply to sectors within the federal jurisdiction

Pay Equity Act

As of August 31, 2021, will require Treasury Board and other federal employers and ministers’ offices to proactively review compensation and ensure that they are providing equal pay for work of equal value

Canada Labour Code, Part II

Sets out the occupational health and safety regime, including workplace harassment and violence prevention regulations, strengthening Canada Labour Code provisions with a comprehensive approach that considers all forms of harassment and violence

Official Languages Act

Assigns responsibilities to Treasury Board and its President, regulations and policies on communications and services to the public, language of work in federal institutions and the participation of English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in federal institutions

Public Service Superannuation Act (and other pension legislation)

Sets out the terms and conditions for pension benefits to current and former federal public sector employees, and their survivors and dependents. Includes Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act for invested assets.

Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act

Establishes a secure and confidential process for disclosing serious wrongdoing in the workplace, as well as protection from acts of reprisal

Primer: people management in the federal public service

Executive summary

This document provides an overview of the management of people in the federal public service, including the roles and responsibilities administered by Treasury Board as the employer for the core public administration. The employer is supported by TBS through the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Introduction

The federal government is the largest employer in Canada with $84.9 billion annually in total compensation costs for 2022–23Footnote 11 and comprises the core public administration (including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police), separate agencies, Crown corporations, and the Canadian Armed Forces (Regular and Reserve Forces). As of March 31, 2023, the federal public sector employed approximately 611,874 people.

The Treasury Board is the employer for approximately 271,000 employeesFootnote 12 within the core public administration, which comprises the 69 organizations named in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act (for example, Health Canada, the Department of Justice Canada and Natural Resources Canada). The Treasury Board is responsible for people management within the core public administration, as outlined in the following authorities and responsibilities in the Financial Administration Act:

The Treasury Board and its President also have authorities and responsibilities for other parts of the federal public sector, though more limited than that of the core public administration.

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer within TBS supports Treasury Board ministers and its President by leading research, policy development and oversight, collective bargaining, and developing guidance and tools to help ensure departments and agencies can effectively manage their workforce.

Background and context

Workforce demographics of the core public administrationFootnote 14

As of March 31, 2023, of the 270,798 employees in the core public administration, the majority (84%) are indeterminate employees. The remaining 16% are term (defined contract length), casual (temporary contracts limited to 90 working days) or students (full-time students hired through approved student programs). As of March 2023, the majority (53%) of employees work outside of the National Capital Region.

Over the last 20 years, the public service has observed relatively steady growth. Since 2000, the non-executive population has grown by 77% (to 263,478), though it is of note that within this population, knowledge workers grew by 161% (to 64,508).Footnote 15 Over this same period, the executive population has grown by 122% (to 7,320).

There are approximately 232,000 employees within the core public administration who are represented by one of 16 bargaining agents who have negotiated 28 collective agreements.Footnote 16

According to the report on employment equity in the public service of Canada for fiscal year 2021 to 2022, the makeup of the core public administration met or exceeded the workforce availabilityFootnote 17 targets for three of the four designated groups (women, Indigenous Peoples, members of visible minorities) defined by the Employment Equity Act.

Representation for persons with disabilities has stabilized after a six-year decline. However, representation for persons with disabilities has remained below the workforce availability targets. Workforce availability targets for persons with disabilities nearly doubled two years ago due to a broadening of the range of disability types considered in the 2016 Census.

Representation of the designated groups is not evenly distributed across classification groups and levels. For example, Indigenous Peoples are underrepresented in the executive group. The updated core public administration representation rates will be reported against the same workforce availability targets until the new workforce availability estimates based on Census 2021 become available (this typically occurs two years after the Census).

Roles and responsibilities of Treasury Board as the employer

1. Setting total compensation

The Treasury Board establishes compensation for the federal public sector in an integrated manner to attract and retain employees to support the delivery of results for the people of Canada. This includes wages, salaries, current and future benefits, pension plan contributions, and other costs owed to employees as compensation (for example, Employer Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan and Employment Insurance contributions, paid leave).

TBS is responsible for establishing business requirements for the pay system, whereas Public Services and Procurement Canada is responsible for their implementation and for delivering pay services to government employees.

TBS supports the President of the Treasury Board in the oversight, management, and administration of the public service pension plan and in the stewardship of other federal retirement programs, including the Members of Parliament pension plan.

As the employer, the Treasury Board has authorities through the Financial Administration Act, to organize work and to provide for the classification of positions and persons employed in the core public administration. The organization of work and the classification of positions are not negotiated. The classification system is divided into 29 occupational groups and the work is evaluated by 72 classification standards.

a) Collective bargaining

TBS officials are mandated to negotiate collective agreements with 16 bargaining agents on behalf of the Treasury Board. Once a tentative settlement is reached, the Treasury Board provides the authorization for officials to enter into a collective agreement, provided bargaining unit members vote in favour.

Separate agencies listed under Schedule V of the Financial Administration Act (for example, the Canada Revenue Agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) are responsible for conducting their own collective bargaining. However, separate agencies are required, under the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act,to obtain a mandate from the Treasury Board prior to negotiating any changes.

In collective bargaining and the renewal of collective agreements, the goal is to bargain in good faith and ensure fair and competitive compensation for employees to adequately attract and retain talent while respecting the overall fiscal responsibility of the government and Canadians. During negotiations, one of the parties can declare an impasse, which will trigger the applicable dispute resolution mechanism, either binding arbitration or conciliation/strike, (the mechanism is decided by the bargaining agent at the outset of the negotiations).

Created in 1944, the National Joint Council complements traditional collective bargaining by offering an alternate and innovative way to address issues on a public service–wide basis through the work of 12 committees and 11 directives, which are included in collective agreements.

The National Joint Council is the “forum of choice” to:

Participating employers and bargaining agents take joint ownership of broad labour relations issues and develop collaborative solutions to workplace problems.

b) Pay equity

The Pay Equity Act and Regulations, which apply to federally regulated employers in the public and private sectors, came into force on August 31, 2021. TBS officials are responsible for developing and maintaining pay equity plans to support the Pay Equity Act’s implementation in the core public administration and for Royal Canadian Mounted Police members. Separate agencies are responsible for developing their own pay equity plans. Each step of the pay equity plan development will be negotiated at legislated pay equity committees composed of employer and employee representatives. Unless an extension of time is authorized by the Pay Equity Commissioner, Employers have until September 3, 2024, to post a pay equity plan, which will identify where gaps exist.

c) Pensions and benefits

The President of the Treasury Board is responsible for oversight of 17 Acts of Parliament, with 54 distinct sets of regulation and enabling legislation, and has a liaison function with the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, which has $243.7 billion in net assets under management. In addition to the public service pension plan, the Government of Canada provides other pension plans, including those for the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Members of Parliament and Senators, Judges, the Governor General, Lieutenant Governors, and Diplomats, for which the President of the Treasury Board has certain stewardship responsibilities.

The President of the Treasury Board is the Minister responsible for the Public Service Superannuation Act and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Act and is required by legislation to table annual reports and actuarial reports in Parliament. The President is also supported by the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee, comprised of employee, employer and retiree representatives.

Departments and agencies in the core public administration, separate agencies, certain Crown corporations and the territorial governments participate in the public service pension plan. The pension plan has 739,629 members, including 396,541 active contributors (which includes the core public administration and participating separate employers) and 343,088 retired plan members, survivors, and deferred annuitants. The average annual pension paid to retired members was $37,026.

Since 2018, a funding policy provides guidance to support prudent governance of the pension plans. Policy objectives include ensuring that sufficient assets are accumulated to cover the cost of the pension plans, achieving stable and predictable funding, and maintaining the plans’ sustainability and affordability for members and the government.

Under the Financial Administration Act, the Treasury Board has the authority to establish, modify, and provide administration of the public service benefit plans. Further to this authority, there are nine benefit plans covering health, dental, disability and life insurance, five of which are the largest in Canada. Each of these plans has its own principal administrator or insurer. These benefit plans are negotiated outside the collective bargaining process at various forums with bargaining agents and the National Association of Federal Retirees (where applicable). The following details the membership of the plans:Footnote 18

2. Establishing people management policies

The Treasury Board issues policies which provide direction to departments on public sector management, including the management of people. The Treasury Board Policy on People Management and the Policy on the Management of Executives are the two main instruments that set out the expectations for the management of all core public administration employees and executives. TBS, through its Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, is responsible for supporting the implementation of these policies and works to ensure that deputy heads, managers and the human resources community are equipped with training, systems, and tools to effectively implement the policies.

Updates were made to the Policy on People Management and the Policy on the Management of Executives, which came into force April 1, 2020, to enhance governance, leadership, and performance measurement. These two policies are supported by 22 directives, which contain mandatory procedures and standards (for example, on classification, telework, mandatory learning, interchange). These policies delegate authorities respectively to the President, the Secretary, and the Chief Human Resources Officer, to issue, amend or rescind the supporting directives, provided the changes have no financial implications.

The President of the Treasury Board is also the sponsor of the Policies for Ministers’ Offices (Policies) which provide the various financial, personnel, and administrative rules and regulations under which ministers’ offices function. The Policies also state that the Treasury Board provides ministers with budgets for exempt staff and operational needs of their offices. The Policies were last updated in 2011.

3. The workplace

The Treasury Board is responsible for maintaining a workplace that is diverse, inclusive, free from harassment and violence, supportive of employees’ right to work in the official language of their choice and in which employees are guided by clear expectations for behaviour and shared values and ethics. The annual Public Service Employee Survey provides relevant data on the issues in the workplace such as job and organizational satisfaction, the level of trust and respect as well as data on stress, mental health issues, harassment, and discrimination.

a) Centre on Diversity and Inclusion

The Centre on Diversity and Inclusion supports federal organizations in creating safe, healthy, diverse, and inclusive workplaces through:

The Centre on Diversity and Inclusion plays a leadership role on cross-departmental initiatives and the change management required to build a diverse, and inclusive public service culture. It also supports the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer’s engagement in various fora and leads new and innovative initiatives on diversity and inclusion.

b) Official languages

Under the Official Languages Act, the President of the Treasury Board is responsible for assuming a leadership role within the federal government in the application and implementation of the Act. The President coordinates the implementation of the Act in consultation with other federal ministers. The Treasury Board is responsible for developing and implementing policy instruments to ensure that:

To effectively implement the Official Languages Act and its regulations, the President of the Treasury Board has the delegated authority to amend Treasury Board official languages policy instruments.

Federal institutions subject to the Treasury Board Policy on Official Languages include departments from the core public administration, separate employers, Crown corporations and privatized entities, such as airport authorities and Air Canada.

The Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations set out the circumstances under which federal offices are required to offer their services in one or both official languages, including the criteria for determining whether or not there is significant demand in the minority official language.

The Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer collects, analyzes and presents data on the public service workforce and bilingualism in the context of an Annual Report on Official Languages tabled before the Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board.

c) Wellness and mental health

A Joint Union-Management Task Force on Mental Health released three reports since 2015 in alignment with the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace (Standard), which was developed by the Canadian Standards Association. Federal public sector organizations have been developing action plans focused on the promotion of mental health that reflect the Federal Public Service Workplace Mental Health Strategy’s three strategic goals:

In 2017, the Centre of Expertise on Mental Health in the Workplace was launched within Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer to facilitate centralized access to resources and tools for organizations, managers, and employees to assist them in their organizational efforts to build a healthy, respectful, and supportive public service. This includes supporting organizational mental health practitioners and champions to help departments prevent psychological harm and promote mental health in the federal public service.

d) Workplace harassment and violence

Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1 was introduced in the House of Commons on November 7, 2017. As of January 2021, the new stand-alone Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations apply to all federal work places covered under Part II of the Canada Labour Code, including the federally regulated private sector, the federal public service and parliamentary work places. It replaces Part XX (violence prevention) of the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, as well as portions of two other regulations that include violence prevention provisions. The Regulations include provisions to:

To this end, a public service–wide directive has been developed in collaboration with bargaining agents. The Directive on the Prevention and Resolution of Workplace Harassment and Violence (2021) replaces the Policy on Harassment Prevention and Resolution (2012) and the Directive on the Harassment Complaint Process (2012).

e) Occupational health and safety

TBS provides direction to the various departmental actors – deputy heads, managers, supervisors, and employees – regarding their respective duties and responsibilities under the Canada Labour Code and to make certain that the required measures are taken to ensure enterprise-wide compliance.

f) Common hybrid work model for the federal public service

In June of 2022, the former Clerk of the Privy Council outlined expectations for a hybrid workforce and encouraged departments to experiment with models.

On December 15, 2022, the Secretary and the Chief Human Resources Officer of TBS announced the implementation of a common hybrid work model for the core public administration.

The Direction on Prescribed Presence in the Workplace sets out the requirement for deputy heads to implement a minimum requirement of two or three days per week in the workplace for all public servants.

This direction applies to all core public administration employees (indeterminate, full time, part time, term), students and casual workers (Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act). Separate employers (Schedule V of the Financial Administration Act) have been encouraged to adopt a similar strategy, to ensure a coherent approach for the whole public service.

g) Values and ethics

The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act requires that the Treasury Board establish a code of conduct applicable to the entire federal public sector (including Crown corporations and separate agencies). The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector therefore outlines the values and expected behaviours that guide federal public servants in all activities related to their professional duties. Adherence to the Code is a condition of employment and failure to adhere to the Code is subject to discipline up to and including dismissal. The Code lists five values: respect for democracy, respect for people, integrity, stewardship and excellence. The Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act also requires the President of the Treasury Board to promote ethical practices in the public sector and a positive environment for disclosing wrongdoings and requires the Chief Human Resources Officer to prepare an annual report of disclosure activity in the public sector which the President must table in both Houses.

In November 2022, the President of Treasury Board announced the appointment of an external task force that would explore revisions to the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. The task force’s review is considering opportunities to enhance the federal disclosure process and strengthen protections and supports for public servants who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. The task force will produce a public report that provides the government with recommendations on possible amendments to the Act to further support and protect federal employees who come forward to disclose wrongdoing. Their work began in January 2023 and is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

Furthermore, the Clerk has initiated a government-wide engagement on public service values through the establishment of a Deputy Ministers’ Task Team. Initial findings from this task team were published in December 2023.

Key partners

Outside of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, key partners with people management responsibilities include:

Key legislation

The President has responsibilities under the following pieces of legislation insofar as they relate to the work of the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and Treasury Board as the employer:

Office of the Chief Information Officer at a glance

Outline

What we do

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) provides leadership, direction, oversight and capacity building for information management, information technology, government security, access to information, privacy, and internal and external service delivery. OCIO does this by focusing on four strategic themes through its Digital Ambition:

Who we are: leadership

Office of the Chief Information Officer

Dominic Rochon

Dominic Rochon:Footnote 19 Chief Information Officer of Canada

Stephen Burt

Stephen Burt: Chief Data Officer of Canada

Establishes OCIO as the Government of Canada (GC) centre of expertise for Privacy and Responsible Data. Embeds consistent and rigorous data governance across the Government of Canada (digital policy suite, including the Policy on Service and Digital, Access to Information and Open Government, and Privacy). Manages the legislated Access to Information Act review process, including Access to Information and Privacy Online and Open Government Portal. Supports cybersecurity improvements across the Government of Canada.Footnote 20

Po Tea-Duncan

Po Tea-Duncan: Chief Information Security Officer of Canada

Oversees the delivery of secure and reliable government services through the GC’s enterprise security architecture, security strategy and policy development, and GC cyber security event management.

Minh Doan

Minh Doan: Chief Technology Officer of Canada

Horizontal portfolio management, reduction of technical debt, and improvement the state of mission-critical applications.

Mike MacDonald

Mike MacDonald: Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Security Policy Modernization

Oversees and strengthens the Policy on Government Security and related instruments. Modernize security screening for the GC. Evolve GC security policy to support and enable a digital government and workforce.

Len Bastien

Len Bastien: Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of Digital Community Development

Manages recruitment, retention and development of digital talent across the GC. Drives improvements to the Digital Talent Platform and other talent tools. Develops and strengthens partnerships to enhance in-house digital skills and build innovative programming.

Who we are: corporate profile

Active workforce population for selected reporting period

Active workforce: 442

Indeterminates: 341

Determinates: 101

Active workforce population trend
Figure 7.1
Figure 7.1 - Text version

Line graph demonstrating the trend over time for the composition of the active workforce population between the 2021–22 and 2023–24 fiscal years:

Reporting period Fiscal year 2021–22, first quarter Fiscal year 2021–22, second quarter Fiscal year 2021–22, third quarter Fiscal year 2021–22, fourth quarter Fiscal year 2022–23, first quarter Fiscal year 2022–23, second quarter Fiscal year 2022–23, third quarter Fiscal year 2022–23 fourth quarter Fiscal year 2023–24, first quarter Fiscal year 2023–24, second quarter Fiscal year 2023–24, third quarter
Indeterminate employees 226 224 231 240 269 301 320 342 361 358 341
Determinate employees 80 76 93 126 135 116 108 155 131 115 101
Total employees by classification for selected reporting period
Figure 7.2
Figure 7.2 - Text version

Bar graph comparing the number of employees classified in the Economics and Social Science Services category (EC) with those classified in the Administrative Services category (AS) in the third quarter of 2023–24 fiscal year. There were 128 employees classified as EC and 116 classified as AS.

Number of determinate employees for selected reporting period
Figure 7.3
Figure 7.3 - Text version

Bar graph demonstrating the sub-composition of determinate employees by contract type for the third quarter of the 2023–24 fiscal year:

  • 45 seconded employees
  • 25 term employees
  • 15 agency employees or contractors
  • 10 students
  • 6 casual employees

Source: Internal TBS data

*Includes $1.9 million for cyber security coming in the Supplementary Estimates (C)

How we deliver: strategic direction

OCIO provides leadership for enterprise digital transformation objectives and priorities by:

The Digital Ambition, a three-year forward-facing strategic plan, is the north star to guide OCIO and the government in achieving our digital transformation priorities through its four strategic themes.

How we deliver: excellence in technology and operations

OCIO works with key stakeholders like Shared Services Canada and Communications Security Establishment Canada to ensure a safe, secure and reliable IT operational environment to support the delivery of policy, programs and services to individuals. The sector also provides oversight and support on multi-year, foundational, and transformational programs managed across the Government of Canada to modernize the technology and processes used to deliver our services.

Digital Ambition priorities:

Key priorities: Government of Canada Cloud Adoption Strategy, Government of Canada Cyber Security Event Management Plan, Application Modernization, Government of Canada Enterprise Architecture Review Board, Government of Canada Technical Debt Strategy, GC Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy

How we deliver: data-enabled digital services and programs

OCIO supports improved government-wide use of data and information to provide better and more accessible services and programs by integrating them into government structures, operations and decision-making. Good data practices allow the government to produce stronger and better-informed policies, as well as improved delivery of effective, equitable and inclusive programs and services, among many other benefits.

OCIO is also enabling cross-government initiatives that create a single front door to establish identity for access to all government services, as well as looking at ways to streamline the secure sharing of data across Government of Canada organizations to improve digital services and enable the achievement of priorities.

Digital Ambition priorities:

Key priorities: 2023-2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service, Directive on Automated Decision-Making, National Action Plans on Open Government, Enhancements to GC Service Delivery

How we deliver: action-ready digital strategy and policy

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, OCIO supports the implementation of flexible and action-ready strategies and policies to navigate change and move to a common look and feel. Digital government means ensuring the government remains responsive, resilient, and equipped to deliver services and priorities in a fast-changing world.

Digital Ambition priorities:

Key priorities: Government of Canada Digital Standards Playbook, improving the government’s access to information regime, Government of Canada Cyber Security Management Guidelines

How we deliver: overview of legislation and policy

Figure 8
Figure 8 - Text version

Image depicting the organization of the legislation, policies, directives and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat corporate documents that govern how the Office of the Chief Information Officer operates.

At the top of the image, the foundational legislation from which all Treasury Board policies and directives derive from are listed:

  • Financial Administration Act
  • Access to Information Act
  • Privacy Act

The graphic then depicts the key policies that stem from these pieces of legislation and the directives or standards that apply to each policy:

  • Policy on Service and Digital:
    • Directive on Service and Digital
    • Digital Standards (not a directive)
    • Directive on Open Government
    • Directive on Digital Talent
    • Directive on Automated Decision-Making
  • Policy on Government Security:
    • Directive on Identity Management
    • Directive on Security Management
  • Policy on Access to Information:
    • Directive on Proactive Publication
    • Directive on Access to Information Requests
  • Policy on Privacy Protection:
    • Directive on Privacy Impact Assessment

The Policy on the Planning and Management of Investments is held by the Office of the Comptroller General.

The bottom row of the graphic shows the corporate documents of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat:

  • Departmental Plan
  • Departmental Results Report

How we deliver: structural evolution in funding, talent and culture

OCIO supports a broad culture shift across a diverse workforce required to deliver a digital government. Changing the public service culture and processes requires flexibility, collaboration, digital knowledge and active support from leaders who facilitate and enable the transformation. OCIO works with partners across government to tackle longstanding institutional barriers that hamper change and innovation, including governance systems and procurement.

Digital Ambition priorities:

Key priorities: Government of Canada Digital Talent Platform, Government of Canada Digital Talent Strategy, Government of Canada onboarding, Government of Canada Digital Skills Strategy

Annex: glossary

applications
Software or a computer program designed to help people perform an activity.
architecture
The design of how software applications communicate.
digital-first mindset
Doing things differently in the internet era (asking different questions, involving people with different perspectives, finding new solutions to problems).
digital talent
People who work in digital disciplines.​ They have the skills and experience in fields including but not limited to digital leadership, development, data, design, product, and security.
enterprise
In the content of Digital Government, meaning across departmental silos.
enterprise architecture
Organizing the organization to deliver value through software solutions.
infrastructure
Underlying systems required to host and deliver software solutions.
platforms
Shields developers from the underlying complexities of infrastructure and provides reusable components in the development of applications.
service channels
The means of accessing a service, including paper, phone and online. Online services are delivered through applications.

Primer: digital government

Outline

What is digital and what can it provide?

– What Digital Really Means, Dörner and Edelman (McKinsey and Company)

Digital is fundamentally about good service delivery

The digital government landscape: who does what?

Where we fit in the digital landscape

Figure 9
Figure 9 - Text version

Graphic showing how the government’s digital landscape involves key organizations that play roles in four separate layers:

  1. the business layer
  2. the information layer
  3. the application layer
  4. the technology layer

The business layer is overseen by Strategic Communications and Ministerial Affairs and the Canadian Digital Service. The application and technology layers are overseen by Shared Services Canada.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Office of the Chief Information Officer, provides policies, standards, guidelines, oversight and enablement across the layers to provide security, privacy and accessibility.

The business layer involves how clients access services, how we provide services and how we work with service delivery partners.

The information layer involves how we use and manage information and data.

The application layer involves the applications that support service delivery and manage data.

The technology layer involves the infrastructure and platforms that enable service delivery and integration.

Digital landscape: other key federal partners

Digital change at scale requires actively engaging and working with key partners.

Figure 10
Figure 10 - Text version

Graphic showing how key federal partners effect digital change at scale. It features four principal areas:

  1. government operations and services
  2. economy
  3. privacy and cyber security
  4. data

The first three areas intersect with one another, and data intersects with all three other areas.

The area of government operations and services involves the following:

  • Public Services and Procurement Canada oversees government applications (for example, human resources software) and is a common service provider (for example, real property manager)
  • service delivery departments (for example, Employment and Social Development Canada; the Canada Revenue Agency; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) provide delivery of services that are critical to national economic and social well-being (for example, Benefits Delivery Modernization)

The area of privacy and cyber security involves the following:

  • Public Safety Canada, which undertakes coordination and strategic policy-making on national cyber security matters
  • the Department of Justice Canada, which is involved with Privacy Act reform
  • the Communications Security Establishment and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, which act as the cyber security centre of expertise

The area of the economy involves Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, which is involved in the digital economy in Canada and is the lead for Canada’s Digital Charter.

The area of data involves:

  • Statistics Canada for the collection, compilation, analysis and publication of statistical information
  • Library and Archives Canada for data preservation
Note: This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

The digital government landscape: the state of play of service, information and data, applications and technology

The business layer: there is a large and complex service delivery and operational environment

74 departments and agenciesFootnote 21 report 1,637Footnote 22 services through their service inventories.

Top ten services by transaction volume: 2022-23
Figure 11
Figure 11 - Text version

Bar graph showing the top 10 services by transaction volume for 2022–23 across six service channels: telephone, online, in person, postal mail, email and other. The services are:

  • traveller processing at the Canada Border Services Agency (70.4 million transactions)
  • the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre at National Research Council Canada (57.0 million transactions)
  • commercial processing at the Canada Border Services Agency (23.0 million transactions)
  • financial literacy at the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (10.1 million transactions)
  • external credential management at Shared Services Canada (10.1 million transactions)
  • passports and travel documents at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (3.7 million transactions)
  • Client Support Centre at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (3.4 million transactions)
  • Canadian passport at Employment and Social Development Canada (3.4 million transactions)
  • Old Age Security benefits at Employment and Social Development Canada (3.3 million transactions)
  • electronic travel authorization at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (3.1 million transactions)

High-level measurements used to track overall Government of Canada service

Source: As of December 2023, 2022-23 Government of Canada Service Inventory

The information and data layer

We have significant information and data holdings that we are not culturally or technologically able to use or share as much as we would like.

The scope of enterprise data and information is broad:

Canada’s regulatory and legislative landscape is complex:

The production, use and management of data in the GC

Public servants develop and deliver programs and services and provide evidence-informed advice to decision-makers.

As new technologies reshape the lives and work of people around the world, the volume of data continues to grow exponentially.

The Office of the Chief Information Officer of Canada helps the GC ensure that privacy is protected, and that data is used ethically and in the open. Increasing public trust in a public service that can manage, safeguard and use data.

Sources: Report to the Clerk of the Privy Council: A Data Strategy Roadmap for the Federal Public Service, 2023–2026 Data Strategy for the Federal Public Service

Applications and technology layer: the information technology ecosystem is large with increasing annual expenditures

Government of Canada Information Technology Operating Expenditures in billions of dollars
Figure 12
Figure 12 - Text version

Bar graph showing Government of Canada information technology operating expenditures from the 2013–14 fiscal year to the 2021–22 fiscal year, in billions of dollars:

Fiscal year 2013–14 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2014–15 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2015–16 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2016–17 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2017–18 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2018–19 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2019–20 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2020–21 ($ billions) Fiscal year 2021–22 ($ billions)
Departments 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.7 4.0 4.4 4.9 5.7 5.9
Shared Services Canada 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.6 3.0 3.0
Government of Canada Information Technology Operating Expenditures by IT services groups in millions of dollars
Figure 13
Figure 13 - Text version

Pie chart showing Government of Canada information technology operating expenditures by technology services groups in 2021–22, in millions of dollars:

  • information technology applications: $3,081 million
  • telecommunications and networks: $1,411 million
  • production and operations computing: $1,343 million
  • distributed computing: $1,439 million
  • information technology program management: $1,093 million
  • information technology security: $577 million

Shared Services Canada and the Office of the Chief Information Officer continue to make progress towards standardizing, integrating and modernizing networks, emails and data centre applications.

Source: 2021–22 Departmental IT Expenditure Reports of 43 partner departments (excluding Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada) and three client departments (Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council)

Note: Shared Services Canada expenditures include Shared Services Canada’s Vote Net Revenue (IT Services Provided by Shared Services Canada to Other Departments)

Slide updated February 27, 2023

Applications and technology layer: there remains significant opportunity for modernization

Aging IT assessment
Figure 14
Figure 14 - Text version

Pie chart showing an assessment of aging information technology in four categories:

  • attention required: 40%
  • minimal or no attention required: 36% (this figure constitutes the Application Portfolio Health Indicator)
  • not assessed: 16%
  • immediate attention required: 8%

*The Application Portfolio Health Indicator (APHI) is the percentage of healthy applications in the GC where the health of the application is determined based on a department’s self-assessment of the application’s business value, technical condition, funding condition and criticality.

Source: Government of Canada Application Portfolio Management as of January 18, 2024

The Application Portfolio Health Indicator (APHI) is the percentage of healthy applications in the GC where the health of the application is determined based on a department’s self-assessment of the application’s business value, technical condition, funding condition and criticality.

Figure 15
Figure 15 - Text version

Bar graph showing the Government of Canada Application Portfolio Health Indicator (APHI) from 2013–14 to 2023–24 and the APHI for mission-critical applications from 2018–19 to 2023–24.

Mission-critical applications are those applications that support the delivery of services that, if disrupted, would cause high or very high risk to the health, safety, security, economic well-being or continuity of government operations.

APHI for the Government of Canada:

Fiscal year 2013–14 (%) Fiscal year 2014–15 (%) Fiscal year 2015–16 (%) Fiscal year 2016–17 (%) Fiscal year 2017–18 (%) Fiscal year 2018–19 (%) Fiscal year 2019–20 (%) Fiscal year 2020–21 (%) Fiscal year 2021–22 (%) Fiscal year 2022–23 (%) Fiscal year 2023–24 (%)
Healthy applications 21 20 18 21 28 30 35 36 37 38 36
Mission critical healthy applications No data No data No data No data No data 49 51 55 55 62 55
Overall maturity by cyber security pillar
Figure 16
Figure 16 - Text version

Bar chart comparing the overall maturity of technology by cyber security pillar in 2022 and 2023.

Scores by pillar:

2022 2023
Identify 2.3 2.4
Protect 2.3 2.5
Detect 2.1 2.3
Respond 2.0 2.2
Recover 2.1 2.2

Maturity scoring is as follows:

  • Level 0: does not exist
  • Level 1: partial
  • Level 2: risk informed
  • Level 3: repeatable
  • Level 4: adaptive

The range of overall maturity by cluster group is between 1.9 and 2.7.

Source: Government of Canada Application Portfolio Management as of July 18, 2023

How did we get here and where are we going?

How did we get here?

Decades of under-investments have resulted in the accrual of significant “technical debt” as IT infrastructure ages faster than the pace of repairs or replacements.

Older infrastructure is inherently costly to maintain, often performs poorly and can be more prone to service interruptions.

Digital enables horizontal integration

The cross-cutting nature of digital government is challenging vertical departmental structures and underscoring the importance of operating across mandates and organizations.

What are the challenges?

Many underlying challenges to the implementation of digital government result from, or are exacerbated by, siloed approaches to operations, data and technology:

  1. Complex structural reality: The government has an outdated and complex IT infrastructure that affects its ability to respond efficiently and effectively to the changing needs of Canadians. Services and the mechanisms to access services, continue to be siloed and inconsistent. Some services are not accessible or secure and user experiences vary greatly across government.
  2. Shortage of talent and under-representation: The GC needs to represent the population of Canada while reducing systemic barriers to people trying to access government information and services, no matter where they live and how they identify. To build a diverse and inclusive workforce that helps the GC, it needs to better understand the needs of individuals and deliver quality, user-centric service.
  3. Value-driven investment: Investment in technology and digital initiatives has continued to grow over the last decade, however, the highly decentralized nature of IT investment management and decision-making in the GC creates high complexity. There is opportunity to provide both self-service and full-service means to support Canadians and be methodical about how we invest collectively to achieve efficiency of delivery.

What are some of the best practices to support digital government?

Leading digital governments across Canada and around the world have prioritized:

What are our key priorities for advancing the digital agenda?

The Digital Ambition, a three-year forward-facing strategic plan, contains four strategic themes that are supported by a set of government-wide priorities that focus on outcome-driven, action-oriented approaches that address the challenges of digital modernization.

“To enable delivery of government in the digital age for all Canadians. This will be done by providing modernized and accessible tools to support service delivery that expresses the best of Canada in the digital space.”

Four themes
  1. Excellence in technology and operations
  2. Data-enabled digital services and programs
  3. Action-ready digital strategy and policy ​
  4. Structural evolution in funding, talent and culture

Theme 1: excellence in technology and operations

Individuals and businesses are satisfied with and trust Government of Canada services, which are reliable, secure, timely, accessible, and easy to use from any device.

Priorities

1.1 Strengthen the overall health of the application portfolio

1.2 Strengthen Government of Canada transformation

1.3 Improve the service experience of all clients

1.4 Deploy modern and accessible workplace tools and devices

1.5 Plan and govern for the sustainable and integrated management of service, data, IT, privacy and cyber security

Read more

Theme 2: data-enabled digital services and programs

Departments make better data-driven decisions; operations are more effective and efficient; costs are lower; and duplication of effort is reduced.

Priorities

2.1 Maximize public value of data and information

2.2 Build and use secure common solutions for digital service delivery

2.3 Manage and use data and information as strategic assets

Read more

Theme 3: action-ready digital strategy and policy

The Government of Canada’s major service delivery systems are easy to use and maintain, stable and reliable, secure, and adaptable.

Priorities

3.1 Embed GC priorities into governing frameworks and policy

3.2 Provide horizontal prioritization and portfolio management

3.3 Streamline partner portfolios

3.4 Establish an agile operating model

3.5 Implement GC-wide architecture strategy and standards

3.6 Provide modern, reliable and secure networks and infrastructure

Read more

Theme 4: structural evolution in funding, talent and culture

Government of Canada public servants are digitally enabled through cultural and operational shifts and work on modern, diverse and multidisciplinary teams to serve the public better.

Priorities

4.1 Drive a systemic culture shift across government to support a digital-first mindset

4.2 Attract, retain and develop diverse digital talent

Read more

Initiatives to support the key priorities

Here are some of the key initiatives that are within the four strategic themes of the Digital Ambition that will be pursued to achieve the priority goal of delivering government services efficiently and effectively:

Office of the Comptroller General at a glance

Outline

Who we are

Mandate

The Comptroller General is responsible for government-wide direction and leadership in the areas of financial management, management of assets, and internal audit.

These comptrollership functions are the foundation of the delivery of programs and services to Canadians – departments and agencies count on our leadership, and these lenses embedded in decision-making at Treasury Board.

Management team

Roch Huppé

Roch Huppé: Comptroller General

Monia Lahaie

Monia Lahaie: Assistant Comptroller General, Financial Management

Sheri Ostridge

Sheri Ostridge: Assistant Comptroller General, Internal Audit

Samantha Tattersall

Samantha Tattersall: Assistant Comptroller General, Acquired Services and Assets

Christine Walker

Christine Walker: Assistant Comptroller General, Financial Management Transformation

What we do: business lines

Financial Management Sector

Focused on strengthening government-wide financial management, oversight and reporting, and building capacity in specialized areas such as finance, accounting, costing, charging and grants and contributions

Acquired Services and Assets Sector

Focused on strengthening the management of assets and acquired services through policies, advice and capacity-building functions for federal procurement, real property, materiel management, investment planning, and project management communities

Internal Audit Sector

Focused on strengthening the internal audit function government-wide, which contributes to sound risk management, control and governance processes

Financial Management Transformation Sector

Focused on working with departments and agencies to transform the delivery of core comptrollership functions across government by leveraging the need to update digital tools and skill sets, to deliver faster and more real-time information to decision-makers and help deliver the programs and services that Canadians need

Why comptrollership matters

Effective resource management controls are foundational to trust in government

It underpins the assets and services we own and buy

It provides assurance on government practices and activities

Which is supported by diverse functional communities across government

Our impact across government

Comptrollership is the foundation of government, and the Comptroller General provides the leadership, direction and support to departments to deliver on their mandates.

Setting the rules and direction for how departments manage their business

Leading and developing the community

Supporting Treasury Board in its management board role

Optimize investment in comptrollership management systems

Key activities

Financial Management

Financial Management Transformation

Acquired Services and Assets

Internal Audit

Office of Public Service Accessibility at a glance

Overview

Who we are

Mandate

Management team

Alfred MacLeod

Alfred MacLeod: Assistant Deputy Minister, Public Service Accessibility

Clara Morgan: Director, Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund

Stephanie Austin: Director, Policy and Engagement

Office of Public Service Accessibility’s launch

What we do: accessibility in the public service

The prevalence of disabilities among Canadians (whether physical, sensory, cognitive, or mental health-related) is common:

Environmental analysis: current state

Employees with disabilities
Barriers facing employees with disabilities

As the largest employer and service provider in Canada, the federal public service can make a significant difference in identifying, proactively preventing and removing barriers.

The Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service

Five strategy goals
  1. Improve recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities.
  2. Enhance the accessibility of the built environment.
  3. Make information and communications technology usable by all.
  4. Equip public servants to design and deliver accessible programs and services.
  5. Build an accessibility confident public service.

Key activities

The Office of Public Service Accessibility supports Government of Canada accessibility capacity-building and sustainability by:

Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund

To support the full participation of persons with disabilities in the federal public service, the Office of Public Service Accessibility received $10 million over five years (2019–2024) to establish the Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund.

Sample projects include:

Progress and next steps

There has been progress on accessibility since 2019, but impact will take time to fully realize.

Example What we do What’s underway

Identifying barriers and co-designing solutions

We raise awareness on barriers, provide input on accessibility, and support greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in co-developing initiatives that impact their workplace.

Expanding successful co-developed initiatives to broader public service (such as via a central digital application for the Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport)

Building accessibility capacity and sustainability across the public service

We support departments and agencies in building accessibility capacity by identifying and sharing accessibility resources and tools.

Enabling greater collaboration by identifying best practices and highlighting innovative solutions across the public service (for example, Communities of Practice, Accessibility Hub, analysis of accessibility plans and progress reports)

Measuring, reporting, and improving supports

We provide advice and collaborate on data and measurement initiatives across the public service to consider barriers facing persons with disabilities and improve accountability.

Embed accessibility into traditional reporting and data collection and create tips and resources for measurement on accessibility.

Changing our culture to be accessibility confident

We engage with employees and leaders across the government to raise awareness in accessibility, reduce stigma and help cultivate a public service that is accessible by default.

Ongoing engagement and learning events throughout the year, to build competencies in accessibility

Key partners

The Office of Public Service Accessibility works closely with:

Key departments involved in public service management and/or diversity, inclusion and accessibility:

At TBS, this includes close collaboration with:

Other partners:

Priorities in 2023–24

Leadership and governance in accessibility

Strategic advice and measurement

Outreach and engagement

Office of Public Service Accessibility beyond 2024

The Office of Public Service Accessibility’s funding sunsets on March 31, 2024. Renewal is pending a Budget 2024 decision.

Should no incremental funding be secured, the Government of Canada Workplace Accessibility Passport, as a critical application for streamlining workplace accommodation processes, would be scaled down and maintained only in minimal operational capacity, and could be at risk if funding for ongoing operating costs cannot be found.

Annex 1: legislative overview

The Accessible Canada Act aims to create a barrier-free Canada by 2040 through the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to accessibility wherever Canadians interact with areas under federal jurisdiction.

To facilitate this work, the Act establishes new machinery:

The legislation applies to all sectors in the federal jurisdiction:

And specific duties are assigned to all entities within these sectors:

Annex 2: Centralized Enabling Workplace Fund projects

Centre for Greening Government at a glance

Outline

Who we are

Mandate

The mandate of the Centre for Greening Government (CGG) is to provide leadership toward net-zero, climate-resilient and green Government of Canada operations.

Management team

Nick Xenos

Nick Xenos: Executive Director, Greening Government

What we do: Greening Government Strategy overview

Objective (aligned with the Paris Agreement, 2015)
  • 40% reduction of real property and conventional fleet emission by 2025
  • Net-zero emissions overall by 2050
  • Overall green and climate-resilient government operations
Key focus areas

Aligning policies, engaging partners and measuring performance are cross-cutting:

  • real property
  • mobility and fleet
  • procurement and clean technologies
  • climate-resilient operations
Implementation
  • TBS provides direction and guidance and manages the Greening Government Fund and the Low-Carbon Fuel Procurement Fund
  • Expert departments, such as TBS, Natural Resources Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, National Research Council Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, provide support.
  • Departments take action.
Performance results
  • 39.8% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to date (real property and conventional fleet)
  • 1.1% reduction in emissions from national safety and security operations

Key activities

Leads and coordinates the implementation of the Greening Government Strategy and the Policy on Green Procurement, including by:

Tracks and publicly discloses greenhouse gas emissions reductions for federal operations

Administers:

Partners and stakeholders

Collaborates with, guides and, directs federal departmentsto green their operations with a focus on 28 major federal emitters

Works with provinces, territories, industry and non-governmental organizations on amplifying greening efforts across the country

The business of supply: voted appropriations

Supply

By law, Parliament must approve all government spending

The “business of supply” is the process by which the government asks Parliament to authorize its intended expenditures through legislation, that is, the Appropriation Acts

The President of the Treasury Board, supported by TBS, has the following responsibilities in supply:

Required authorities for voted government spending

Cabinet

Policy approval (fundamental direction)

Minister of Finance or Prime Minister

Funding decision (source of funds)

The Treasury Board

Expenditure and other authorities (approves new spending and Estimates)

Parliament

Supply (appropriations)

Parliamentary approvals and reporting dates in 2023–24

January to March 26

April 1: beginning of fiscal year

The government starts the 2023–24 spending cycle.

September to December 10

April 1 to June 23

The events and documents in the reporting cycle provide Parliamentarians with the opportunity to review and make decisions on the use of public funds by the government.

Roles and responsibilities in seeking supply

The Treasury Board:

TBS:

Supports the Treasury Board in its roles and responsibilities noted above, which involves:

Key steps in securing supply

1) Treasury Board approval of Treasury Board submissions / “Aide-mémoire”

The approval by Treasury Board allows inclusion of approved funding/authorities into the Estimates

2) Tabling of the Estimates document

In the House of Commons during each of three supply periods, usually three or more weeks before introducing the appropriation legislation

3) Committee appearances

In the weeks after tabling, the President appears on behalf of the government before parliamentary committees; other Ministers and officials may also be called to appear

4) Introduction of Appropriation Acts

After Committee review, supply bills are introduced and voted in the House of Commons on the last allotted day of the supply period, then considered in the Senate

5) Royal Assent

Formalized after the bill has passed the House of Commons and the Senate, followed by the release of supply to departments

Reports tabled in Parliament as part of the business of supply

The President typically tables four types of documents each year related to the supply process:

  1. Parts I and II of the Main Estimates (the Government Expenditure Plan and the departmental Main Estimates): tabled by March 1
  2. Supplementary Estimates: there is no set number per year, but can be tabled in May, late October or early November, and February of a year
  3. Departmental Plans (Part III of the Main Estimates): usually tabled in March (to closely follow the Main Estimates), which describe planned programs and spending, and expected results for the year.
  4. Departmental Results Reports: usually tabled in late October or early November (close to the Public Accounts) and describe the department’s performance against its Departmental Plan

The public and parliamentarians can access the information presented across these various reports in GC InfoBase.

Current supply cycle at a glance

Figure 17
Figure 17 - Text version

Graphic showing the steps in the government’s expenditure cycle, with ministerial requests and Treasury Board approvals handled in the following way:

  • The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat supports the tabling of Estimates documents in the House of Commons and the Senate. These documents involve the Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates.
  • Parliamentary committee appearances take place.
  • The introduction of an appropriation act involves the following:
    • interim supply bill
    • full supply bill for the Main Estimates
    • full supply for Supplementary Estimates
  • The House of Commons and the Senate vote on the supply bill / appropriation act, after which departments and agencies receive supply.

Appendix 1: snapshot of government spending

Statutory and Voted Budgetary Authorities, 2023-24Footnote 23
$479.4 billion as of 2023-24 Supplementary Estimates (B)
Figure 18.1
Figure 18.1 - Text version

Pie chart showing a breakdown of statutory and voted budgetary authorities, 2023–24:

  • Statutory: $240.1 billion (50.1%)
  • Voted: $239.2 billion (49.9%)
Composition of budgetary authorities, 2023-24, as of 2023-24 Supplementary Estimates (B)
Figure 18.2
Figure 18.2 - Text version

Bar graph showing the composition of budgetary authorities in the 2023–24 Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (B).

Of statutory authorities:

  • public debt charges totalled $38.6 billion
  • transfers to other levels of government totalled $91.9 billion
  • transfers to persons totalled $76.0 billion
  • other statutory payments totalled $33.6 billion

Of voted authorities:

  • capital budgets totalled $12.1 billion
  • transfer payments totalled $96.0 billion
  • operating budgets, Treasury Board central votes and payments to Crown corporations totalled $131.2 billion

Total may not add up due to rounding.

Budgetary authorities vs. nominal gross domestic product, 2003-04 to 2022-23
Source: Public Accounts and CANSIM (Canadian Socioeconomic Information Management) Database 36-10-0104-01
Figure 18.3
Figure 18.3 - Text version

Line graph showing that the growth in budgetary expenditure authorities was outpaced by the growth in nominal gross domestic product from the 2003–04 fiscal year to the 2022–23 fiscal year. The result is that budgetary expenditure authorities were about 258% greater in 2022–23 than in 2003–04.

Budgetary authorities (voted and statutory) versus nominal gross domestic product, 2017-18 to 2022-23
Source: Public Accounts and CANSIM (Canadian Socioeconomic Information Management) Database 36-10-0104-01
Figure 18.4
Figure 18.4 - Text version

Line graph showing that the growth in voted budgetary expenditure authorities since the 2017–18 fiscal year has been notably higher (at 96%) than growth in nominal GDP (at 30%), whereas statutory expenditure authorities increased 39% from the 2017–18 fiscal year to the 2022–23 fiscal year.

Appendix 2: GC InfoBase

GC InfoBase

Primer: the business of supply

Executive summary

The following explains the “business of supply,” the process by which the government asks Parliament to authorize the funds required to meet its financial obligations. It summarizes the:

Introduction

The Expenditure Management System sets out the framework for the prioritization, planning, allocation and oversight of the expenditure of public funds across the federal government. The business of supply, the process by which Parliament’s authorization is sought for the government’s expenditures through appropriation acts, is one part of that broader system. Parliament has the sole authority to grant supply, which constitutes the amounts and objects (or destination) of all public spending.

Tabling the government’s Estimates documents and introducing related supply bills in the House of Commons are among the key functions of the President of the Treasury Board.

Background and context

The federal Budget lays out how the government intends to allocate funding across its priorities. With approved sources of funds, Ministers seek to implement initiatives within their areas of responsibility by preparing Treasury Board submissions requesting expenditure and other related authorities. Once approved by the Treasury Board, the related expenditure authorities may then be requested from Parliament.

Parliament approves spending authority in two ways:

The government’s annual spending plan and resource allocation priorities are reflected in the Estimates documents. Parliament has an opportunity to study these documents before the government introduces the related supply bill. Once approved by Parliament, the bill becomes an appropriation act that enables the government to make payments from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

The parliamentary business of supply necessitates the tabling/introduction of two elements:

The President is responsible for tabling the Estimates documents, on behalf of the government, in the House of Commons. The Estimates include the proposed schedules to the appropriation bill, which is usually introduced in the House within a few weeks of the Estimates tabling. The supply bill (that is, appropriation bill) enables the government to obtain the parliamentary authority necessary for program spending.

The President is also responsible for responding to Parliament’s questions about the government’s spending plans, in addition to those of their department (TBS) and the larger portfolio (which includes the Canada School of Public Service, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada). Votes in the House of Commons on “money bills,” including appropriation bills, are matters of confidence.

The President typically tables four different documents each year, related to the supply process:

  1. Parts I and II of the Main Estimates (the Government Expenditure Plan and the departmental Main Estimates): tabled by March 1.
  2. Supplementary Estimates: there is no set number per year, but can be tabled in May, mid-October to November, and February of a given year.
  3. Departmental Plans (Part III of the Main Estimates): usually tabled in March (an effort is made to table as close to the Main Estimates as possible) and describe departmental program and expenditure plans and expected results for the year. By convention, the President of the Treasury Board tables Departmental Plans on behalf of all other ministers.
  4. Departmental Results Reports: usually tabled in late October or early November, which describe the organizations’ performance against their Departmental Plan. This usually occurs shortly after the President tables the Public Accounts of Canada each fall.

How TBS supports the business of supply

TBS supports the work of the Treasury Board in overseeing ongoing program spending; providing oversight of expenditure plans; and contributing to upfront discipline for new spending initiatives through the review and approval of Treasury Board submissions.

Departmental spending proposals are submitted to TBS in two ways:

Conclusion

The President of the Treasury Board, supported by TBS, has several roles and responsibilities in the business of supply that help ensure that the government is able to advance its agenda. Specifically, these roles help ensure that the government is able to implement its priorities, secure required parliamentary expenditure authorities and oversee timely implementation, while ensuring adequate oversight, due regard for proper stewardship of public resources and accountability to Parliament and the public. On the part of the President, this requires close attention to the supply calendar and the activities in it.

The business of supply is one part of the broader Expenditure Management System, which sets out the framework for government-wide expenditure priority setting, planning, allocation and oversight functions.

The Expenditure Management System as a whole:

Appendix: the Estimates calendar

As set out in the Canada Elections Act, under normal circumstances, Canadian federal elections are held on the third Monday of October, in the fourth calendar year from the previous election. This Estimates calendar is based on an October general election.

Within 15 days of the opening of a new Parliament

Governor General Special Warrants, authorized under section 30(1) of the Financial Administration Act, may be used to provide authority for payments when Parliament is dissolved for a general election. To be used, a minister must report that an expenditure is urgently required for the public good, and the President of the Treasury Board must report that there is no funding available through current appropriations to make the payment.

Within 15 days of the opening of a new Parliament, the President tables a Statement on the Use of Governor General Special Warrants, if any were issued.

October to December

The President could table a fall Supplementary Estimates soon after the new Parliament opens. Given this timing, these Estimates would likely be limited to items identified by organizations as urgently requiring supply.

The related supply bill would be introduced and voted by the House of Commons in early December. This would be followed by introduction in the Senate, where Royal Assent takes place upon approval. The Governor General would then issue a warrant (Financial Administration Act, Section 28) to authorize organizations to draw funds specified in that appropriation act from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

February to early March

The President tables the final Supplementary Estimates for the current fiscal year and, by March 1, the Main Estimates for the upcoming fiscal year.

The President, Secretary and other officials are invited as witnesses before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates, and/or the Senate Committee on National Finance.

Mid to late March

A supply bill for the Supplementary Estimates and an interim supply bill for the Main Estimates will be introduced in the House of Commons by the last allotted day of the supply period ending on March 26. Interim supply provides organizations with an advance on the funds requested in the Main Estimates to cover their needs from April 1, when the new fiscal year begins, until full supply for the Main Estimates is passed in June.

The supply bill follows the same pattern – introduction and passing in House of Commons, followed by the Senate, Royal Assent and issuance of a warrant.

March to May

Parliamentary Standing Committees consider individual department and agency Estimates. Ministers and officials are invited as witnesses.

The President and senior TBS officials testify at Standing Committees on TBS’s Estimates as well as the government-wide Estimates.

By May 31

House of Commons Standing Committees report, or are deemed to have reported, on individual departmental Estimates. The Committee of the Whole (the entire membership of the House of Commons sitting as a committee) may also study certain departmental Estimates, including one department selected by the Opposition.

By end of June

The House of Commons concludes debate on full supply and the President introduces the full supply bill on the last allotted day of the supply period ending on June 23. Again, this is followed by introduction in the Senate, Royal Assent, and the issuance of a warrant to allow departments to draw funds from the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

Federal regulations

Regulations: an introduction

Regulations are a form of law and a key policy instrument used by government:

Regulations are made by every order of government:

Regulations protect health, safety, security and the environment, and support innovation, productivity and competition.

A significant part of government operations

Regulation is an important dimension of government activity and one in which the President of the Treasury Board plays a significant role.

The President of the Treasury Board establishes the Government of Canada’s regulatory policy framework and leads whole-of-government regulatory cooperation efforts.

Sixty federal departments and agencies have regulatory responsibilities.

From January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, around 250 regulations were considered (55 for pre-publication and 155 final), as well as approximately 170 orders-in-council.

This includes proposals to add, remove and update regulations in order to address emerging technologies and new challenges to health, safety, security and the environment.

The COVID-19 pandemic required flexibility to address rapidly emerging priorities needed to uphold the health and safety of Canadians.

Role of the Treasury Board President

The President of the Treasury Board hastwo principal roles in the federal regulatory system:

  1. leading the Government of Canada’s work on regulatory policy, cooperation, and modernization:
    • regulatory policy outlines the requirements that federal regulators must meet in developing and implementing regulations
    • regulatory cooperation with provincial, territorial and international partners aims to harmonize regulations and reduce barriers
    • regulatory modernization aims to improve transparency, reduce administrative burden and harmonize regulations while maintaining strong protections
  2. chairing the Treasury Board (Governor in Council), which considers regulatory proposals and orders-in-council as the Cabinet committee which recommends that the Governor General make regulations as part of the Governor in Council approval process

The President is also the Minister responsible for regulations related to public administration (that is, access to information) and employer-related issues (that is, pensions, official languages).

Treasury Board (Part A and Part B)

Established in 1867, the Treasury Board is the only statutory Cabinet Committee.

It has two distinct functions:

Part A: Management Board Part B: Governor in Council

Makes decisions about:

  • funds (expenditure manager)
  • authorities, rules and compliance (management board)
  • people (employer)

Treasury Board responsibilities are delegated by the Financial Administration Act, which creates the Board’s public service support: Secretary of the Treasury Board, Comptroller General, Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Information Officer

Since 2003, the Treasury Board has been designated as the Cabinet Committee responsible for considering Governor in Council matters.

Treasury Board is responsible for making recommendations to the Governor General about most orders in council, including:

  • regulations
  • most orders-in-council (for example, non-appointment orders-in-council)

In addition to the Financial Administration Act, over 20 other statutes establish the Treasury Board’s roles and authorities. Powers and responsibilities are also set out in regulations, orders-in-council, policies, guidelines and practices.

Role 1: lead regulatory policy and cooperation

Canada’s regulatory system needs to constantly adapt to keep pace with rapid change.

As the Minister responsible for federal regulatory policy, cooperation and modernization, the President:

Federal regulatory policy is set out in the Cabinet Directive on Regulation, which establishes expectations and requirements in the development, management and review of federal regulations.

Role 2: chairing Treasury Board (Governor in Council)

The Treasury Board is the Cabinet committee responsible for considering Governor in Council matters (that is, regulations and most orders-in-council) when it is referred to by the official title of “Treasury Board (Governor in Council).”

The President of the Treasury Board:

Role 2 (continued): types of Governor in Council proposals

There are two types of Governor in Council proposals: regulations and orders-in-council

Regulations (approximately 100 to 200 per year)

Orders-in-council (approximately 200 to 300 per year)

Most Governor in Council proposals are made public after approval.

Regulation approval process (usually 18 to 24 months)

There are two key decision points for the Treasury Board in this process:

  1. approving the draft regulation for (or an exemption from) pre-publication in Canada Gazette, Part I
  2. final approval of the regulation
Figure 19
Figure 19 - Text version

This infographic shows the 13 steps involved in the regulatory approval process:

  1. early stakeholder consultation and policy development
  2. planning and preliminary review
  3. develop regulatory impact analysis
  4. draft proposed regulations
  5. review of regulatory submission
  6. approval for prepublication by the Treasury Board
  7. prepublication (Canada Gazette, Part I)
  8. receive and address public comments
  9. review of final regulatory submission
  10. final approval by the Treasury Board
  11. Governor in Council approval
  12. registration and Canada Gazette, Part II
  13. Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations

Treasury Board decision points occur at steps 6 and 10.

During steps 2 to 6 and steps 8 to 10, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat works with partners to support the approval process (for example, the review and challenge function).

How the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat supports the Secretary

Review and challenge function

Oversight and reporting

Regulatory cooperation

Supporting policy leadership

Regulatory modernization

Federal roles in regulatory development

In addition to the Treasury Board, other key federal partners support regulatory development:

Annex: legal and policy frameworks for Governor in Council regulatory proposals

Legal framework

Governor in Council authorities found in statutes or pursuant to the Royal Prerogative

Statutory Instruments Act

Red Tape Reduction Act and Regulations

Policy framework

Cabinet Directive on Regulation

Primer: The Government of Canada’s regulatory system and regulatory policy initiatives

Executive summary

The President of the Treasury Board has two principal roles in the federal regulatory system:

  1. leading the Government of Canada’s work on regulatory policy
  2. chairing the Treasury Board, which considers regulatory proposals and orders-in-council

The President is also the Minister responsible for regulations related to public administration (for example, access to information) and employer-related issues (for example, pensions and official languages). Appendix A outlines regulatory initiatives underway.

Introduction

Regulations are a type of law and a key policy instrument used by the federal government to support a broad range of policy objectives, including the protection of health, safety, security and the environment. While legislation sets out an overarching legal framework, regulations establish requirements and operational details. A strong regulatory system helps build public confidence in government and in the safety of regulated products and services. Regulations also support a fair and competitive economy.

The principles for the federal regulatory system are enshrined in the Cabinet Directive on Regulation. Led by the President of the Treasury Board, the directive serves as the regulatory policy framework for departments and agencies. The directive provides guidance on the regulatory life cycle:

Additional legal requirements for federal regulations are set out in the Red Tape Reduction Act (for which the President of the Treasury Board is responsible) and the Statutory Instruments Act (for which the Minister of Justice is responsible).

Through legislation, Parliament has delegated the authority to make regulations to the Governor in Council, Ministers, and administrative agencies; this is why regulations are also referred to as “delegated,” “secondary” or “subordinate” legislation. The Governor in Council is the Governor General acting on the advice and with the consent of the King’s Privy Council. The Treasury Board is the Cabinet committee responsible for considering most Governor in Council matters (that is, it is not responsible for the approval of senior appointments). It carries out this function as a committee of the Privy Council, with the official title of “Treasury Board (Governor in Council).” This committee is often referred to as “Treasury Board (Part B).” By comparison, Treasury Board (Part A) acts as the government’s expenditure manager (for example, by preparing the government’s expenditure plans and approving the use of new money that has been set aside in the Budget), management board (for example, by setting the rules that establish how people, public funds and government assets are managed) and employer of the core public administration (for example, through collective bargaining and determining the terms and conditions of employment).

Governor in Council decisions are final and do not require ratification by other Cabinet committees or Cabinet. Most Governor in Council proposals are made public after approval, although a small number are exempted from publication in the Canada Gazette under section 15 of the Statutory Instruments Regulations; many of these exemptions relate to issues of national security.

The Treasury Board (Governor in Council) considers two types of Governor in Council proposals: regulations and orders-in-council.

  1. regulations (form of law): examples include food and drug safety, environmental protection, and transportation safety
  2. an order-in-council (legal decision): examples include authority to enter into an international agreement, tabling of budgetary estimates and release of supply, and bringing legislation into force

Roles of the Treasury Board President in the federal regulatory system

The President of Treasury Board has two principal roles in the federal regulatory system.

As the Minister responsible for federal regulatory policy, the President of Treasury Board is responsible for:

The President of the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) also:

In addition, the President of Treasury Board is also the Minister responsible for TBS and is responsible for regulations related to public administration (for example, access to information) and employer-related issues (for example, pensions and official languages).

Roles of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in the federal regulatory system

TBS supports the President as the lead Minister for federal regulatory policy and as chair of the Treasury Board (Governor in Council).

TBS is responsible for the following:

1. Supporting Treasury Board through review and challenge of regulatory submissions and orders-in-council

TBS reviews, applies due diligence and challenges regulatory submissions to the Treasury Board (Governor in Council) to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Cabinet Directive on Regulations. Similarly, TBS reviews and challenges orders-in-council submitted for Board approval. TTBS officials brief the President and their staff and make recommendations to the Treasury Board regarding regulatory and order-in-council submissions.

From January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, around 250 regulations were considered (55 for pre-publication and 155 final), as well as approximately 170 orders-in-council. These include proposals to add, remove and update regulations to address emerging technologies and new challenges to health, safety, security, and the environment.

2. Central oversight of Canada’s regulatory system and regulatory policy framework

TBS provides central oversight, and it assesses and reports publicly on the government’s overall performance in delivering on recent regulatory reforms and on its regulatory policy framework.

TBS has also been leading whole-of-government efforts to review regulatory requirements and practices that hinder economic growth and innovation. Examples of this work include:

3. Regulatory cooperation

TBS works with other federal regulators, as well as provinces, territories, and international partners, to reduce duplicative requirements and barriers between jurisdictions that impede trade or business investment.

TBS also works to promote good regulatory practices internationally through leadership roles in international forums such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and through the negotiation of good regulatory practices and regulatory cooperation provisions and chapters in trade agreements.

4. Supporting the federal regulatory community and supporting departments

TBS works closely with departments to support the regulatory community and help departments in the development of regulatory proposals. For example, the department works with the Canada School of Public Service and the Community of Federal Regulators to provide training to regulators on regulations and cost-benefit analysis.

Regulatory modernization initiatives underway

For an overview of regulatory initiatives currently underway, see Appendix A.

Appendix A: regulatory modernization initiatives underway

External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness

An External Advisory Committee on Regulatory Competitiveness was established in 2019 to advise the Treasury Board on regulatory competitiveness. This first committee completed its term in 2021, having made a total of 44 recommendations to improve the regulatory system.

The committee was renewed in October 2022 with a two-year term to advise Treasury Board by providing recommendations on how to promote and advance regulatory excellence and support the modernization of Canada’s regulatory system through innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth.

The committee is mandated to:

The committee produced their first recommendation letter to the Treasury Board in June 2023. This letter included five recommendations along three themes:

  1. Make regulatory excellence a priority across government, championed at the Cabinet table by all ministers
  2. Equip Canada’s regulators to be world class
  3. Modernize regulatory engagement

A second advice letter is expected in June 2024.

Coordinating targeted efforts to review regulations

Targeted Regulatory Reviews are exploring ways to reduce barriers to innovation, economic development, and investment in the Canadian economy—while continuing to protect the health, safety, and security of Canadians and the environment. Through the Regulatory Reviews, federal departments and agencies identify opportunities to make the regulatory framework more agile and responsive across priority policy files and sectors, including to support innovative technologies.

Two rounds of Regulatory Reviews have been completed to date, focused on:

Round 1 (completed 2019):

Round 2 (completed 2021):

Across these two rounds, departments and agencies identified more than 100 initiatives to advance regulatory modernization, including legislative and regulatory changes, updated policies and practices, and opportunities to support emerging technologies. A third round of Reviews is currently underway, focused on the blue economy (Canada’s oceans economy) and supply chains. The Regulatory Reviews are currently funded through the end of 2024–25.

Annual bill to facilitate regulatory amendments

Starting in 2019, the government committed to introduce an Annual Regulatory Modernization Bill (ARMB) to remove or update outdated or redundant legislative requirements that have downstream impacts on the federal regulatory environment. TBS is responsible for leading the development of the ARMB in collaboration with regulatory departments and agencies, the Department of Justice Canada, the Department of Finance Canada and the Privy Council Office (PCO).

The first ARMB included changes to 12 pieces of legislation and was included in the Budget Implementation Act, 2019, No. 1. The second ARMB (Bill-S6: An Act Respecting Regulatory Modernization) was tabled in March 2022 and completed Senate review and is currently at Second reading in the House of Commons. A third ARMB is currently under development.

A public consultation on ideas for future iterations of the ARMB was launched in March 2023 and closed in June 2023. The consultation sought feedback on proposals relating to removing barriers to efficiency, overly restrictive legislation and unnecessary requirements. In addition, the consultation requested feedback on providing all regulators the authority to conduct regulatory sandboxes as well as incorporation by reference of internal documents on an ambulatory basis. Stakeholder feedback received is currently under assessment.

Promoting regulatory sandboxes

Stakeholders have advocated for the greater use of regulatory sandboxes and pilots in the design and application of regulations to be more agile and responsive to advances in technology and changes in the regulatory regime.

In response, TBS established the Centre for Regulatory Innovation to help regulators leverage novel approaches, including regulatory sandboxes, that encourage innovation but do not compromise consumer trust and confidence.

Regulatory sandboxes, specifically, are spaces created and controlled by regulators to test new products and new regulatory approaches (that may otherwise encounter barriers in the existing regulatory framework) prior to full marketization or implementation. Ultimately, the learnings from these sandboxes better equip regulators to ensure that their regulatory regime can remain up to date. TBS is exploring an enabling framework to allow all federal regulators to leverage sandboxes to test regulatory approaches for new products or practices that are not currently permitted or suitably regulated.

To date, the Centre has supported nine initiatives testing novel approaches across Transport Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; the Competition Bureau; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Standards Council of Canada; and Health Canada, through advisory support, as well as up to $2.8 million in funding support committed. The Centre is continuing to work with regulators to identify new opportunities for novel approaches, including and beyond sandboxes.

Additionally, the Centre also helps regulators build capacity to design and administer more competitive regulatory regimes. Since 2020, the Centre has administered approximately $14.2 million for 37 projects across 13 departments and agencies. This funding, originally set to sunset in March 2022, was renewed with an additional $6.2 million over three years and will sunset in March 2025.

Advancing economic recovery through the Regulatory Cooperation Council

The Regulatory Cooperation Council is a bilateral forum that provides regulators and stakeholders from Canada and the United States with the opportunity to work together to address regulatory barriers to trade and investment. Its objective is to support economic growth and innovation, while protecting the health, safety, security, and environment of our countries by identifying opportunities to align or remove duplicative or unnecessary regulatory burden on industry. The Regulatory Cooperation Council is jointly supported by TBS and the United States Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Over the past 10 years, the Regulatory Cooperation Council has facilitated the development of 31 bilateral work plans in areas related to health care, transportation, energy, and agriculture, among others. In this respect, the Regulatory Cooperation Council has been key for the implementation of trade and industrial policy priorities by reducing regulatory duplication or misalignment between the jurisdictions. There is an opportunity to leverage the Regulatory Cooperation Council to address economic recovery priorities that jointly impact Canadian and American markets.

TBS continues to work with colleagues in the United States to discuss the future of the Regulatory Cooperation Council and opportunities for new work plans related to joint Canada–US priorities.

Advancing obligations related to regulatory oversight under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (2021) requires the government, in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous Peoples, to take “all measures necessary” to ensure consistency of federal laws with the Declaration. In consultation with Indigenous partners and departments, the Department of Justice Canada developed an action plan containing 181 measures. Measures were mainly identified by Indigenous groups themselves. On June 21, 2023, the government released the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan. The plan provides a roadmap for implementation of the Declaration, and to achieve its objectives. The action plan measures touch on many areas, including promoting human rights education, ensuring oversight of the Declaration’s implementation, implementing the right to self-determination, strengthening Indigenous languages, and improving Indigenous Peoples’ well-being.

TBS Regulatory Affairs is implicated in two Action Plan measures:

  1. Shared Priority 1: Develop a process and further direction for federal government departments and agencies to align bills and proposed regulations with the Declaration. TBS Regulatory Affairs is responsible for the Cabinet Directive on Regulation, while the Privy Council Office is responsible for the Cabinet Directive on Law-Making. The Privy Council Office is responsible for guidance on primary instruments (statutes), whereas TBS is responsible for secondary instruments (regulations). TBS is working with the Privy Council Office and the Department of Justice Canada to develop a go-forward plan for implementation to begin in 2025. The plan will include further engagement on regulatory and central decision-making issues.
  2. Shared Priority 66: Developing measures to implement Indigenous Peoples’ right to participate in decision-making related to legislative, program and policy development.

This work is being led by Justice and the Privy Council Office, and TBS is supporting. Work is underway for this longer-term priority set to be address by 2028 or beyond.

The Treasury Board policy suite

Executive summary

The Government of Canada’s management regime establishes minimum standards for how ministers and deputy heads use their authorities and manage public resources. The Treasury Board approves rules, known as the Treasury Board policy suite, that provide direction on the management of the public service and support departments and agencies in the delivery of programs and services to Canadians.

Introduction

This document outlines the role and function of the Treasury Board policy suite. As the minister responsible, the President of the Treasury Board is accountable for the administration of the policy suite, including maintaining policy instruments and supporting departments in implementation. The President brings proposals to the Treasury Board to seek approval of a new policy, or, if needed, to seek approval to amend or rescind a policy.

Background and context

The policy suite provides direction to departments and agencies and assists ministers in their accountability to Parliament. Collectively, rules set by the Treasury Board support consistency in government operations across departments by establishing minimum standards.

The Treasury Board is given the authority to issue rules by the Financial Administration Act as well as pursuant to more than 20 other pieces of legislation. As such, Treasury Board is accountable to Cabinet acting as the Governor in Council and to the Prime Minister for the requirements it issues and for management and financial performance across government.

TBS acts as the administrative arm of the Treasury Board and supports it by:

Currently, the Treasury Board policy suite includes 28 policies, which are supported by directives, standards, mandatory procedures, guidelines and tools. The supporting instruments provide direction to public servants to meet expectations set out in policy.

The policy suite is underpinned by three frameworks that ensure consistency:

  1. the Foundation Framework
  2. the Framework on the Management of Compliance
  3. the Framework on the Management of Risk

They describe the government’s management regime, including the responsibilities and accountabilities of ministers, deputy heads and the Treasury Board.

The scope of the Treasury Board’s policy suite covers a range of administrative and program-related functions. While the policy suite adapts to changing needs over time, the 28 policies can be divided into the following functional areas:

1. Financial management

Promotes proper use and accountability of public funds.

2. Assets and acquired services

Assesses and sets the framework for the stewardship and value for money through life cycle management of assets and acquired services (for example, investment planning, procurement, real property, materiel and project management).

3. Service and digital

Establishes the framework for the management of service design and delivery, information and data, information technology, and cyber security in the digital era.

4. Results, evaluation and internal audit

Measures performance and promotes public communication of information about results achieved and informs the oversight of public resources through the provision of advice and assurance to deputy heads for decision-making.

5. Transfer payments

Guides how departments use transfer payments to advance government policy objectives. Transfer payments can range from statutory transfers such as Old Age Security to grants and contribution programs such as the New Horizons for Seniors Program.

6. Access to information and privacy

Sets rules for access to information in government records and the protection of privacy and personal information held by the government.

7. Strategic communications

Sets rules for how the government communicates with the public (for example, advertising, social media, public opinion research and web publishing).

8. Government security

Establishes the framework for the protection of government operations and the people, information and assets that support them.

9. Official languages

Promotes equality of English and French through communications and services.

10. People management

Supports human resource management, including a healthy and respectful workplace, compensation, collective bargaining, pensions and benefits, values and ethics, performance and talent management, learning, and employee recourse.

Policies strengthen government performance, results and reporting, and good governance and sound stewardship. This requires the policy suite to balance the need for minimum standards of management excellence while respecting the individual authorities and responsibilities of ministers and deputy heads.

Deputy heads hold the primary responsibility for ensuring that their departments follow the rules. In cases of non-compliance, deputy heads are responsible for taking corrective action and reporting non-compliance to TBS when appropriate.

Secretary of the Treasury Board of Canada

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