The Treasury Board Submission Process and Best Practices
Treasury Board submission process overview
The objective of the Treasury Board (TB) submission process is to ensure that initiatives are aligned with Government of Canada priorities and that they are designed, implemented and delivered to realize their intended outcomes, effectively and efficiently. The process also ensures that initiatives are carried out in a manner that is compliant with various government policies.
TB submissions are the result of interaction between the sponsoring government organizationFootnote 1 and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). TB submissions are provided on behalf of sponsoring ministers, who are accountable for the content of the submissions they sign. A TB submission transforms policy objectives previously approved by another Cabinet committee into an initiative that will achieve those objectives.
TB ministers approve TB authorities (such as access to new funding) for initiatives that federal organizations want to create, expand or modify. Organizations seek the TB’s approval/authorization for their initiatives through TB submissions.
Before you start drafting
Before a TB submission can be presented to the TB, policy approval (usually received through approval of a Memorandum to Cabinet) and a source of funds for the initiative (for example, a funding decision from the Department of Finance Canada) must have been secured. The implementation plan outlined in the TB submission must align with these decisions.
Prior to submitting a first draft of a submission to TBS, departments are required to confirm that quality standards for incoming submissions have been met. This confirmation must be vetted by a senior official at a level appropriate to the organization. As set out in its service standards, TBS will not pass a submission on quality review if it does not include all the required elements based on the drafter’s guidance.
TB submissions must also comply with TB policy. Submission drafters are encouraged to familiarize themselves with relevant policies (such as the Policy on Results) and engage with their internal centres of expertise (for example, on transfer payment programs) before they start drafting.
Early engagement
TBS Program Sector analysts serve as the single window (that is, primary point of contact) to provide support and guide organizations in drafting submissions. They are responsible for providing comments on submissions on behalf of TBS.
The process for communicating with TBS analysts is often done through your corporate services unit or chief financial officer (CFO) branch. Check internally before reaching out directly.
Engaging early with program sectors to discuss planned submissions is highly recommended and will help you receive authorities in a timely manner. If your department is working on a Memorandum to Cabinet or Budget proposal that will result in a TB submission, engaging early with the TBS analyst will be helpful and make the submission process easier downstream.
Organizations are encouraged to provide their Program Sector analyst with a two-page overview of the planned submission prior to planning a kick-off meeting.
Drafting the submission
The TB submission should be drafted as a narrative and tell the story of the initiative that TB approval is sought for. TB ministers receive submissions to read in advance of the Board date, so they should be clear and accessible to non-experts.
Please use the Guidance for Drafters of Treasury Board Submissions for more details.
For Crown corporations, use the Guide to Treasury Board Submissions Prepared on Behalf of Crown Corporations.
Tips and tricks
- Avoid “selling” the initiative – the submission should neither justify approved policy direction nor try to reassure ministers that all risks can be mitigated
- Use plain language – avoid bureaucratic and technical jargon, minimize the use of abbreviations, provide concrete examples
- Use the active voice
- Avoid repetition, including between the body and any appendices
- Do not change the formatting of the template
- All materials for the Board must be in both official languages
- Information on how to submit the submission can be found at Delivering Signed Submissions
- A glossary of key terms can be found at Glossary of Terms for TB Submissions
Preparing for the Board
A TB submission should focus on implementation. Previous decisions should neither be justified nor defended in the submission. However, the TBS analyst may request such information to support internal briefings and ensure assistant secretaries (TBS ADMs) have all information required to brief TB.
Once Program Sector has no further comments on your submission, analysts still may seek information in anticipation of or in response to questions from the President of the Treasury Board or other TB ministers. As much as possible, TBS will provide the reason for the question and its level of urgency to help officials prioritize appropriately.
Guidance for Drafters of Treasury Board Submissions provides a summary of expectations for each section of the Treasury Board Submission Template.
Service standards
TBS maintains service and quality standards for review of TB submissions to support the shared goal of developing and reviewing quality submissions in a timely manner. For more information, refer to Service and Quality Standards to Support TB Submission Reviews.