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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

This section provides information about PCO’s program activities, including key achievements. These program activities support PCO’s only strategic outcome: “Toward effective government policies and operations, the Privy Council Office ensures that decision making by the Prime minister and Cabinet is well supported and the institutions of executive government are well supported and maintained.”

Strategic Outcome

Program Activity 1: Support for Cabinet decision making and the legislative agenda

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007-2008
Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
5,458	5,559	5,121

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007-2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
49	42	7

Description

PCO is the guardian of the Cabinet decision-making process and carries out a coordination function, providing Cabinet and its committees with the support required to prepare for and conduct meetings.

PCO provides consultations, research and advice to facilitate decision making and legislation. PCO also provides advice and support on the management of the Government’s legislative and parliamentary agenda to the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, the Leader of the Government in the Senate and Secretary of State (Seniors), the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, and the Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip.

1. Support for Cabinet decision making and the legislative agenda
Expected Result	Priorities Supported	Performance Indicators2
Cabinet decision making and the legislative agenda are supported	Support the Prime Minister in exercising his overall leadership responsibility	Report in the Departmental Performance Report (DPR) on the consultation, coordination and integration mechanisms managed by PCO in support of Cabinet decision making and the development of legislation Report in the DPR legislative achievements in relation to the legislative agenda Report in the DPR on changes made to Cabinet decision-making structures

Given the nature of the work of the Privy Council Office, it is important to note that while the performance indicators can provide some quantitative measures linking accomplishments and performance, they cannot alone demonstrate the complexity of the analysis and research necessary to achieve the goals nor the scope or range of the different activities.

Key Achievements

Parliamentary agenda

During 2007-2008, PCO supported the development and implementation of the Government’s parliamentary agenda. PCO provided advice and operational support for the management of the Government’s parliamentary agenda in a minority situation as well as for the introduction of specific bills to further the Government’s priorities, including bills to strengthen Canada’s economy, improve the environment and health of Canadians, improve the safety and security of Canadians and their communities, and advance the Government’s democratic reform program.

This support contributed to the Government’s success in moving a wide range of important bills through Parliament.

A specific example of PCO’s activities in this area is the advice and operational support provided to the Government for the implementation of its democratic reform program as well as for bills to amend the Canada Elections Act, including:

Democratic Reform		Canada Elections Act
Bills Passed		Bills Reintroduced
Bill C-16	Fixed Dates for Elections	Bill C-6	Visual Identification of Voters
Bill C-31	Voter Identification and the Integrity of the Electoral Process	Bill C-16	Expanded Voting Opportunities
Bill C-18	Provisions for Rural Voters	Bill C-29	Treatment of Loans
Bills Reintroduced
Bill C-19	Senate Tenure
Bill C-20	Senate Appointment Consultations
Bill C-22	Democratic Representation

The Government also reported the results of a public consultation process on democratic reform (www.democraticreform.gc.ca).

Cabinet Committees

In support of Cabinet decision making, PCO provided advice to the Prime Minister on the Cabinet committee structure, including the creation of the new committee on Afghanistan; provided secretariat support to the Cabinet and Cabinet committees; provided policy and meeting management advice to chairs of Cabinet committees; performed a challenge function on policy and legal advice and worked to ensure that a standard of quality was met for the policy and legislative proposals presented to Cabinet committees; and continued to provide Cabinet committees with timely information to support decision making and improve the efficiency of meetings.

PCO ensured the smooth functioning of the Cabinet decision-making process, thereby facilitating the implementation of the Government’s agenda by managing the flow of committee business and emerging issues, and providing secretariat support to the Cabinet committees and related ad hoc committees.

In addition to secretariat support for 149 regular meetings of full Cabinet and Cabinet committees, PCO organized several Cabinet planning retreats.

Orders in Council

PCO provided secretariat services to the Treasury Board Cabinet Committee in relation to the approval of Orders in Council, Regulations and other Statutory Instruments and provided advice on the use of Orders in Council and/or Instruments of Advice. PCO produced and distributed Orders in Council, prepared a weekly agenda for submission of these documents to Treasury Board, transmitted Orders and Instruments to the Governor General for final approval, and administered the responsibilities of the Clerk of the Privy Council that are set out in the Statutory Instruments Act regarding the registration and publication of Regulations in Part II of the Canada Gazette. PCO also coordinated special events such as the swearing in of Cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries and provincial lieutenant governors. The following chart details the number of Orders in Council that were produced and distributed.

Orders in Council³
Fiscal Year Statistical Report

Legislation

PCO provided support for the legislative program for the new session of Parliament in October 2007, where new bills furthering the Government’s agenda were introduced and passed.

PCO provided the Prime Minister, Cabinet committees, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, and the Leader of the Government in the Senate and Secretary of State (Seniors) with policy advice and legislative support for key Government priorities in Parliament. In 2007-2008, PCO assisted the Government with the introduction of 63 bills that furthered the Government’s top agenda items and included measures to strengthen the Canadian economy, improve the safety and security of Canadians, and improve the environment for Canadians. The following chart details the number of Government bills introduced and passed. PCO provided support for the bills at all stages.

Statistics on Activities Related to Legislation

PCO assisted the Government with the coordination and production of Government responses (Parliamentary Returns) to parliamentary inquiries for information, including public petitions, parliamentary written questions and notices of motions for the production of papers. During the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the Government provided Parliament with approximately 1,300 answers to such inquiries.

Cabinet confidences

PCO supports the Clerk in his role as custodian of Cabinet confidences from current and previous ministries and is responsible for providing advice on policy and legal issues relating to Cabinet confidences. PCO serves as the primary point of contact for all federal departments and agencies regarding contentious issues involving Cabinet confidences. It is also responsible for ensuring that deadlines imposed by either the Courts under the Canada Evidence Actor by the legislative requirements of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act are met on an ongoing basis and that provisions of those statutes are properly applied by PCO officials. It is responsible for reviewing Cabinet documents requested by the Office of Auditor General (OAG) and providing the OAG with information in accordance with the Orders-in-Council P.C. 1985-3783 and P.C. 2006-1289 on access to Cabinet confidences. It is also responsible for reviewing documents for the purposes of production in respect of Crown litigation, Commissions of Inquiry and Parliamentary committees. The following chart indicates the number of pages of documents received for reviewing Cabinet confidences.

Cabinet confidences (s. 69 of the Access to Information Act and s. 70 of the Privacy Act)⁴

Cabinet confidences (s. 39 of the Canada Evidence Act)⁵

Cabinet documents (requests from the Auditor General)

3-Orders-in-Council P.C. 1985-3783 and P.C. 2006-1289

Year	Number of pages reviewed  (not including documents other than Cabinet documents from the PCO Cabinet Paper System):
2005-2006	7,153
2006-2007	8,919
2007-2008	975

Litigation/Commissions of Inquiry - Production of documents

Year	Number of pages reviewed
2005-2006	1,738
2006-2007	14,699
2007-2008	36,558

Program Activity 2: Advice to the Prime Minister and ministers on issues, policies, machinery and appointments

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007-2008
Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
59,516	62,679	53,892

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007-2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
419	391	28

Description

PCO serves as the department for the Prime Minister and also supports ministers in the Prime Minister’s portfolio including the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister for Democratic Reform, the Leader of the Government in the Senate and Secretary of State (Seniors), and the Secretary of State and Chief Government Whip. It consults with key stakeholders, coordinates advice across government departments and agencies, and provides strategic policy, expenditure and communications advice on social, economic, legal, environment, security, intelligence, foreign and defence issues as well as intergovernmental relations. In addition, working with the Department of Finance and the Treasury Board Secretariat, PCO provides the Prime Minister with ongoing strategic analysis and advice on economic, legal, financial and fiscal matters.

PCO supports the Government in the coherent and coordinated communication of its overall agenda objectives and priorities, and advises the Prime Minister and his office on the concerns and priorities of Canadians through ongoing public opinion research and media monitoring.

PCO provides advice to the Prime Minister with respect to machinery of government issues and appointments of senior personnel.

2. Advice to the Prime Minister and ministers on issues, policies, machinery and appointments.
Expected Result	Priorities Supported	Performance Indicators
The Prime Minister and ministers receive informed and sound advice in support of decision making	Support the Prime Minister in exercising his overall leadership responsibility Focus on key policy areas and strengthen medium-term policy planning Improve the management and accountability of government	Report in the DPR on the consultation, coordination and integration mechanisms managed by PCO in support of Cabinet decision making Report in the DPR on issues managed by the Prime Minister and Cabinet with PCO support

Key Achievements

Organization and structure of government entities

Throughout 2007-2008, PCO supported the Prime Minister in the exercise of his prerogative regarding the organization and structure of government entities (machinery of government), the reassignment of ministers during the August 2007 Cabinet shuffle, the setting of the ministers’ and secretaries’ of state mandates, the organization of Cabinet and its committees (including the creation of a new Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan), ministerial accountability, and the appointment or reassignment of parliamentary secretaries.

PCO provided the Prime Minister with advice and support in relation to the creation of a number of new entities, such as independent, arm’s-length bodies (the Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a trust to administer the First Nations Market Housing Fund); Crown corporations (the Canadian Human Rights Museum, the Canada Employment Insurance Financing Board, the PPP Canada Inc.); an ombudsman (for taxpayers); and a quasi-judicial tribunal (the Specific Claims Tribunal).

PCO also provided advice on the realignment of responsibilities to optimize service delivery to Canadians, for example by enabling Service Canada to assist Passport Canada in meeting the increased demand for Canadian passports, and to assist Transport Canada in the processing of applications under the ecoAUTO Rebate Program. Other realignments included the transfer of responsibilities for the Mackenzie Gas Project from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada to Industry Canada.

PCO also supported the Prime Minister and the Government by providing policy and legal advice on the Westminster system of government used in Canada, namely on the principles of ministerial responsibility, the roles and responsibilities of deputy ministers, and matters regarding accountability.

Governor-in-Council selection and appointment process⁶

In support of the Government’s commitment to make qualified appointments following selection processes that are widely publicized and fairly conducted, PCO continued to take concrete steps in 2007-2008 to further refine the Governor-in-Council (GIC) appointment process.

PCO continued to manage rigorous selection processes for all key positions (i.e. heads of agencies, chairs and chief executive officers of Crown corporations) while departments managed the appointment process for members of boards and commissions. Selection criteria for these positions were developed, notices of vacancy were published in the Canada Gazette and on the GIC appointments website, applications were reviewed and assessed, and interviews and/or reference checks were conducted with respect to the most qualified candidates. During this period, a total of 1,043 GIC appointments were made (excluding auditor and judicial appointments). Forty processes were launched to fill key positions in 2007-2008 including the President of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Principal of the Royal Military College. In addition, PCO successfully supported the appointment process for a number of new positions established by the Federal Accountability Act, including the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner and the Procurement Ombudsman.

PCO provided policy advice and analysis to the Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation. This committee provides independent advice and recommendations to the government on long-term compensation strategies for senior levels of the Public Service.

Democratic reform

PCO supported the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and the Minister for Democratic Reform in developing and implementing the Government’s democratic reform agenda. This included legislation to improve the administration of the voting process, and reforms relating to the Senate of Canada (i.e. fixed length of tenure and consultations with the electorate about appointments) and democratic representation. PCO consulted with relevant departments and agencies on democratic reform and other electoral matters, and liaised with other governments in Canada and abroad and with academia to examine practices in other jurisdictions. Based on this information, PCO prepared policy and legal analysis and advice for the Prime Minister and Cabinet to examine the issues, and then worked with the Department of Justice to prepare the required legislation. PCO supported the Minister for Democratic Reform in managing the progress of the legislation through the House of Commons and Senate. As a result, nine government democratic reform bills, including two constitutional amendments, were examined in Parliament during the 2007-2008 period. The Government also reported the results of a public consultation process on democratic reform (www.democraticreform.gc.ca).

Development and implementation of domestic and international initiatives

PCO was a key contributor to the development of the Government’s foreign policy and international development agendas. It provided coordination and guidance to the interdepartmental community in the planning, analysis and development of a strategic plan to realign our foreign policy and development priorities in order to promote efficiency, effectiveness and accountability, and to advance Canada’s national interests and strengthen Canadian sovereignty internationally, taking into consideration the Canadian values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

PCO was constantly alert to the evolving international situation, producing a range of strategic, forward-looking assessments and providing advice on foreign trends and developments that might affect Canadian foreign policy, trade and security interests that reflect broad Canadian interests and the Government’s policy agenda, notably on Afghanistan, Arctic issues and international terrorism. PCO regularly consulted with government departments to evaluate the impact of emerging issues on Canadian interests and government policies.

PCO supported the Prime Minister in exercising his leadership by providing support for 26 incoming and outgoing visits and summits to advance Canadian interests in major international forums, foster greater cooperation in North America and promote closer relations with key partners.

PCO continued to produce comprehensive, intelligence assessments with an interdepartmental perspective. It also coordinated interdepartmental expert groups on a series of key international issues of interest to the Government of Canada.

PCO also provided policy and logistical support to the Clerk and federal deputy ministers for bilateral meetings with counterparts in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and the four Atlantic provinces, to exchange ideas and share perspectives on current policy issues.

New expenditure management system

The government recently redesigned the expenditure management system, particularly those elements related to policy priority setting, off-cycle funding and reallocation of resources. A key element of this new system was a strategic review of all direct program spending.

While the overall exercise was led by the Treasury Board, PCO played an active role in the first round of Strategic Reviews that took place in 2007-2008, increasing its capacity in this area in order to monitor the process for the Prime Minister, provide support to identify and assess policy and communication risks arising from Strategic Reviews, and ensure the compilation of follow-up work to help resolve any policy issues raised by the Strategic Reviews. As reported in the Budget Plan 2008, the first round of Strategic Reviews examined departmental spending amounting to $13.6 billion and identified savings of $386 million per year that were redirected to fund new initiatives, both within reviewed departments and broader spending priorities.

400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City

PCO was tasked with coordinating across the federal government the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City. PCO supported the Government and the Prime Minister by providing analysis and advice in the management of federal activities and the development of communications products. The Government of Canada invested more than $110 million toward infrastructure legacy projects and the programming for the festivities in Québec City, as well as for celebrating activities across the country.

Security for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and the G8 Leaders’ Summit

Security planning for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver and the G8 Leaders’ Summit is multi-faceted and involves a large number of federal, provincial and local government players, as well as the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The world will be looking to Canada to host safe and secure events for world leaders, participants and citizens. As such, the Government of Canada has a key role in ensuring that security planning and measures are undertaken in a coordinated and timely manner. In support of this role, PCO created a federal coordinator position to help facilitate a whole-of-government approach to security, while advancing effective relations with international allies.

Program Activity 3: Provide Cabinet with sound advice on the development, coordination and implementation of the policy agenda

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007–2008
Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
22,666	24,367	23,239

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007–2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
186	175	11

Description

PCO staff consult with stakeholders, research issues and prepare briefing material on the Government’s policy agenda. PCO staff provide guidance to departments and agencies on the Government’s policy agenda; advice to Cabinet and the Prime Minister on the development and coordination of the Government’s policy agenda and the Speech from the Throne; and assistance for the development of forward-looking, coherent and integrated medium-term policy advice. PCO also exercises a challenge function in respect of policy proposals being brought forward by departments.

3. Provide Cabinet with sound advice on the development, coordination and implementation of the policy agenda
Expected Result	Priorities Supported	Performance Indicators
Cabinet receives informed and sound advice on the development and implementation of the policy agenda	Focus on key policy areas and strengthen medium-term policy planning	Report in the DPR on the consultation, coordination and integration mechanisms managed by PCO in support of policy development Report in the DPR on policy achievements and activities

Key Achievements

Facilitating the policy agenda

PCO assisted the Prime Minister and Cabinet in defining objectives and priorities for the overall policy agenda of the Government. It facilitated and coordinated the advancement of all areas of the agenda including social, economic, environmental, intergovernmental, international and security policy. It did so, in part, through the exercise of the challenge function, ensuring that policy proposals presented to Cabinet and Cabinet committees by federal departments and agencies were well prepared, complete and consistent with the Government’s agenda priorities. PCO ensured that these priorities were respected and effectively coordinated, while recognizing that departments had the lead and were accountable for implementing policies in programs consistent with their areas of responsibility and in line with Treasury Board management policies.

In addition to exercising a challenge function on departmental proposals, PCO also supported policy development by providing logistical support to the Clerk of the Privy Council for a range of deputy ministers’ meetings. The Clerk chairs core deputy minister committees that advance integrated policy development consistent with Government priorities, and coordinates deputy minister engagement in medium-term management and human resources planning.

In 2007-2008, PCO provided logistical support and policy advice to the Clerk for 100 deputy minister meetings and two deputy minister retreats. The number of deputy minister policy committees was expanded to include a new committee on the Arctic, supported by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, a new National Security committee and sub-committee on Intelligence supported by PCO, and a new committee on Afghanistan, also supported by PCO.

The Social Policy Agenda

PCO provided ongoing advice and support to the Government for the tackling crimeagenda including new legislative measures that address violent and non-violent crime (e.g. the Tackling Violent Crime Act, strengthening the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and provisions to protect against identity theft). PCO also supported cross-government work in the development and implementation of the National Anti-Drug Strategy, which targets youth and community safety by promoting action plans developed to address three priority areas: prevention, treatment and enforcement.

PCO assisted in the development of a Food and Consumer Product Safety Action Plan, including a consultation process with Canadians in the development of the Action Plan and the drafting and introduction of Bill C-51, Amendments to the Food and Drugs Act, and Bill C-52, the new Canada Consumer Product Safety Act. PCO also supported the development of health policies and initiatives such as the Action Plan for the Protection of Human Health from Environmental Contaminants that supported the Government’s priority to not only improve the health of Canadians, but also to demonstrate and address links between the environment and health.

The Aboriginal agenda is another social policy area in which PCO has been actively engaged, including several important initiatives, such as the Indian Residential Schools Settlement implementation; historic reforms to the Specific Claims process to bring fair and timely resolution to these claims; the development of an action plan to improve access to safe drinking water in First Nation communities; and enhancements to Aboriginal labour market programming.

Furthermore, PCO has played an ongoing role, working in concert with the departments of Human Resources and Social Development, and Citizenship and Immigration, in implementing the Government’s Advantage Canada commitments, specifically those related to the knowledge advantage. This includes legislation introduced through the Budget to speed up the processing of permanent resident applications, ensuring shorter wait times and making Canada's immigration system more competitive.

PCO has also been engaged on a wide range of files in other social policy areas, such as multiculturalism and Canadian identity, museum policy, poverty, labour, sport and official languages.

The Economic Policy Agenda

PCO provided advice in support of governmental initiatives including measures to complement the implementation of major investments in infrastructure through the Building Canada plan. PCO advised on measures to support a balanced implementation of national merit-based funds also available under the Building Canada plan. PCO supported making the Gas Tax Fund permanent in order to enhance long-term cooperation with provinces, territories and municipalities when addressing municipal infrastructure needs. Greater support for capital investments in public transit through the Public Transit Capital Trust, and the establishment of P3Canada to support public-private partnerships are two additional examples of further investments complementing the Building Canada plan that have benefited from PCO advice on infrastructure investment.

To enhance Advantage Canada’s commitment to invest in people, knowledge, modern infrastructure and a sound and efficient financial sector for global success, PCO advice also supported the establishment of the Automotive Innovation Fund for strategic, large-scale R and D projects for innovative, greener and more fuel-efficient vehicles; additional investments in support of the Government’s S and T strategy including improvements to the Scientific Research and Experimental Development program; and the Global Commerce Strategy to enhance prospects for greater economic success by Canadian firms competing for markets at home and abroad.

In recognition of the importance of small and medium-sized enterprises to the Canadian economy, CO furthered the Government’s economic agenda by providing advice in support of:  reducing the paper burden on businesses by 20 percent by November 2008; implementing BizPal (simplified access to information required for permits and licences); reducing the small business tax rate to 11 percent; and raising the lifetime capital gains exemption for small business owners.

The Environmental Policy Agenda

Over the last year the Environment and Energy Security Committee refined the regulatory framework, resulting in the release of a final framework in early March 2008 of this year. Progress was made on a number of other key components of the Government’s environmental agenda including: biofuels incentives; renewable fuel content regulations (introduced in Parliament last year, now passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate); climate change adaptation programs; a vehicle scrappage program; carbon capture and storage; and motor vehicle fuel consumption standards.

PCO also facilitated and coordinated a number of environmental policies and programs that supported the Government’s broader human health and environmental quality objectives. For example, as part of the Chemicals Management Plan, the Government selected approximately 200 chemicals for priority review, one of which was bisphenol A, a chemical building block used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. As a result of the review, Canada became the first country in the world proposing action on bisphenol A, ensuring the safety of the health of Canadians, particularly our most vulnerable, such as newborns and infants, and protecting our environment.

The International, Defence and Security Agenda

PCO supported Cabinet by assisting in the coordination of Government efforts and by advising, developing and assisting in the analysis and implementation of policy related to the development of the Canada First Defence Strategy, which also saw PCO support the temporary creation of a working group of ministers to advance this policy agenda.

Throughout 2007-2008, PCO provided essential and ongoing advice and support to a wide range of federal departments, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), National Defence, Public Safety, and Public Works and Government Services, and many others regarding the development and implementation of the Government’s international and defence policies. For example, PCO worked closely with DFAIT and CIDA and the interdepartmental community to develop and coordinate new, focused and coherent foreign policy, trade and aid policy agendas.

PCO carried out its coordination function by working closely with key departments and agencies, building and maintaining effective relationships with our allies, providing advice to the Prime Minister on priorities, and preparing assessments of foreign developments that had the potential to affect Canadian interests. For example, PCO was involved in border- and transportation-security capacity building, including cross-border policing frameworks and initiatives. As well, PCO worked with stakeholders in the security and intelligence community to advance a revised Security Certificates regime with amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in response to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Charkaoui case. This regime was established before the February 23, 2008 deadline and transition to the new regime is underway.

The Intergovernmental Agenda

PCO supported the Government and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the management of the federation.

PCO continued to provide support and advice to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and federal departments on the intergovernmental aspects of federal initiatives, notably to ensure that federal spending in provincial areas of responsibility would be carried out consistent with the Government’s undertakings regarding the spending power. Examples include the commitment in Budget 2008 to replace the Millennium Scholarship program with the more flexible Canada Student Grant Program. Similarly, the creation of trusts for community development, public transit and police officers afforded a response to local needs in a manner that provided provinces and territories with the full capacity to determine when and how to spend funds, with accountability to their own public for their use. PCO supported the Prime Minister in the organization of a First Ministers’ Meeting in January, 2008, that allowed for timely and focused discussion on the pressing matters of the Canadian economy.

Program Activity 4: As its head, the Clerk leads the Public Service in effectively supporting Cabinet and serving Canadians

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007–2008
Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
7,197	7,757	9,638

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007–2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
58	63	(5)

Description

PCO staff consult stakeholders, research issues and work with responsible agencies to provide advice on the development and implementation of the overall management agenda for the Public Service and its human resources management policies and programs.

4. As its head, the Clerk leads the Public Service in effectively supporting Cabinet and serving Canadians
Expected Result	Priorities Supported	Performance Indicators
The overall development of the Public Service is fostered	Improve the management and accountability of government	Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada Report in the DPR on the consultation, coordination and integration mechanisms managed by PCO to provide advice on public service human resources management Report in the DPR on achievements and activities

Key Achievements

Public Service renewal

The Clerk, as head of the Public Service, continued to place a great deal of importance on public service renewal as one of the key priorities for the foreseeable future. During the course of the year, the Clerk established tangible commitments to Renewal, through the 2007-08 Public Service Renewal Action Plan, in each Deputy Minister’s performance management agreement. Departments and agencies made measurable progress in all four renewal pillars: planning, recruitment, employee development and enabling infrastructure. Several important activities continued under the Clerk’s leadership in order to advance public service renewal.

The Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Public Service Renewal, established in 2006-2007 and chaired by the Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, continued its work as the senior committee overseeing and driving the renewal process. The committee met 15 times over the course of the year to discuss renewal approaches and to establish priorities for the short-, medium- and long-term.

Throughout the year, the Clerk acted as the key spokesperson for the Public Service on numerous occasions. Examples include a town hall meeting with public service employees in Vancouver, a speech to the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the convocation address at Mount Allison University, and participation at meetings of the Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada as well as speeches at the Assistant Deputy Minister Forum meetings. During the year, the Associate Secretary to Cabinet also met with a number of Federal Regional Councils and the executive committees of over 30 departments and agencies, as well as functional community groups, such as the National Managers Community and the heads of human resources and heads of federal agencies.

The Clerk met with Canadian university presidents to enhance and broaden the Deputy Minister University Champion program. Partnerships with Canadian universities support public service recruitment and employee development while contributing to a deeper understanding within the Public Service of issues related to education and research.

PCO provided support to the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service. This committee, created in 2006 by the Prime Minister, brings together senior leaders with a wide range of experience both inside and outside of government to advise on the renewal and future development of the Public Service. The Advisory Committee met three times during the year and presented its second annual report to the Prime Minister, which was published as an annex to the Clerk’s Fifteenth Report to the Prime Minister. The Advisory Committee’s Second Annual Report concentrated on the important topics of human resources governance and performance management. Its work brought new insights and perspectives to the renewal effort from outside the public service by a group of very distinguished Canadians.

Performance Management Program

The Clerk is responsible for the strategic management of senior public service personnel, notably with respect to succession planning and performance management, through the Committee of Senior Officials (COSO). Under his leadership, this committee continued to enhance the Performance Management Program (PMP) for deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers, strengthening the evaluation process and achieving a distribution of performance ratings in line with the best practices recommended by the Advisory Committee on Senior Level Retention and Compensation.

As part of the PMP, the Clerk continued to stress the importance of achieving horizontal commitments for all deputy ministers in the areas of public service renewal, portfolio coordination and excellence in management. To this end, the Clerk introduced a new commitment related to the implementation of policy and program results. In addition, COSO reviewed the PMP for executives to ensure it continued to foster a high-performing cadre of senior executives and requested several refinements to be implemented for the 2009-2010 performance cycle. COSO also reviewed the results of the Assistant Deputy Minister Talent Management Initiative, and monitored the successful implementation of the program for the first cohort of 27 participants in the Advanced Leadership Program, two key initiatives to support the current and future leadership needs of the Public Service.

Program Activity 5: Provide the Prime Minister’s Office and the offices of the portfolio ministers with financial and administrative support

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007–2008
Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
27,521	29,094	28,401

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007–2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
218	216	2

Description

PCO staff provide financial and administrative support to the Prime Minister’s Office and to the offices of portfolio ministers.

5. Provide the Prime Minister’s Office and the offices of the portfolio ministers with financial and administrative support
Expected Result	Priorities Supported	Performance Indicators
The Prime Minister’s Office and the offices of the portfolio ministers receive appropriate financial and administrative support	Strengthen PCO’s internal management practices	Narrative report in the DPR on the activities

Key Achievements

Correspondence management

PCO provided correspondence management services to the Office of the Prime Minister. These services included responding to email messages, written correspondence, and telephone calls from the general public, and issuing greetings and messages signed by the Prime Minister in recognition of special events and milestone anniversaries and birthdays. PCO also provided correspondence support to the offices of the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. The chart below illustrates the year-over-year trends in correspondence-related activities. The volume of correspondence is issue-driven and fluctuations from year-to-year are not uncommon. In 2007-2008, volumes of correspondence decreased in all categories; as a result, PCO significantly reduced its use of overtime and constantly met or exceeded the established service standards.

Summary of Correspondence Activities

Fiscal Years	2005-2006	2006-2007	2007-2008
Correspondence Received7
Prime Minister
Paper mail	1,064,838	611,842	559,305
Email	1,028,840	1,064,455	541,830
Telephone calls	22,440	25,549	19,841
Sub-total	2,116,118	1,701,846	1,121,171
President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs8	3,456	3,020	1,605
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 8, 10	101	1,483	1,988
Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 8, 9	1,096
Minister of Democratic Reform 8, 9, 10	151
Deputy Prime Minister 8, 11	28,951
Grand Total	2,149,773	1,706,349	1,124,764
Correspondence Sent 7
Prime Minister
Paper replies	33,558	31,597	20,746
Email replies	45,059	80,482	39,278
Sub-total	78,617	112,079	60,024
President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs 8	412	453	560
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 8, 10	62	339	920
Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons 8, 9	136
Minister of Democratic Renewal 8, 9, 10, 12	0
Deputy Prime Minister 11	2,940
Grand Total	81,867	112,871	61,504

7. There is a variance between the correspondence received and the correspondence sent because of the nature of the correspondence (for example, petitions, thank you letters and other messages that do not require a response).

8. Includes paper mail and email.

9. Correspondence support to the Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and the Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal was discontinued in 2006 because the Prime Minister’s Ministry did not have a Deputy Leader position.

10. For 2006-2007 and 2007-2008, volumes of correspondence for the Minister of Democratic Reform are included with the ones for the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

11. Correspondence support to the Deputy Prime Minister was discontinued in 2006 because the position of Deputy Prime Minister was discontinued.

12. Data on replies for the Minister of Democratic Reform are not available for 2005-2006.

PCO also provided a number of reference, research and information acquisition services to the Prime Minister’s Office in 2007-2008, including subscriptions to paper and electronic journals and newspapers.

Prime Minister’s tours

PCO provided informatics and technical support to the Prime Minister while travelling, specifically broadcast sound, lighting, staging, teleprompter and recording services to support the delivery of all speeches by the Prime Minister both in Canada and abroad. PCO also provided full office and logistical support when the Prime Minister was on travel status; this includes secure voice and data communications and portable radio communications.

Statistics for PM Tour Support for 2007-2008

Location	Advance Planning Trip	Trip/Event
International	15	17
Domestic (Canada)	54	67
Local (National Capital Region)	20	46

Program Activity 6: Provide commissions of inquiry with appropriate administrative support

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

2007–2008
Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
5,708	20,007	17,401

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2007–2008
Planned	Actual	Difference
7	25	(18)

Description

Although the actual spending reflects the total cost of the commissions of inquiry, this document reports strictly on PCO’s role, which is to support commissions of inquiry, task forces and others. Because these entities are independent, this report does not provide information relating to their mandate, work priorities or performance. This type of information is found on the individual commission websites, as indicated below.

Commissions of inquiry, task forces and others receive administrative support from PCO. When such an entity is created, PCO is responsible for initiating arrangements for accommodation, furnishings and equipment to ensure the work of the commission, task force or inquiry proceeds efficiently.

PCO also ensures that administrative advice and support are provided to each commission, task force or inquiry on an ongoing basis for hiring staff, acquisition services, contracting, financial services, access to funding, records management, payroll support, translation, security and systems support. PCO coordinates contribution programs for the payment of legal costs incurred by eligible participants appearing before commissions of inquiry.

Key Activities

PCO has effectively supported the administrative aspects of the following three commissions of inquiry and one independent advisor.

Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182

This commission is looking into certain aspects of the 1985 Air India bombing. Although the terms of reference do not direct the Commissioner to report to the Governor in Council by a specific date, it is likely that the commission will report by the end of 2008. For additional information, please refer to the commission’s website: www.majorcomm.ca

Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar

This commission investigated and reported on the actions of Canadian officials concerning Maher Arar, and made recommendations on an independent, arm’s-length review mechanism for the activities of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police with respect to national security. The commission submitted two reports to the Governor in Council. The first was released by the Government on September 18, 2006, and the second on December 12, 2006. The commission’s operations were greatly scaled back following the submission of the second report. The commission continued to exist pending the Federal Court’s decision related to the application brought by the Attorney General of Canada challenging the Commissioner’s decision to disclose information to the public in respect of which the Government asserted a claim of national security confidentiality. The Federal Court authorized a partial release of information and an addendum to the commission report was released on August 9, 2007. The commission wrapped up its operations in September 2007. For additional information, please refer to the commission’s website, which has now been archived at Library and Archives Canada: http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/206/301/pco-bcp/commissions/maher_arar/07-09-13/www.ararcommission.ca/default.htm

Internal Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin

This commission was created on December 11, 2006, in order to determine whether the detention of Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad Abou-Elmaati and Muayyed Nureddin in Syria or Egypt resulted, directly or indirectly, from the actions of Canadian officials. The Commissioner’s mandate included an original deadline to submit a public and confidential report by January 31, 2008, which was extended to October 20, 2008. For additional information, please refer to the commission’s website: www.iacobucciinquiry.ca

Independent Advisor into the Allegations Respecting Financial Dealings Between Mr. Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney

On November 14, 2007, Mr. David Johnston was appointed by the Governor in Council as Independent Advisor to review allegations respecting financial dealings between Mr. Karlheinz Schreiber and the Right Honourable Brian Mulroney and make recommendations as to the appropriate mandate for a public inquiry into those allegations, including the specific issues that warrant examination under the Inquiries Act.

Professor Johnston submitted a first report to the Prime Minister on January 9, 2008, and a second one on April 4, 2008, which are both available on the Privy Council Office’s website.

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