Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
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ARCHIVED - Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - 2011-12 Departmental Performance Report

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Internal Services

Program 6: Internal Services

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are:

  • Management and Oversight Services;
  • Communications Services;
  • Legal Services;
  • Human Resources Management Services;
  • Financial Management Services;
  • Information Management Services;
  • Information Technology Services;
  • Real Property Services;
  • Materiel Services;
  • Acquisition Services; and
  • Travel and Other Administrative Services.

Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not those provided specifically to a program.

Contribution to the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy

Federal Sustainable Development Strategy Theme IV, Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Secretariat) participates in the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy and contributes to its Greening Government Operations targets through the Internal Services program. The Secretariat contributes to the following target areas of Theme IV: “Shrinking the Environmental Footprint – Beginning with Government”: electronic waste, managed printing devices, paper consumption, green meetings, and green procurement. For additional details on the Secretariat's activities in this area, please refer to the supplementary information in Greening Government Operations.

Program Performance Summary

Expected results are not required for internal services under the Policy on Management, Resources and Results Structures. However, the Secretariat identified key initiatives that support the Internal Services program to ensure that resource management, governance and management support, and asset management are effectively aligned to priorities and programs.


2011–12 Financial Resources ($ thousands)
Planned Spending Total Authorities See 2011–12 Financial Resources for Internal Services note * Actual Spending See 2011–12 Financial Resources for Internal Services note *

* Excludes amount deemed appropriated to Shared Services Canada

80,471 93,583 93,528

The net increase of approximately $13.1 million between planned spending and total authorities can be attributed to the sum of funding for litigation support, paylist requirements, the Secretariat's workspace renewal and network separation projects, the cyber security strategy, centralization of the management of second language training, software licence renewal and the operating budget carry-forward, less reductions due to the implementation of the 2010 Strategic Review. The variance between total authorities and actual spending is negligible.


2011–12 Human Resources (full-time equivalents – FTEs)
Planned Actual Difference
709 720 11

Performance Highlights

I) Continuous improvement in the Secretariat's operations

In 2011–12, the Secretariat began the implementation of the 2010 Strategic Review while developing additional cost-reduction strategies as part of the review of departmental spending. Efforts to drive efficiencies will continue and will build on initiatives that were undertaken in 2011–12.

Effectively managed implementation of the results of the Secretariat's 2010 Strategic Review and undertook a further review in 2011–12
  • The Secretariat successfully met the savings target of $4.9 million for 2011–12. It is ahead of schedule for future year targets, having already achieved 72 per cent and 63 per cent of its strategic review savings for 2012–13 and 2013–14, respectively; and
  • The strategy focuses on aligning the Secretariat's resources with its core roles and responsibilities; modernizing and streamlining business processes; and applying a simplified, risk-based approach to its oversight functions as a central agency. Some of the planned initiatives are included in the following section.
Effectively managed the impact of cost-containment measures by identifying efficiencies in the Secretariat's internal operations, such as streamlining business processes

The Secretariat, for example:

  • Moved forward on transforming its approach to policy delivery by leveraging technology and Web 2.0 tools within government to respond to requests for information from departments and agencies;
  • Streamlined presentations of Treasury Board submissions at meetings by replacing paper-based processes with electronic devices;
  • Increased the efficiency and effectiveness of internal processes related to procurement. This was supported by extensive training for staff and management on the new procedures;
  • Developed a strategy to centralize the purchase and management of print imaging devices to achieve economies of scale, which will reduce costs and improve productivity;
  • Piloted an electronic approval process for electronic correspondence. The process is aimed at decreasing administrative workload and increasing the timeliness of internal approvals; and
  • Implemented the Common HR Business Process within the Secretariat's Human Resources Division to improve process efficiency and enhance client service.
Strengthened integrated planning and evaluation
  • The Secretariat's integrated business planning was strengthened by moving to a more strategic three-year planning horizon. This enhanced the effectiveness of financial and human resource allocation, enabled more informed decision making by senior management, and supported effective planning to contain costs. The Secretariat further enhanced the planning process by:
    • Conducting integrated quarterly budget reviews to ensure the timely reallocation of internal resources to higher priorities; and
    • Streamlining the internal collection process for planning and reporting information in order to reduce unnecessary administrative burden and increase efficiency.
  • The Secretariat strengthened the evaluation function by:
    • Developing and supporting a robust evaluation function within the Secretariat that meets or exceeds policy requirements; and
    • Implementing a new model for the conduct of evaluations to enhance the neutrality of results and recommendations.
Advanced renewal of the workplace
  • The Secretariat advanced its long-term accommodation plan by:
    • Securing approval to move to the planning stage for a more consolidated, modern and efficient office space; and
    • Reviewing the mid-term plans to minimize investments in current office locations that will not be transferable to the new accommodations.
Consolidated and relocated the Secretariat's data centre
  • In August 2011, the Secretariat's data centre was moved to a new facility to protect its electronic data and information. The Secretariat also segregated its networks and applications, implemented a more secure standard desktop configuration for all employees, and transitioned common IT services such as email and telecommunications to Shared Services Canada.
II) Simplified the oversight function

Efforts and resources to support this management priority are reflected in many of the Secretariat's programs, including Management Frameworks, People Management, Expenditure Management and Financial Management.

Used feedback from departments and agencies to strengthen the Secretariat's internal capacity to take risk-based approaches in carrying out its oversight function

The Secretariat, for example:

  • Undertook a targeted review of policy instruments and reporting requirements, applying a risk lens to identify specific policy changes that will reduce the burden on departments and agencies while still maintaining appropriate management accountability;
  • Developed tools to ensure that risk considerations are consistently applied in the periodic review of Treasury Board policy instruments. These tools include a policy implementation maturity model and a policy review guide; and
  • Developed an “earned delegation” decision-making model that uses existing risk and management capacity information about departments to enable increased delegation of authorities. The model will assist in further streamlining the number of submissions to the Treasury Board.
Developed an information management (IM) and information technology (IT) strategy and made more effective use of data and information

The Secretariat, for example:

  • Created an IM/IT strategic vision and IM roadmap to improve the Secretariat's ability to manage data and information in support of its business functions. The strategy will introduce new processes and technology, reduce duplication and increase corporate knowledge by managing information assets across internal boundaries;
  • Examined options to optimize and leverage the use of business and expenditure data collected from departments. The aim is to simplify and improve the data collection process, provide better analysis of data and give better access to citizens, parliamentarians and other end users; and
  • Enhanced the Public Service Management (PSM) Dashboard, which provides departments and agencies with human resources data and information to support decision making. The PSM Dashboard minimizes reporting requirements by leveraging information from central data systems.
Supported departmental implementation of policies and initiatives, including capacity building across government

Further details on how the Secretariat supported communities across the government are reflected in the Management Frameworks, People Management, Expenditure Management and Financial Management programs.

Lessons Learned

Business and workflow processes need to be changed in order to sustain newly implemented efficiency measures. IM practices play an integral role in transforming these processes. Through internal consultations, the Secretariat identified areas in IM that require improvement and outlined actions to address these areas in an IM roadmap implementation plan. The plan has been developed, and steps are underway to ensure that performance objectives, metrics and targets are in line with Secretariat needs. A phased implementation has already begun, which first focuses on updating technology tools and then supports employees through changes to IM processes.

Changes to Government Structure

Impacts on Financial and Human Resources Resulting from the Establishment of Shared Services Canada


2011–12 Financial Resources ($ thousands)
  Planned Spending See Changes to Government Structure - Internal Service note 1 1 Total Authorities See Changes to Government Structure - Internal Service note 2 2 See Changes to Government Structure - Internal Service note 3 *

* Pursuant to section 31.1 of the Financial Administration Act and Orders-in-Council P.C. 2011-0881, P.C. 2011-0877 and P.C. 2011-1297, this amount was deemed to have been appropriated to SSC, which resulted in a reduction in the appropriation for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

** Total authorities, as presented in the 2011–12 Financial Resources table (and other relevant tables) in the Summary of Performance section, is the net of any transfers to SSC. Actual spending does not include expenditures incurred on behalf of SSC as of the order-in-council date.

1 No planned spending was reported in the 2011–12 Report on Plans and Priorities because SSC came into existence in November 2011.

2 Total authorities include the Employee Benefit Plan and are net of revenues.

Net transfer post Orders in Council (OIC) See Changes to Government Structure - Internal Service note 4 ** to Shared Services Canada (SSC) N/A 3,932


2011–12 Human Resources (full-time equivalents – FTEs)
  Planned Actual
Deemed to Shared Services Canada N/A 15