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Summary of Approved Changes to Financial Management Directives

Some minor changes to previously approved financial management directives have been approved by the President of Treasury Board. A summary of these changes has been compiled for your convenience and can be found below.

**All 18 approved directives**
Proposed Changes	Explanations
2.2 Those portions of sections of this directive that provide for the Comptroller General to monitor compliance with this policy within departments and/or request departments take corrective action, do not apply with respect to the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the privacy Commissioner, the Office of the Information Commissioner, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner. The deputy heads of these organizations are solely responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with this policy within their organizations, as well as for responding to cases of non-compliance in accordance with any Treasury Board instruments that address the management of compliance.	To recognized the special reporting relationships of these entities.

**Directive on Accountable Advances**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
6.1.5 Petty cash advances are not used to make change and petty cash or change funds are not used to give salary advances, to cash cheques or to make loans.	6.1.5 Petty cash advances are not used to make change. Petty cash or change funds are not used to give salary advances, to cash cheques, or to make loans.	The original clause has been divided into two sentences for clarification.

**Directive on Acquisition Cards**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
6.1.7 second bullet: Cards are not to be used for the following: interdepartmental transactions	6.1.7 second bullet: Cards are not to be used for the following: interdepartmental transactions (except for transactions with CORCAN, a special operating agency of Correctional Service of Canada).	CORCAN was granted exemption to use credit cards for interdepartmental transaction in 1999.
9.2 Related policy instruments and publications Receiver General Manual – Chapter TBD - "Operations of Acquisition Card Program"	9.2 Related policy instruments and publications Receiver General Manual – Chapter 9 – "Government of Canada Acquisition Card Program"	Specify the number of the Receiver General Chapter and update chapter title.

**Directive on Delegation of Financial Authorities for Disbursements**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
6.2.3 The appointment of a new minister does not automatically nullify existing authorities. However, a new document for delegated authorities is to be prepared for signature by the minister or deputy minister within 90 days….	6.2.3 The appointment of a new minister does not automatically nullify existing authorities. However, a new document for delegated authorities is to be prepared for signature by the minister or deputy minister or both within 90 days…	The words "or both" are proposed in order to indicate that in some departments both minister and deputy minister need to sign, depending on the legislative nature of the department.

**Directive on Losses of Money or Property**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
First bullet under subsection 6.1.12: The amount of the loss, whether money or property (losses of $1,000 or more are reported separately, whereas losses of less than $1,000 are reported as totals, i.e., similar incidents are grouped and only their total amount and number are reported, though the department retains details of the individual losses);...	The amount of the loss, whether money or property (losses of similar incidents are grouped and only their total amount and number are reported, though the department retains details of the individual losses); …	The $1,000 threshold was added to the revised Directive as a new requirement. Requiring all losses greater than $1,000 to be reported separately provides little value-added to the Public Accounts other than many more unneeded pages of disclosure. The amendment to the Directive continues to allow departments to group similar incidents regardless of the amount of individual loss as per the old policy in previous years.

**Directive on Specified Purposes Accounts**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
6.2.5 Disbursements are not made if an account has an insufficient balance at the time of payment, unless the disbursement is authorized by legislation, and error or oversight in the account's balance is rectified as soon as possible.	6.2.5 In accordance with FAA section 21, disbursements are not made from the account if there are insufficient funds at the time the payment is to be made and accounts do not go into a debit balance, unless authorized by legislation.	Section 21 of the FAA implicitly states that SPAs are not to go into a debit balance. The directive now makes this explicit. The reference to rectifying a debit balance as soon as possible made through an error or oversight is understood as a given and therefore does not need to be stated.

**Directive on Travel Cards and Travellers Cheques**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
6.4.1 Providing a written acknowledgement of responsibilities and obligations before receiving a travel card from the departmental acquisition card coordinator;	6.4.1 Providing a written acknowledgement of responsibilities and obligations before receiving a travel card from the departmental travel card coordinator;	To correct a typo mistake in English version only.

**Directive on The Use of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for Crown Corporations**
Original Text	Approved Revisions	Explanations
3.1 This directive supports the objectives of the Policy on Internal Control by outlining the responsibilities of the chief financial officer of the department to establish and maintain management practices and controls where the Government of Canada provides financing to a crown corporation, either through the drawdown of funds from an appropriation, or through a loan, investment or advance.	3.1 This directive supports the objectives of the Policy on Internal Control by outlining the responsibilities of the chief financial officer of the department to establish and maintain management practices and controls where the Government of Canada provides financing to a crown corporation, through the drawdown of funds from an appropriation. 3.2 It also outlines the responsibilities of a senior officer designated by the deputy head in the Department of Finance to establish and maintain management practices and controls where the Government of Canada provides financing to a Crown corporation through a loan, investment or advance.	Last part of sentence deleted and a new subsection 3.2 added since the authority for financing Crown corporations through the use of loans, investments or advances lies solely with the Department of Finance.
6.1.1 A drawdown process is in place that limits the draw on appropriated funds to cover the short-term cash flow requirements of the Crown corporation and, unless specifically authorized by Parliament, the drawdown is not made in advance of need. The individual draws will be for as short a period as operationally feasible (e.g., twice monthly or in some instances monthly).	6.1.1 A drawdown process is in place that limits the draw on appropriated funds to cover the short-term cash flow requirements of the Crown corporation and the drawdown is not made in advance of need. The individual draws will be for as short a period as operationally feasible (e.g., twice monthly or in some instances monthly).	Parliament does not control the in-year timing of draws on an appropriation. The underlined phrase was misleading and has been deleted. Exceptions to financial management policy requirements are normally sought through a TB submission unless the authority to allow exceptions has been delegated to the President of the TB.
6.2 When the Government of Canada provides financing to a Crown corporation through a loan, investment or advance, the chief financial officer of the department is responsible for ensuring that:	6.2 When the Government of Canada provides financing to a Crown corporation through a loan, investment or advance, a senior officer in the Department of Finance designated by the deputy head is responsible for ensuring that:	The former wording was misleading as the "CFO of the department" does not have this authority. Only the Department of Finance has the authority to provide financing to CCs from the CRF.