Information Management in the Government of Canada - A Situation Analysis

Appendix B - Governance

Establish a unit within TBS to:

develop information management policies and strategies based on the (MGIH) and related policies;
set government-wide priorities in co-operation with lead agencies, government-wide committees and groups and others;
advise the CIO on government-wide, corporate IM strategies, policies, and issues;
integrate information management considerations into TBS initiatives;
lead government-wide information management initiatives in partnership with lead agencies;
serve as the secretariat for government-wide committees and groups such as the IM Forum; and;
serve as a centre of expertise and a point of contact for matters pertaining to building and maintaining an IM infrastructure.

Establish an interdepartmental information management committee comprising Director General level representatives. The existing advisory committee for the IM initiative should be the basis for the committee. The rationale for the the Committee is as follows:

given the extent of the information infrastructure (i.e. from policies and standards / practices to technologies and community renewal) existing advisory committees (ACIM) and management boards (e.g. the IMB) are hard pressed to deal with the issues and strategies associated with building a sustainable IM infrastructure. The Committee would ensure that issues and strategies were positioned effectively within the existing committee structure and the directions set by central and lead agencies;
the Committee would help to guide the direction being set by government-wide IM groups such as the IM Forum, the KM Forum, the Council on Federal Libraries, the Records Management Institute, etc. and ensure that their activities and products were positioned effectively to support government priorities and concerns;

The Committee would be a sub-committee of the Electronic Service Delivery Committee to:

advise on IM strategies, policies, and issues being proposed to TBS and/or lead agencies through ACIM, the IMB, or other appropriate means;
advise TBS and lead agencies on initiatives designed to develop and maintain the IM infrastructure (i.e. policies, standards and practices, systems, and people);
advise TBS and lead agencies on recommended IM policies, standards / practices, systems (e.g. functional requirements; procurement strategies, etc.), and human resources strategies produced by TBS, lead agencies, and government-wide committees and groups such as the IM Forum;
ensure that IM initiatives and issues are communicated to relevant committees such as ACIM and the Information Management Board;
serve as a forum for the exchange of information on matters pertaining to IM across government.

The Committee should be co-chaired by the Deputy CIO and a senior official from a government institution (preferably from a Program area) and be supported by the proposed TBS IM Unit which would perform a secretariat role.

The National Archives is in a position to offer significant support to the implementation of the recommendations of this report through its mandate to acquire, preserve, and make available government records of archival value regardless of their physical form; control the disposition of government records, and; facilitate the management of government records through the development of standards and practices and the provision of records centre services. The National Archives should use its expertise in preserving the authenticity, integrity, and ongoing availability of archival records to assume a lead role (with the National Library, TBS, and other government institutions) in facilitating the development of standards, practices, systems and associated management frameworks (e.g. establishing policies, assigning accountability, planning / organizing / controlling resources, training, etc.), for the identification, description, storage, protection, migration, and systematic / authorized disposition of government information.

The National Library is in a position to offer significant support to the implementation of the recommendations of the report through its mandate to acquire, preserve, and make available government published information. The National Library should use its expertise in information access and retrieval to assume a lead role (with the National Archives, TBS, and other government institutions) in facilitating the development of navigation tools, information content standards, information access / retrieval mechanisms, and associated management frameworks (e.g. establishing policies, assigning accountability, planning / organizing / controlling resources, training, etc.), for use at the government-wide level and within government institutions as appropriate.

The roles of government-wide groups and committees (e.g. TIMS, IMB, ACIM, the IM Forum, etc.) in supporting government-wide IM strategies and priorities should be levered to support more directly the effective management of government priorities, program / service delivery, and accountability.

The mandates and activities of other IM related committees and groups such as the Knowledge Management Forum, the Council of Federal Libraries, the RDIMS Management Board, the Inter-agency Advisory Committee on the Internet, and others should be reviewed with a view to strengthening their roles in support of the management of government information.