ARCHIVED - RPP 2006-2007
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

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Section III—Office of the Comptroller General

Mandate

In 2004, the OCG was established as a distinct organization within the Secretariat. The main goals of the OCG include restoring public confidence in the government's financial management practices, improving the quality of financial information, and strengthening internal audit.

The Comptroller General of Canada oversees government spending, provides leadership across the public service to the financial management and internal audit communities, and ensures financial management and internal audit standards are set and observed.

In support of the Secretariat's dual management board and budget office roles, the OCG uses internal audit to provide a level of assurance that departments and agencies have sound management controls in place. The OCG also identifies and addresses risks in implementing Treasury Board financial management policies. Similarly, the OCG reviews and provides advice on the level of adherence by departments and agencies to sound financial management policies and practices.

Overall, the OCG's priorities are aimed at:

• promoting strengthened financial and internal audit controls to ensure rigorous stewardship of public funds and value-for-money;
• setting and reviewing financial, accounting, and internal auditing standards and policies for the Government of Canada;
• providing leadership to ensure and enforce appropriate financial controls across the federal public service;
• cultivating sound resource stewardship at all levels throughout government;
• providing ongoing financial management and internal audit advice and support to the President, the Secretary, branches and sectors of the Secretariat, deputy ministers, other central agencies, and functional specialists; and
• developing and implementing a comprehensive HR strategy for the financial management and internal audit communities.

Strengthening internal audit

The new Policy on Internal Audit will help to enhance and professionalize internal audit across the federal government and bolster its contribution to effective risk management, internal control, and governance.

To support this renewal effort, to be implemented over three years, the OCG will develop professional guidance and supporting tools for the internal audit community. At the same time, ongoing efforts will include specialist assistance to departments (e.g. forensic audit services), attending audit committees, as well as monitoring and assessing internal audit outputs and activities across government.

Within this context, the key internal audit priorities for the coming year are to:

• launch an omnibus contracting arrangement that will facilitate access to professional internal auditing services by departments and agencies;
• establish a process for the allocation of funding to assist departments and agencies in meeting new requirements defined by the Policy on Internal Audit;
• identify a common software platform for internal audit;
• complete a maturity model for internal audit to support assessments against the MAF as well as criteria for practice inspections;
• prepare an initial release of an audit committee guidebook and provide guidance on internal audit methodologies, interpretation, and procedures;
• plan, conduct, or lead horizontal internal audits across departments and agencies;
• develop risk assessment methodologies and processes and work toward developing a government-wide risk profile;
• design a rapid response capability to assist departments and agencies with high-risk issues or cases;
• perform professional practice inspections in selected areas; and
• redesign and staff the Internal Audit Sector within the OCG.

Strengthening financial management

As part of its efforts to strengthen financial management, the OCG will continue its efforts to promote transparency, openness, rigour, and oversight of government spending. To this end, the OCG will lead efforts to ensure appropriate financial management frameworks, policies, and guidance on financial controls are available across the federal public service. The OCG will also work to strengthen financial management systems in departments and central agencies, including systems for accounting, asset management, and procurement.

The OCG's core ongoing activities include:

• developing financial management and accounting policies and monitoring, overseeing, and reporting on the effectiveness of their application in departments and agencies;
• nurturing the government's centre of expertise for financial management, which provides advice to departments, including guidance for the preparation of departmental financial statements;
• supporting fiscal policy through research on, analysis of, and advice on policy proposals and financial results;
• monitoring and advising on key initiatives, including proactive disclosure of grants and contributions, revisions to the Policy on Transfer Payments, and various service improvement initiatives;
• supporting and responding to financial management and Public Accounts audits by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada and related parliamentary appearances and reports;
• providing expert advice and oversight on major contingent liabilities of the government; and
• overseeing government spending and the preparation of the government's consolidated financial statements and the Public Accounts of Canada.

In addition to delivering on these core activities, the OCG is working on several multi-year initiatives designed to support the government's efforts to strengthen financial management.

The key financial management priorities for the coming year are to:

• support the Federal Accountability Act, including three reviews of financial management related policies;
• develop and implement CFO and Comptroller General approval protocols;
• enhance financial analysis, costing, user-charging strategies and reporting of fiscal results;
• implement audited departmental financial statements for 22 large departments and agencies;
• continue to renew core financial management policies and related directives and develop a supporting OCG policy renewal implementation strategy;
• continue to improve the Public Accounts of Canada, including their timeliness; and
• lead enhancements to financial information systems, including advice and support on the shared systems strategy and the establishment of a financial systems acceptance authority infrastructure.

Capacity building and community development for the financial management and internal audit communities

As part of its efforts to strengthen internal audit and financial management, the OCG has been given the mandate to support and manage programs for the recruitment and professional development of the financial management and internal audit communities.

To this end, the OCG is working to strengthen professional development standards, including certification where appropriate, for CFOs, CAEs, and the broader financial management and internal audit communities. It is also advising on financial management and internal audit elements of the public service learning curriculum.

The key supporting activities in these areas include:

• providing advice and support to departments in the development of implementation plans for CFOs and CAEs;
• providing functional guidance to deputy heads in the hiring and performance evaluations of CFOs and CAEs in major departments; and
• managing the programs for the recruitment and professional development of the financial and internal audit communities, including the Financial Officer Recruitment and Development and the Internal Auditor Recruitment and Development programs.

In addition to delivering on the core, capacity-building activities, the OCG is working on several multi-year initiatives designed to strengthen the financial management and internal audit communities.

The key community development priorities for the coming year are to:

• develop and begin implementation of a comprehensive HR strategy for the financial management and internal audit communities;
• develop and begin implementation of targeted recruitment and professional development initiatives to address identified needs in internal audit and financial management capacity across government;
• establish and initiate staffing of the Audit Committee Recruitment and Development Secretariat; and
• enhance outreach for the financial management and internal audit communities.

 

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