ARCHIVED - RPP 2007-2008
Canada Public Service Agency

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Section I: Departmental Overview

1.1  Minister's Message

As the President of the Treasury Board responsible for the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada, I am pleased to present the Agency's Report on Plans and Priorities for 2007-08.

The federal public service is the largest employer in Canada. It provides advice and support to Cabinet ministers, and delivers programs and services that improve the quality of life of all Canadians. As the focal point for people management, the Agency leads the development of workplace policies and practices in areas such as learning, official languages, employment equity, and values and ethics. It is also responsible for a number of programs and initiatives related to employee development, particularly managers and executives in the public service.

The Agency assists the government in delivering on its commitment to improve Canadians' faith in public institutions and the democratic process. A key piece of this agenda is the Federal Accountability Act, whichreceived Royal Assent on December 12, 2006. Together with its companion Action Plan, the Act shapes the vision for effective and accountable government. It includes new whistleblower protection legislation and one of the Agency's top priorities will be to lead the implementation of a comprehensive set of mechanisms for the disclosure of wrongdoing in the public sector, including protection for individuals who make disclosures, while ensuring a fair process for those against whom allegations are made.

With all components of the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) now in force, the Agency's efforts are focused on putting in place the mechanisms and infrastructure to support the modernization and renewal of the public service. This new human resources management regime will increase staffing flexibilities provided to managers, which will in turn strengthen government accountability. The PSMA represents a cultural shift that must be sustained over the long term. This is why the Prime Minister has made renewal of the public service an important priority – one that will ensure the ongoing effectiveness of this vital national institution. To guide this fundamental renewal, the Prime Minister has established an external Advisory Committee on the Public Service whose work is supported by the Agency.

At its core, the Agency has a simple, but compelling vision: helping to achieve a workforce and a workplace defined by excellence. The Agency's priorities will go a long way towards producing more effective, efficient and accountable government. I therefore encourage all Canadians, parliamentarians, and public servants to read this report.

The paper version was signed by

The Honourable Vic Toews, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board

1.2  Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament the 2007–08 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (the Agency).

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the 2007–08 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports.

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat Guide;
• It is based on the Agency's Strategic outcome and Activity Architecture that were approved by the Treasury Board;
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced, and reliable information;
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
• It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board Canada Secretariat in the RPP.

The paper version was signed by

Nicole Jauvin, President
Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada

1.3 Summary Information

Agency's mandate and strategic outcome

Supporting the public service of Canada in maintaining a workforce and a workplace second to none

Being Canada's largest employer makes the public service of Canada different than any other organization in the country. There are many other attributes that make it unique and unlike any other. It employs people in large and small communities from coast to coast to coast, offering them a range of employment opportunities that cannot be matched by any other employer. It generates new ideas that push the bounds of technology, while defending longstanding laws and practices that form the basis for democracy in Canada. There are scientists, policy analysts, computer programmers, mail clerks, nurses and teachers. The number of employees is as vast as the complexity and diversity of the work they do. For these reasons, and many others, it is a respected national institution – one built on a fundamental and enduring premise – having a workforce and workplace second to none. This is the raison d'être of the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (the Agency).

As steward of the people management of the public service, the Agency needs to be firmly grounded in the people needs of today – the hiring and development of the public servants who are serving Canadians and the Government each and every day. It must also be looking to the future.

The environment in which the public service and its employees operate has been changing in fundamental ways. Globalization has increased the variables that public servants need to consider in their work. It has also increased the speed with which decisions have to be made in an ever more competitive global environment. The public has high expectations for performance from its public service and the monitoring of that performance needs to be comprehensive and sustained. A fundamental demographic shift is coming and it will require new policy, program, and service delivery responses. Technology offers opportunities to transform the way the public service works, with the role of public servants evolving accordingly. There is also an ever more competitive labour market. These external factors directly impact the public service and the work lives of public servants. And there are other challenges from within, including an aging workforce, and the changing nature of the work and the skills and competencies needed.

As before, to address these challenges the public service needs the right people in the right place at the right time with the right tools and environment to succeed. These are the elements that underpin achieving a workforce and a workplace second to none. They also position and inform the work of the Agency, as does it legal mandate which flows from powers delegated to it by the Treasury Board in the Financial Administration Act over:

• human resources management;
• official languages;
• employment equity; and
• values and ethics.

These powers are further supported by the Agency's responsibilities under a number of statutes including the:

• Public Service Modernization Act;
• Public Service Employment Act;
• Official Languages Act;
• Public Service Labour Relations Act;
• Employment Equity Act; and
• Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.

These powers define the Agency's "people management" responsibilities for the public service. These responsibilities come together in three mutually reinforcing functional areas that provide the Agency with the levers it uses to push and pull on the federal public sector in striving for human resource (HR) management excellence.

1.  Promoting leadership among public servants is a key deliverable for the Agency. It is also a mechanism used to drive the people management agenda.

• There is leadership through partnerships with the Agency's HR portfolio partners – the Canada School of Public Service, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Public Service Commission – along with federal departments and agencies. As the focal point for HR management in the public service, the Agency works to align the efforts of all these partners.
• There is also leadership through policy. By setting the standards, practices and expectations for people management through policy, the Agency's directions establish what the workplace needs to encompass for public servants to succeed, and how public servants are employed and developed.

2.  Providing services through programs that support and foster excellence, as well as providing HR management tools and infrastructure.

• There are services supporting the development of public servants. Leadership is promoted and leaders developed through a suite of development programs that target entry-level public servants, senior analysts, middle managers and executives, and provide them with targeted learning, support and developmental work assignments. A deeper appreciation and understanding of core public service values is developed through training developed in partnership with the Canada School of Public Service, and through programs such as the Mentoring Pilot Project. Public service and public servant successes are acknowledged through public service-wide awards programs and the National Public Service Week.
• There are also services supporting managers and the HR community. Managers gain insight into their organizations through mechanisms like the Public Service Employee Survey. Tools and guidance are provided on how to integrate HR and business planning. Cross-government networks are maintained to share best practices. The job classification system and qualification standards are managed and advice provided on organizing organizations. HR systems and processes are developed and rolled out across the public service.

3.  Maintaining the integrity of the HR management system. Having all of the mechanisms in place to enable effective people management is the first step in a cycle of continuous improvement. On an ongoing basis, the application and success of those mechanisms need to be assessed and lessons need to be learned and best practices shared. For these reasons the Agency engages in a number of activities that establish and verify the effectiveness of the support it provides, as well as the overall HR management health of the public service and its organizations.

• There are annual assessments of each department and agency via the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework.
• Annual reporting to Parliament occurs on official languages and employment equity compliance.
• An annual report to Parliament on HR management is now part of this mix.
• Once the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act is brought into force, the Agency will begin tabling annual reports on disclosures throughout the federal public sector.

These activities form a basket of tools that provide the Agency with the means to enable effective people management and leadership across the public service. But the landscape is changing and the Agency's priorities and directions are evolving.

The Clerk of the Privy Council, as Head of the public service, and the Prime Minister have made it clear that the renewal of the public service is a government-wide priority. As noted, the aging workforce and labour market challenges that are growing have helped clarify the imperative and the need to move quickly to ensure that the mechanisms to support renewal are robust and effective. To help drive these efforts, the Clerk of the Privy Council put in place a Deputy Ministers' Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Prime Minister established an Advisory Committee on the Public Service. The work of both committees and related initiatives are supported by the Agency.

The Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) has created a legislative framework that sets the stage for renewal. The public service is well on its way to realizing the flexibilities in staffing, constructive labour management relations, and enhanced employee training that the PSMA envisaged. These efforts will not only continue under the Agency's leadership, they will be enhanced as much as is appropriate and possible to speed up the rate of change and support renewal. This approach is being adopted across the work of the Agency.

The Agency's work on values and ethics, official languages and diversity focus on having in place a public service with the qualities and attributes that reflect the composition and nature of Canadian society. Collectively they establish many of the fundamental operating principles of the public service and what it means to be a public servant. They are also key building blocks of the culture of the public service. As the public service renews itself there is an opportunity to reinforce these key elements, as well as work with a new generation of public servants to invigorate them.

Leaders are often the people turned to as agents of change – this is no different with public service renewal. As noted, the Agency puts significant emphasis on leadership development, linking it with the broader learning agenda to form the basis upon which new leaders are developed. Whether it is newly recruited public servants, or longstanding employees, all of the public service needs to be engaged in continuous learning and knowledge transfer if the generational transition in the public service is to be smooth and successful.

The Agency is about making a practical and real difference in the lives of its clients and, simply put, there is not a public servant who is not an Agency client in some way. That is why the Agency develops tools and services and why those mechanisms are taking on even greater importance as part of renewal efforts.

The administration of HR takes too long and is too expensive. There are no standardized business processes for HR management across the public service with over 90 departments and agencies, each having their own "flavour" to managing HR. There are 14 HR information technology systems supporting these processes. When these factors are multiplied across an organization with as many HR transactions as the public service has, it is clear that this situation has to change – and it is.

Common technology platforms are being developed to facilitate the movement of employees across the public service. Business processes are being mapped and streamlined to support and take advantage of that technology. Together, these efforts, and more, will make sure that the HR infrastructure of the public service is fast, nimble and cost effective and can support the push for renewal.

Careful planning is essential to any organization, particularly one renewing itself. Within the public service, the process of establishing business priorities is well embedded, culminating in documents such as the Report on Plans and Priorities. Financial forecasting is also well entrenched. These pieces form the basis for HR planning, which is now taking on the same rigour and importance as the other planning pieces. While each of these components is effective on its own, the more integrated they become, the better they facilitate change by aligning resources with results. For this reason, the Agency is developing tools to help foster the integrated planning needed to support and sustain the renewal of the public service.

Public service renewal and the modernization of HR management present challenges. They also present opportunities. The public service is operating in an ever-changing environment. The Agency's efforts are about facilitating the evolution of the public service to not only function in that environment, but to excel within it. The Government of Canada and the public service understand that the determining factor in achieving that success is public servants themselves. That is why the Agency's goal of ensuring a workforce and workplace second to none is more important than ever before.

This is the context for the Agency' strategic outcome:

A modern professional public service dedicated to the public interest and supporting ministers in democratic governance, representative of the Canadian public, and serving Canadians with excellence in the official language of their choice, with employees effectively and ethically led in a high-quality work environment respectful of their linguistic rights.

Our strategic planning framework

The Agency's priorities and plans are found in three interrelated program activities. Each is composed of key results areas.

Modernized HR management and strengthened accountability

• Enabling and embedding HR modernization and public service renewal
• Modernize the Public Service Classification System
• Strengthen HR planning, accountability, reporting and transparency

Effective, ethical leadership and a quality work environment

• Foster strong, effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal
• Promote and embed public service values and ethics at all levels

A representative and accessible public service

• Achieve and maintain employment equity plans and priorities
• Achieve and maintain official languages plans and priorities

 

Our financial and human resources at a glance

Total for Agency:	2007–08	2008–09	2009-10
Financial Resources ($ millions):	69.3	68.3	63.7
Human Resources (Full-time equivalents):	490	481	440

Agency's Program Activities

	Planned Spending
	2007–08	2008–09	2009-10
Modernized Human Resources Management and Strengthened Accountability	15.1	15.0	14.9
Enabling and embedding HR modernization and public service renewal Modernize the public service classification system Strengthen HR planning, accountability, reporting, and transparency
Effective, Ethical Leadership and a Quality Work Environment	42.9	42.0	37.7
Foster effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal Promote and embed public service values and ethics at all levels
Representative and Accessible Public Service	11.2	11.3	11.1
Achieve and maintain employment equity Achieve and maintain official languages
Total	69.3	68.3	63.7

Note: Totals may differ between and within tables due to rounding of figures.

As illustrated above, the Agency's total planned spending is expected to decrease by $5.6 million (or 8 percent) over the next three years, from $69.3 million in 2007-08 to $63.7 million in 2009-10. This net decrease is mainly explained as follows:

• Effective, ethical leadership and a quality work environment: a decrease of $4.7 million due to the end of funding for the disclosure of wrongdoing in 2009-10.

1.4 Departmental Plans and Priorities

1.4.1  Program priorities

This section presents an overview of the Agency's most significant priorities and plans for each of its three program activities:

• modernized HR management and strengthened accountability;
• effective, ethical leadership and a quality work environment; and
• a representative and accessible public service.

Modernized HR management and strengthened accountability

The focus of this program activity is to update an HR regime that is too slow and cumbersome to support a renewed and modernized public service. It is also about strengthening and rejuvenating HR management – a sector where investments and changes have been limited for many years. As of December 2005, all legislative components of the PSMA had come into force. The new management infrastructure required to support the legislation is being implemented and the effective integration of the Act's HR management requirements into the operations of departments and agencies is on-going. Careful planning has characterized the implementation of this fundamental change in the HR management of the public service. This principle continues to be applied and that is why the new regime continues to move through the transitional phase of implementation. The framework for moving forward is based on three key result areas: enabling and embedding HR modernization and public service renewal, modernizing the public service classification system; and strengthening HR accountability, performance measurement and reporting.

Enabling and embedding HR modernization and public service renewal

Among its main priorities, the Agency will focus on integrated HR and business planning. The approach is to facilitate the work of departments and agencies so that they can focus on their primary objective – service to Canadians. A key activity will be the creation of a strategic overall HR plan for the public service and a strategic management framework to help departments and agencies implement horizontal service initiatives. The agency will also provide HR planning advice, information and tools. As well, professional development will be supported with better HR planning training. The agency will also provide on-site support on the integration of HR and business planning.

Another key priority for the Agency will be monitoring and reporting. The Agency plays a key role in the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework (PCMAF) and will continue to assess the effectiveness of these indicators. The Agency will also enhance existing tools, such as the HR management dashboard.

Finally, public service renewal is an Agency priority. The Agency will provide policy and operational support to both the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service and the Deputy Ministers' Committee on Public Service Renewal. It may also be called upon to lead a number of new initiatives resulting from this work.

Sustainable modernization of HR management requires modern systems for organizing and evaluating the work that public servantts do for Canadians. This is not only a key element for pay equity, compensation, collective bargaining, and labour relations management, but also a prerequisite to support the PSMA objective of a more effective, simplified, and flexible staffing system. Begun in 2003, classification modernization is progressing. As we move forward, the Agency will continue to build on the foundation established over the past three years.

Firstly, policies will be streamlined, a centre of expertise on organizational design will be created and advice on classification policy and standards will continue to be maintained.

Secondly, investments will continue to be made in the classification specialist community. The Agency will focus on determining accreditation requirements for qualified classification professionals while keeping evergreen the Classification Training/Learning Curriculum.

Thirdly, the Agency will continueto create simplified organizational models and associated generic work descriptions.The Computer Systems functional community's organizational models and associated generic work descriptions in 2007-08 will include supporting tools and trainingfor both the information technology and HR community.

Strengthening HR accountability, performance measurement and reporting

This is the third building block supporting HR management modernization. Effective HR planning and accountability are not only essential to balance the greater delegation resulting from the PSMA, but also critical for achieving a strong culture of accountability. Firstly, the Agency will refine the PCMAF and enhance the supporting data to provide anincreased ability to understand and meet HR management expectations. It will also continue its global assessmentsof HR management across the public service.

Secondly, theEmployee Passport initiativewill improve information management. It creates new opportunities to manage the movement of HR information quickly and securely across the public service. The Employee Passport will be rolled out to departments and agencies by January 2008.

Thirdly, the Agency will implement the second phase of the Reporting Portal by June 2007. The portal – which ensures compatibility of information across the public service – will be supplemented with information about labour relations and occupational health and safety.

Finally, the first Annual Report to Parliament on HR Management for 2005-06 has been drafted and it is expected to be tabled in March 2007.

Effective, ethical leadership and a quality work environment

Competent, ethical, accountable, and vibrant leadership is a key factor in successfully modernizing HR management and establishing trust in the public service. This is particularly true in the context of greater staffing delegation resulting from the PSMA, in which leaders need to understand their HR responsibilities and how to discharge them.

In this regard, the Agency's priorities are articulated around two key results areas: foster effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal; and, promote and embed public service values and ethics at all levels.

Fostering effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal

Firstly, a key priority for the Agency will be to monitor the implementation of the Policy on Learning, Training and Development. In support of this, the Agency will develop standards, directives, and guidelines, establish the infrastructure required to monitor and report on their effective implementation, and provide policy advice and tools to departments and agencies.

Secondly, the suite of leadership development programs will be assessed and the need for additional programs and/or modifications will be examined.

Thirdly, the Agency will provide assistance to departments and other partners to integrate key leadership competencies into their HR management activities. It will monitor the effective integration of the profile, create an integrated framework to enhance the management of all aspects of HR for the executive community, and support all these transformations with effective change management programs.

Promoting and embedding public service values and ethics at all levels

Firstly, a high priority will be to support the Government in the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.

Secondly, there will be continuing efforts to develop widespread employee awareness, understanding, and application of public service values and ethics.

Thirdly, the Agency will complete the development and implementation of the public service values and ethics component of the Management Accountability Framework, develop a road map for assessing and continuously improving their performance, and create a measurement and evaluation strategy for collecting, assessing, and reporting performance against public service values and ethics.

Fourthly, the Agency will continue to ensure its policies contribute to a culture of integrity and are effectively implemented. This will include updating the policy and systems for preventing and resolving cases of harassment and the Policy on the Indemnification of and Legal Assistance for Crown Servants, and a strategy to ensure workplace well-being principles are part of departmental HR management regimes.

A representative and accessible public service

The Employment Equity Act commits the government to achieve an equitable representation and participation within the four designated groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.

The Official Languages Act commits the government to serve Canadians in the official language of their choice, enabling employees in bilingual regions to work in their language of choice and ensuring equitable participation of English- and French-speaking Canadians in federal institutions.

In this regard, the Agency's priorities are articulated around two key results areas: achieving and maintaining employment equity plans and priorities and achieving and preserving official languages plans and priorities.

Achieving and maintaining employment equity plans and priorities

The situation for members of the designated groups has been improving – especially for women, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. However, improvements are necessary to increase the representation of persons in visible minority groups. Therefore the provision of assistance, advice, and tools to departments and agencies to accelerate progress on integrating visible minorities in the workforce will be a priority in all areas. Firstly, the policies on Employment Equity and Duty to Accommodate have been revised and will be implemented for 2007-08. Secondly, the Agency will strengthen existing alliances and partnerships. For instance, it will support the three Employment Equity Councils in establishing stronger governance structures and developing sound business plans. As well, it will work with functional communities to promote and integrate representation into their projects or initiatives. Building on results from the evaluation of the Employment Equity Mentorship program, the Agency will explore strategies on how mentorship with the equity group can be expanded to reach a wider audience, and have a greater impact on representation goals. The Employment Equity Mentorship program will cover all departments and regions.

Thirdly, the Agency will develop a new communications strategy to ensure that the need for a representative workforce is visible in all its communication activities.

Fourthly, the Agency will hold government wide consultations to support the five year paliamentary review of the Employment Equity Act. In addition, it will complete the Annual Employment Equity Report that measures results achieved in all departments and agencies.

Achieving and maintaining official languages plans and priorities

As part of the Action Plan for Official Languages introduced in 2003, key steps have been taken to renew the Official Languages Program and the vision of instituting cultural change is beginning to take shape. However, despite major progress since the enactment of the Official Languages Act more than 35 years ago, achievements in some areas remain fragile or below expectations.

Firstly, the Agency will improving service and accountability to Canadians with regard to official languages. It will complete a new real-time results accountability approach by 2008 and create clearer and more accessible official languages policy instruments as it continues to move through the various phases of the policy review plan initiated in 2003.

Secondly, the Agency will enhance bilingual service delivery to Canadians by introducing new information tools so that rights and obligations are better understood by federal employees. It is also improving its database of the offices that are subject to the Act.

Finally, the Agency will continue its annual transfer of funds to the Public Service Commission for activities targetting the recruitment of bilingual candidates.

1.4.2 Management Priorities

It is critical to the effectiveness of the Agency that all employees share the same vision and direction for the Agency and that the direction reflects the Agency's role in the Government of Canada. To this end, the Agency's Senior Management Committee (SMC) met in December 2006 to discuss the organization's vision and mission. The level of participation in these discussions will expand when the Agency holds a Leadership Conference in February 2007 in which all employees will come together to discuss the Agency's ongoing evolution and future direction. These initiatives will provide a foundation for the organization to collectively confirm its vision and mission.

As is the case for the public service as a whole, the success of the Agency is built on its people. New work challenges and functions and an aging workforce combine to make the renewal of the Agency's own human resources an ongoing priority. In last year's RPP, six priorities were identified in terms of the HR management of the Agency. They provide the core structure of the Agency's HR Plan and include activities will be implemented over a three-year period (2006-09). This HR plan was shared with employees in September 2006 and contains twenty-eight initiatives which are aligned with the six priorities mentioned above, as well as with the management priorities identified by the Clerk of the Privy Council and with the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework.

In addition to the cyclical integrated planning activity described below, the SMC continues to place a high priority on the ongoing management of the Agency's work force and devotes a portion of its meetings on a weekly basis to addressing HR and broader management issues and to exploring new opportunities and challenges for improving HR management within the Agency. As we enter FY 2007-08, the SMC will be focusing on several HR initiatives within the Agency linked to its business and HR plans.

A key goal of the Agency's HR Plan has been to strengthen leadership capacity. In this context, there needs to be a focus on the executive community who provide leadership to our work force and who are key to promoting and implementing Agency priorities and policies. As elsewhere in the public service, the average age of Agency executives is increasing and a significant number will be eligible for retirement within the next five years. To mitigate the loss of corporate memory and capacity, the Agency has been reviewing its executive positions and designing a framework for talent management and succession planning. Because the demographic situation is similar for the population at the senior working levels which are a source of candidates to executive positions, the work on talent management must include these levels, in order to build and ensure capacity to take on existing and new executive roles over the coming years.

During the early part of 2007-08, the Agency will be implementing decisions arising from an organization and classification review of the executive cadre. These decisions will create greater integration and coherence in the Agency's organization structure and will ensure clarity of accountabilities for each executive. The implementation will also reduce the proportion of executive positions to staff from over 16 percent to 9 percent. To maintain rigour in the approach to organization design and resourcing plans as the Agency moves forward, the SMC will review for approval any proposal from a branch head for creating or staffing an executive position in the Agency. Discussion among branch heads of organization issues and staffing strategies for these positions is a prerequisite to progress on strengthening leadership capacity. SMC support for developing common work descriptions and conducting collective staffing processes will enable more flexible management of the executive cadre, assure organization symmetry and consistency and set the stage for further development and implementation of its talent management strategy.

A Corporate Working Group (CWG), made up of representatives from each branch as well as union representatives, was created in the summer of 2006 to recommend an overall strategy for a better workplace for all employees of the Agency. The CWG presented its report to the SMC in November 2006. The CWG benefited and used the data from the Agency's Building a Better Workplace Survey, the Public Service Employee Survey, and input from all branches to build on our strengths and address our challenges. Excellent relationships and communications exist within work units and between employees and their managers. Employees are committed to making the Agency successful. However, many employees would like to see greater clarity in the strategic directions of the organization and, as noted above, efforts are already underway to respond to this issue. There is also work to be done in building confidence in senior management, and in assuring the integrity and transparency in Agency staffing processes. Seniors managers are putting a significant focus on management transparency, including a strong emphasis on intra-organizational communications. Additional efforts to address these concerns are being reflected in the Agency's HR Plan.

Fiscal year 2007-08 will be the first year for rolling out and applying the full integrated planning framework cycle, which brings together business, financial and human resources planning to ensure that the Agency's human and financial resources are fully aligned with its business priorities. Planning at the Agency will occur in regularly scheduled intervals, based on direction setting exercises within branches. This will facilitate strategic course setting and periodic adjustments that will link planning, reporting and performance management activity. It will also foster a holistic and horizontal perspective across the Agency, going beyond the traditional focus of planning from the individual corporate service perspectives.

Excellence in HR management is sustained by having in place highly skilled personnel who understand the organization's business, analyze and give strategic advice, implement management decisions and provide quality and responsive services to employees. During 2006-07, the Agency invested significantly in developing internal HR capacity by recruiting personnel to the Human Resources Strategies Branch. During the next year, the focus will be on developing the competencies of the new staff, articulating a philosophy of service, building confidence among the team and gaining the confidence of clients and developing performance indicators. Our goal is to be able to demonstrate within the Agency, the model HR service departments and agencies are being supported to put in place.

On April 11, 2006, the Government of Canada introduced the Federal Accountability Act and Action Plan, delivering on its commitment to make government more accountable and transparent, with proper oversight of government operations. This, coupled with the new Treasury Board Internal Audit Policy and the move towards a Chief Financial Officer model that strengthens financial management, sets expectations very high for improved accountability for government programs and services.

The Agency is committed to strengthening management practices and uses the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) as a tool for advancing its management priorities. These efforts are continuing.

The Agency will take action to strengthen its internal audit function, a weakness identified in the MAF. A risk-based internal audit plan has been developed which will guide this work to be carried out in 2007-08 and beyond.

Resource management will be integrated, effective, consistently improved and aligned with department priorities. In addition to integrated planning, resource management tools and techniques to be upgraded include enhanced management reporting and resource allocation processes, and improved salary management and forecast.

In order to fully implement the Management, Resources and Results Structure (MRRS) Policy, the Agency is committed to completing a review and update of its Program Activity Architecture, including identifying, situating and describing all its programs, as well as identify a performance measurement framework for each identified program. Strengthening the links across policy development and program design, research and knowledge, program evaluation results, and results-based management approaches, will ultimately yield improved outcome measures and results for Canadians.

Information management (IM) and information technology (IT) are foundational to the Agency's business. An information management capacity check was conducted at the Agency in the fall of 2005. The results of the evaluation indicated that the capacity to manage and use information not being optimized due to the lack of an overall IM vision and strategy. Moreover, due to the fact that the Agency was created by the amalgamation of part of three organizations, each with their own approach to information management, free exchange of information was difficult and the internal IM tools were not always aligned with the business needs. There was not 'this is how we do it at the Agency' but three separate set of processes. A need for better IM governance with well-defined roles and responsibilities has been identified. To achieve this, an IM-IT Advisory Committee (IM-ITAC) was created that is responsible for:

• validating the Agency's information management and technology needs on an on-going basis;
• recommending the adoption of related projects and standard practices within the Agency;
• overseeing the effective implementation of such practices;
• influencing the Agency's common service provider to make sure IM & IT needs are met; and
• providing a forum for sharing information.

The IM-ITAC has adopted three priorities for the upcoming year:

• Business Rules
• Data Architecture and System Inventory
• PeopleSoft – Access and Data Accuracy

Accommodation is a challenge for the Agency, which has staff housed at nine different locations. A commitment has been received from Public Works and Government Services Canada to perform a functional review of the Agency's accommodation requirements.

1.4.3 Link to the Government of Canada Outcome areas

All program activities of the Agency contribute to the achievements of all Government of Canada outcome areas (see first table under Section III of this Report).

 

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