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Supplementary Information

Supplementary information is available on the Secretariat's website at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2008-2009/info/info-eng.asp.

Treasury Board Secretariat Program Sub-Activities

Table 1: Sustainable Development Strategy

Table 2: Green Procurement

Table 3: Evaluations

Table 4: Internal Audits

Table 5: Progress Toward the Department's Regulatory Plan

Table 6: Summary of Capital Spending by Program Activity

Table 7: User Fees

Table 8: Services Received Without Charge

Table 9: Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenue

Table 10: Main Estimates and Planned Spending by Vote

Table 11: Voted and Statutory Items Listed in Main Estimates

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[1].      In accordance with Treasury Board reporting guidelines, expenditures associated with the Internal Services program activity are included within the total expenditures for the other program activities.

Supplementary Information

Program Sub-Activity Online Annexes

Management Policy Development and Oversight

Policy coordination, management assessment, and Government of Canada oversight

The Secretariat aims to ensure a coherent set of management performance expectations through the Treasury Board policy suite and the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) and to assess performance against MAF expectations across government, as well as across certain institutional groupings, such as Crown corporations. This includes policy coordination, government-wide policy direction in areas such as governance and regulatory management, MAF development, and oversight of management performance and in areas requiring attention across government.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Continue to implement the Federal Accountability Act and Action plan
• Refine and implement the Treasury Board compliance framework to strengthen government-wide compliance with policies and legislation
• With a focus on risk management, develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules, reporting requirements, and business processes, which will include the continued streamlining the Treasury Board policy suite in line with MAF expectations, to support more efficient, effective public administration and the development of a mechanism to support sustained application of a smart rules charter
• Provide support to regulatory departments to implement a modern approach to regulatory reform through the following:

• Enhance the use of MAF findings across government in departmental decision-making processes, with improvements to the processes and instruments for assessing management performance and the application of MAF findings

Human resources and compensation management

The Secretariat sets performance expectations regarding its areas of responsibility for human resources management (including labour relations, occupational health and safety, essential services, and discipline), which are set within a larger human resources management strategy for which the Canada Public Service Agency has primary responsibility.

The Secretariat facilitates the achievement of human resources performance expectations by providing departments with advice on the interpretation of policies and standards, monitoring compliance, and facilitating capacity development within relevant functional communities.

In support of the Treasury Board's human resources management role, the Secretariat also develops and oversees the Policy Framework for the Management of Compensation to determine compensation (including pension and benefits) in the core public administration, separate agencies, the Canadian Forces, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and to manage pensions and benefits.

The Secretariat also conducts collective bargaining for the core public administration, obtains negotiation mandates for separate agencies, and oversees pay administration.

The Secretariat provides strategic direction, management, and leadership on pension and benefits arrangements for the public service, retirees, and related populations. This involves the development, negotiation, and implementation of benefit programs and the associated legislative and regulatory frameworks to meet the needs of employer and employees at a cost that is acceptable to the Canadian public. Managing these costs requires the careful development of strategies and processes for the effective financing, management, and administration of pension and benefits programs in the context of national and international demographic and pension trends.

Links to plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Implement an action plan to simplify rules, reporting requirements, and business processes, which will include continued streamlining of the Treasury Board policy suite, with a particular focus on renewing and implementing policy instruments associated with terms and conditions of employment, pay administration for excluded groups, exempt staff and unrepresented groups, labour relations, membership fees, performance pay, regional compensation, and occupational health and safety
• Establish an accountability regime to monitor and report on achievements related to horizontal alignment of service transformation outcomes and address key issues, in particular, ensuring dialogue with unions on related human resources issues and their effects on labour relations
• Provide continued support to departments and agencies with respect to labour relations, compensation, and the development of functional communities (e.g. pay administration and labour relations advisors)
• Refine and implement the Treasury Board compliance framework to strengthen government-wide compliance with policies and legislation, including a performance management framework for labour relations and compensation policy instruments
• Continue the active negotiation process for 26 collective agreements
• Improve data and methodologies to support total compensation planning approach
• Improve the Disability Management Framework for the public service and promote best practices for disability management
• Elaborate a strategic framework for pension and benefits arrangements for the public service, the military, and the RCMP

Service, technology, and information management

In support of the government's commitment to strengthen public-sector management and accountability, the Secretariat provides leadership and oversight and enables federal departments and agencies in the areas of information management, information technology, identity management, security, privacy and access to information, and service delivery.

The Secretariat provides departments and agencies with the relevant policies, supporting instruments, and advice on the interpretation of these instruments, while setting management expectations and monitoring policy compliance across government.

This oversight role is complemented by the Secretariat's leadership role and collaborative approach to developing, managing, and strengthening its communities of practice. This leadership role also includes working the Secretariat's communities to establish the strategies and directions that major initiatives such as service transformation will follow.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Serve as a catalyst for achieving a common government-wide approach to the delivery of corporate administrative shared services across departments and agencies
• Renew approaches for the oversight of IT-enabled projects and significant IT-related investments across government
• In collaboration with federal and cross-jurisdictional partners, provide leadership for the development of standards and common approaches to address horizontal issues related to government security, specifically in the areas of individual screening, IT incident management, and proactive defence strategy
• Put significant effort into building capacity and strengthening the skills of the government's access to information and privacy functional community, which increased by 70 institutions under the Federal Accountability Act
• Demonstrate significant leadership in the coming years to implement the Government of Canada's first information management strategy and three-year action plan to ensure the sound stewardship of government information and maximize the strategic investment in information management across the Government of Canada
• Demonstrate continued leadership to ensure the security of identity management (IDM) through supporting policy instruments to the Government Security Policy such as cyber-authentication, assurance models, and standards
• Provide leadership for the development of a Government of Canada (GC) service strategy that will focus on transforming both internal and external services.

Delivering on these priorities will advance the government's collective effort to use information and technology more effectively and to meet the expectations of Canada's citizens for improved access, security, integrity and quality of service and increased transparency and accountability.

Assets and acquired services

The Secretariat provides federal departments and agencies with the relevant policies and supporting instruments and sets performance expectations regarding the management of real property and material, acquired services, procurement, project management, investment planning, and federal contaminated sites. To help departments achieve performance expectations, the Secretariat provides advice to departments on the interpretation of policies and standards, monitors compliance, and facilitates capacity development within relevant functional communities.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Provide continued support to departments and agencies to develop functional communities, specifically through the development and implementation of a government-wide strategy for capacity building, professional development, and certification for the procurement, materiel management, and real property community
• Continue the implementation of the Federal Accountability Act Action Plan

Financial management and internal audit

The Secretariat sets performance expectations regarding effective financial management and internal audit. It assists departments in achieving performance expectations by providing them with advice on the interpretation of policies and standards, monitoring compliance, and facilitating capacity development within relevant functional communities. In addition, the Secretariat plans and conducts audits on horizontal risks and issues.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Implement an action plan to simplify rules, reporting requirements, and business processes, which will include continued streamlining of the Treasury Board policy suite, in particular through implementation of a revised policy on transfer payments and the renewal of the financial management and grants and contributions policies
• Provide continued support to departments and agencies to develop functional communities, in particular with respect to the following:

• Monitor, support, and assess the Policy on Internal Audit, including a program of professional practice inspections
• Develop a risk-based government-wide horizontal internal audit plan and lead or conduct a program of horizontal audits of large and small departments and agencies
• Implement the Directive on Departmental Audit Committees

Expenditure Management and Financial Oversight

Financial oversight and reporting

The Secretariat operationalizes frameworks, policies, and guidance on financial management to ensure that information is available to support the budget office and that appropriate accounting standards are used for timely, complete, and accurate financial reporting.

The Secretariat also undertakes a number of accounting-related activities under this sub-activity, including developing and maintaining the government-wide Chart of Accounts; monitoring and providing support on major litigation and contingent liabilities; and managing the preparation and maintenance of the Public Accounts of Canada and the government's financial statements.

These activities are ultimately intended to improve the Secretariat's capacity for oversight, analysis, and forecasting of expenditures through the timely provision and consolidation of actual spending data and thus provide more detailed and reliable information to parliamentarians and Canadians.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Improve internal capacity for financial oversight, analysis, and forecasting of expenditures through the timely provision and consolidation of accurate financial information to Parliament and management
• Strengthen internal capacity to collect and analyze audit and evaluation information to support decision making
• Develop tools, training, and guidance to support enhanced departmental financial analysis and reporting
• Continue to improve the form, content, and timeliness of the Public Accounts
• Improve the quality of program performance information through leadership in the implementation of the MRRS Policy, which will include the development of further tools to assess and report on program performance and enhancements to the whole-of-government framework for departmental planning and reporting

Government of Canada expenditure management and oversight

The activities in this sub-activity are targeted at optimizing government-wide expenditure allocation; providing analytical support to the oversight of expenditures and determination of compensation within the federal government; and reporting to Parliament in order to achieve results for Canadians. The key activities that support this are as follows:

• the tabling in Parliament of the Estimates documents in support of supply legislation;
• the supply process by which the government seeks parliamentary spending authority for the portion of overall expenditures that is appropriated annually as part of the fiscal plan; and
• the development of clear, timely, and effective reports and tools on whole-of-government financial and non-financial planning and performance information.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Strengthen capacity to provide timely and accurate financial information available to Parliament and management
• Conduct and refine strategic reviews of government program spending as an expenditure management instrument and results are reported with sufficient time to support Budget 2009 discussions
• Communicate with departments and agencies to ensure that new expenditure management requirements are well understood
• Support collective bargaining processes to ensure sound management of compensation

Departmental expenditure oversight

The Secretariat aims to ensure that program spending by departments and related performance information is well integrated and analyzed to support advice, informed decision making, oversight, and reporting to the Treasury Board and Parliament.

Key activities include the following:

• providing advice on departmental submissions, strategic resource allocation, departmental and sectoral risks, and effective program design for departments and agencies;
• reviewing, monitoring, and assessing programs from the horizontal or government-wide perspective;
• improving results-based information and management of programs and spending; and
• providing timely direction and advice to departments and agencies on estimates and alignment of spending, priorities, and results.

These activities are intended to strengthen results-based information on programs and spending to ensure that better information and advice are provided to Cabinet and the Treasury Board on new and existing programs to support decision making on resource allocation and, ultimately, to provide value-for-money.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Conduct and refine strategic reviews of government program spending as an expenditure management instrument
• Improve the quality of program performance information through continued implementation of the MRRS Policy
• Renew the Evaluation Policy and develop an implementation plan that includes tools to support evaluation competencies and capacity across government
• Improve internal capacity for financial oversight, analysis, and forecasting of expenditures through the timely provision and consolidation of in-year spending data
• Strengthen internal capacity to provide timely and accurate financial information available to Parliament and management

Internal Services

Corporate Priorities and Planning

The Secretariat's strategic direction and internal management is coordinated and cohesive.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Continue to implement the Secretariat-related aspects of the Federal Accountability Act and the Action Plan
• Develop and implement a compliance framework to strengthen compliance with legislation and Treasury Board policies
• With a focus on risk management, develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules, reporting requirements, and business processes, which will include continued streamlining of the Treasury Board policy suite, to strengthen the government's capacity to deliver value to Canadians while protecting against key risks and preserving accountability
• Develop and implement internal and interdepartmental engagement and change management strategies to support the government's management agenda and Treasury Board operations

Public Affairs and Communications Services

These services support all of the Secretariat's program activities through strategic communications advice, planning, and product development and enable the sound understanding, across government and across Canada, of the Secretariat's mandate and its actions to strengthen accountability and management performance.

This sub-activity also supports Canadians' access to information through the management of ministerial correspondence, access to information and privacy requests, as well as the timely reporting in Parliament of the government's management of human and financial resources.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Assisting the Secretariat in the achievement of its expected results by working to deliver, promote, and implement all key activities and departmental priorities
• Continued streamlining of the Treasury Board policy suite, in particular replacing the Government of Canada Communications Policy with a renewed policy on communications and directives on advertising, public opinion research, and publishing
• Providing multi-channel communications support and products, including publishing, Internet and intranet services in support of Secretariat initiatives, and core functions
• Developing and implementing change-enabling strategies and initiatives to support the government's management agenda and Treasury Board operations
• New initiatives and progress made on existing initiatives of the Secretariat are communicated across government and to Canadians effectively

Corporate Services

Effective and efficient management of the Secretariat's corporate services.

Links to departmental plans and priorities for 2008–09:

• Develop and implement change-enabling strategies and initiatives to support the government's management agenda and Treasury Board operations
• Improve human resources management both operationally and through the implementation of a strategic human resources plan
• Continue to strengthen the Secretariat's governance and corporate management performance in line with MAF expectations, with specific emphasis on enhancing the Secretariat's internal evaluation function and the Secretariat's internal IM and IT management
• Focus on increasing evaluation capacity, developing a five-year evaluation plan, and continuing to monitor and act upon any requirements of the anticipated Treasury Board policy on evaluation

Legal Services

These services involve enabling government departments and agencies to pursue policy, program, and service delivery priorities and objectives within a legally sound framework. The services include the provision of policy and program advice; direction in the development and drafting of the legal content of bills, regulations, and guidelines; assistance in the identification, mitigation, and management of legal risks; legal support in ensuring compliance and enforcement of standards, regulations, and guidelines; and the representation of the Crown's interests in litigation.

Table 10: Main Estimates and Planned Spending by Vote

Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording ($ thousands)	2007–08 Main Estimates	2007–08 Planned Spending	2008–09 Main Estimates	2008–09 Planned Spending	2009-10 Planned Spending	2010-11 Planned Spending
1.  Operating Expenditures	165,899	183,660	165,237	169,211	162,875	159,923
2. Grants and Contributions	233,010	422	Eliminated	Eliminated	Eliminated	Eliminated
5.  Government Contingencies	750,000	0	750,000	0	0	0
10. Government-wide Initiatives	2,520	0	7,141	0	0	0
20. Public Service Insurance	1,828,246	1,678,798	1,861,000	1,861,000	2,101,100	2,282,200
25. Operating Budget Carry Forward		0	1,200,000	0	0	0
30. Paylist Requirements			500,000	0	0	0
(S) President of the Treasury Board—Salary and Motor Car Allowance	75	75	76	76	76	76
(S) Contributions to Employee Benefits Plans	20,377	20,377	20,472	20,472	20,424	19,761
(S) Payments under the Public Service Pension Adjustment Act	20	20	20	20	20	20
Total Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat	3,000,147	1,883,352	4,503,946	2,050,779	2,284,495	2,461,980

Table 11: Voted and Statutory Items Listed in Main Estimates

($ thousands)
Voted and Statutory Item	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2008–09 Main Estimates	2007–08 Main Estimates
1	Operating Expenditures	165,237	165,899
2	Grants and Contributions1	—	233,010
5	Government Contingencies	750,000	750,000
10	Government-wide Initiatives	7,141	2,520
20	Public Service Insurance	1,861,000	1,828,246
25	Operating Budget Carry Forward2	1,200,000
30	Paylist Requirements3	500,000
(S)	President of the Treasury Board—Salary and Motor Car Allowance	76	75
(S)	Contributions to Employee Benefits Plans	20,472	20,377
(S)	Payments under the Public Service Pension Adjustment Act	20	20
	Total Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat	4,503,946	3,000,147

1. Elimination in 2008–09 of Vote 2, Grants and Contributions. The Revitalization of the Toronto Waterfront Initiative has been transferred to Environment Canada in accordance with the machinery of government changes announced on January 4, 2007. Consequently, Vote 2 has been eliminated because as there is no longer a requirement for the Secretariat to hold a distinct contribution vote given that planned contributions are less than $5.0 million.

2. Creation in 2008–09 of Vote 25, Operating Budget Carry Forward (OBCF). The OBCF policy was introduced in 1993 as a mechanism to improve the management of funds by allowing departments and agencies to access unexpended funding from the previous year up to a maximum of 5 per cent of their previous year's Main Estimates operating budgets. The Secretariat's Vote 25 will allow routine OBCF amounts conforming to the OBCF policy to be transferred directly to departments and agencies in a timely manner once eligible amounts have been confirmed by the Secretariat and approved by the Treasury Board ministers. The $1.2 billion in requested funding represents the approximate amount of potential requirements that would otherwise have been presented in multiple Supplementary Estimates by departments and agencies and represents no additional cost to the government.

3. Creation in 2008–09 of Vote 30, Paylist Requirements. In order to avoid discrimination in hiring practices, paylist costs related to parental benefits, severance, and other allowances have been provided for centrally since the introduction of the Operating Budget regime in 1993. The Secretariat's Vote 30, Paylist Requirements of $500 million will cover departments and agencies' paylist shortfalls related to these expenditures. The new vote will provide relief from cash management challenges faced by departments for these legal obligations.

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