Section I - Departmental Overview

Raison d’être

The mandate of the Public Appointments Commission is to oversee and report on the selection process for Governor in Council appointments, ensuring that they are widely publicized and fairly conducted.  To achieve efficiency in the public sector, there is a need for the federal government to provide greater certainty and consistency in appointment policies and in the process and standards that are followed and applied.

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat’s role is to provide advice and support respecting the development of the Public Appointments Commission, and once the Commission is established, to assist its Commissioner(s) in developing and implementing policies and procedures and partnerships necessary to successfully carry out its mandate.

Responsibilities

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat was created by Order in Council on April 21, 2006.  The Commission, once established, and its Secretariat are within the portfolio of the Prime Minister, reflecting the prerogative of the Prime Minister with respect to Governor in Council appointments.

The Secretariat’s main responsibility is to lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Public Appointments Commission which is provided for in the Federal Accountability Act, and once established to provide ongoing support.  Specifically, the Secretariat will:  advise the Commission on the development of a Code of Practice (Code) and associated guidance governing the selection process for Governor in Council appointments to agencies, boards, commissions and crown Corporations; provide advice and support on implementing the Code; provide advice and support to the Commission in carrying out the mandate to conduct audits on compliance to the Code; andprovide advice and support to the Commission on the preparation of an annual report to the Prime Minister, and through the Prime Minister, to Parliament.

It is anticipated that the Commission’s work will improve the quality and consistency of selection processes.  This in turn will contribute to improved governance of agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations, and also enhance public confidence in the integrity of the public appointment process.

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat has only one Strategic Outcome, as described below, which in turn is supported by one Program Activity.

Strategic Outcome:  To ensure fair and competency-based processes are in place for the recruitment and selection of qualified individuals for Governor in Council appointments across agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations.

Program Activity:  Oversight of Governor in Council appointments

This covers activities relating to:  the development of options for a principle-based and proportional Code of Practice, including minimum criteria covering selection criteria, recruitment strategies and assessment processes; the development of procedures and guidance to assist auditors to assess compliance to the Code of Practice, once implemented; continued research into domestic and international agencies responsible for public appointments to identify best practices; the development of frameworks for reporting to the Prime Minister and Parliament; and internal evaluation frameworks to measure success in achieving the mandate, once the Commission is established.

Planning Summary

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat currently has a skeleton staff of two, a Deputy Executive Director and an Administrative Assistant, on contract.

Program Activity #1 contributes to the achievement of all Government of Canada Outcomes by ensuring that selection processes for federal Governor in Council appointments are fair open, consistent and competency-based.

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcome(s)

The Code of Practice will specify the principles to be followed when developing appointment processes and the minimum standards that will be required to be met, tailored to the nature and profile of the vacancy to be filled.  In this regard, the Code will encourage flexibility in the way the principles are applied.

A rigorous performance measurement strategy will assess progress across agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations in implementing the Code, and also in assessing knowledge and public confidence in appointment processes.

Risk Analysis

As the Public Appointments Commission has yet to be established, the Secretariat’s focus must necessarily remain on preparation activities, including a wide range of options respecting eventual procedures and guidelines.

Expenditure Profile

The Public Appointments Commission and its Secretariat (PACS) were established by Order in Council on April 21, 2006, prior to passage and coming into force of the Federal Accountability Act. The decrease of $0.5 million in actual spending from fiscal year 2006-07 to 2007-08 is explained by having a fully operational organization in 2006-07, having no activities from the period of April 2007 to October 2007 and a partially operational organization thereafter. If fully staffed, the planned spending for PACS will be in the amount of $1 million for future years.

Voted and Statutory Items