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Section I – Departmental Overview

Summary Information

Raison d’être

The 2006 Federal Accountability Act provides for the creation of the Public Appointments Commission.

The mandate of the Public Appointments Commission is to oversee the processes through which people are appointed to agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations. The mandate of the Public Appointments Commission does not extend to making individual appointments. 

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat, which was created by Order in Council on April 21, 2006, is responsible for:

  • laying the groundwork for the Commission, including the development of a Code of Practice (Code)and associated guidance governing the selection processes for Governor-in-Council appointments;
  • designing frameworks for assessing compliance with the Code, including compliance audits;
  • supporting the Commission, once established, with the preparation of an annual report to the Prime Minister and to Parliament on accomplishments and accounting of assigned resources; and
  • in advance of the Commission’s establishment, supporting Privy Council Office officials in their efforts to continuously improve the efficiency, fairness and transparency of the existing framework governing the public appointments system.

Responsibilities

The primary role of the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat is to provide advice and support for the development of the Public Appointments Commission.

Once the Public Appointments Commission is established, the role of the Secretariat will be to assist the Commission to review and implement its Code and to implement the policies, procedures and partnerships required to successfully oversee and report on the selection processes for Governor-in-Council appointments to the agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations that will fall under the Commission’s jurisdiction.

The work of the Secretariat, which includes research and the development of best practices, is shared regularly with Privy Council Office (PCO) officials. PCO officials work on a daily basis with partners to improve appointment processes and to ensure that the current processes are geared toward the specific needs of organizations.

Strategic Outcome

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat has one strategic outcome, which is supported by two program activities: Oversight of Governor-in-Council appointments; and Internal services.

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.

Summary Table of Planned Spending by Program Activity
(thousands of dollars)
Program Activity1 Forecast Spending
2010–11
Planned Spending Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
“Government Affairs”
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
Program Activity 1:
Oversight of Governor-in-Council appointments
240 970 970 970 Well-managed and efficient government operations
Program Activity 2:
Internal services
52 100 100 100  
Total Planned Spending 292 1,070 1,070 1,070  

The forecast spending for 2010-11 reflects the fact that the Public Appointments Commission is not yet established, since a Commissioner has not been appointed at this time.

Program Activity 1: Oversight of Governor-in-Council appointments contributes to the achievement of the Government of Canada outcome, “Well-managed and efficient government operations,” by ensuring that selection processes for Governor-in-Council appointments are fair and competency based.

Program Activity 2: Internal services activities support the effective and efficient delivery of Program Activity 1.

Benefits for Canadians

Governing boards that direct and control government organizations may have significant and wide-ranging responsibilities, including advisory, regulatory and service delivery. The role of the Public Appointments Commission, once established, will be to help ensure that open, transparent, fair and competency-based appointment systems are in place, thereby promoting competency-based appointments to public bodies. As such, the Commission will help to support accountability and public confidence in the governing boards that direct and control government organizations. The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat’s role in advance of the Commission’s establishment is to lay the foundation for the Commission. In the interim, the Secretariat supports PCO in its role in providing continuous improvements to appointment processes, thereby contributing to the Government’s commitment to improve the efficiency, fairness and transparency of the system, even in advance of the Commission’s establishment.

Planning Summary


Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
1,070 1,070 1,070

The above Planned Spending table provides a summary of total planned spending, for the next three fiscal years, for the Public Appointments Commission, once established, and for the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat.

Human Resources (full-time equivalent - FTE)
2011–12 2012–13 2013–14
4 4 4

The above Human Resources table provides a summary of total planned human resources, for the next three fiscal years, for the Public Appointments Commission, once established, and the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat.

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat currently has a small staff of two: a Deputy Executive Director (on secondment) and an Administrative Assistant (on contract).

Public Appointments Commission Secretariat Priorities for 2011-12


Operational Priorities Type Links to Strategic Outcome(s) Description
Conducting research into domestic and international selection processes to identify trends and best practices. Ongoing

Links directly to the Strategic Outcome

Overall improvements to the public appointments system will provide for a greater range of quality candidates available for consideration for public offices.

High quality public appointments are a key component of effective board governance.
This work is required to update options developed for the Commission’s Code, and to address concerns raised about current appointment processes. These latter concerns include: identification of selection criteria for governance boards and individual appointments; terms and conditions governing reappointments; guidance and communication protocols; and performance evaluation.
Management Priorities Type Links to Strategic Outcome(s) Description
Internal management Ongoing

Links directly to the Strategic Outcome

A quick start-up of the Commission will provide for greater oversight of public appointments.
The Secretariat will continue to update its planning and reporting instruments to ensure that the Secretariat will be in a position to support a quick start-up of the Commission, once established. The Secretariat will also ensure, with the support of PCO, that all internal systems meet accountability objectives for the Secretariat’s internal management.

Risk Analysis

The Public Appointments Commission has yet to be established. Accordingly, the Secretariat remains focused on keeping its preparations for the establishment of the Commission ever-ready, and on continuing to assist PCO officials with respect to ongoing improvements to appointment processes, primarily through research and the identification of best practices.

Expenditure Profile


(thousands of dollars)
Actual Spending Forecast Spending
2010-11
Planned Spending
2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14
113 347 291 292 1,070 1,070 1,070

The figure below illustrates the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat’s spending trend from 2007-08 to 2013-14.

Spending trend

The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat was created in April 2006. In its first year of operation, the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat conducted consultations with federal, domestic and international partners; further, the Secretariat conducted a review of appointment procedures for the Immigration and Refugee Board, the results of which were made public in early 2007. 

The Secretariat was not operational from spring 2007 to late fall 2007.

During fiscal years 2007-08 to 2010-11, the Secretariat focused on laying the groundwork for a new Commission, continuing research efforts and assisting officials at PCO in their ongoing efforts to improve Governor-in-Council appointment processes.

It is expected that the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat will continue to maintain a state of readiness in 2011-12. Accordingly, it is anticipated that only a portion (approximately $300,000 annually) of the planned budget will be spent to operate the Secretariat. However, in order to provide for the possibility that a commissioner will be appointed over the next fiscal year, an authority to spend $1.1 million for the Commission and its Secretariat is being sought through the Main Estimates process, and is reported as planned spending for 2011-12 and beyond.

Voted and Statutory Items

For information on organizational votes and/or statutory expenditures, please see the 2011-12 Main Estimates publication. An electronic version of the Main Estimates is available at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/est-pre/index-eng.asp.