Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat - 2014–15 Report on Plans and Priorities

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President's Message

I am pleased to present the 2014–15 Report on Plans and Priorities of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. This report details activities that demonstrate our commitment to transforming Government of Canada operations to further increase their efficiency and provide better services to the hard-working Canadian taxpayers.

Canadians need and deserve a public service that is equipped to deliver modern, cost effective and responsive programs and services. To achieve this, as President of the Treasury Board, I am taking steps to strengthen financial and expenditure management, reform human resources management, and streamline government operations.

To strengthen financial and expenditure management, we are implementing measures to improve value for money, contain the costs of administration, and achieve greater efficiency throughout the public service. We will establish a new Costing Centre of Expertise in the Secretariat to improve both the capacity to challenge costs and the quality of financial information provided for decision making. We will also be improving how we monitor and report on expenditures and measures such as the freeze on the federal operating budget, announced in last October's Speech from the Throne. These efforts are crucial to balancing the Government's overall budget by 2015.

The Secretariat is also leading efforts to modernize the management of human resources to ensure the public service is high performing and affordable. For example, we will oversee the implementation of the new Directive on Performance Management to recognize good work and encourage excellence. This will lead to a more dynamic and productive workforce, combat absenteeism, and ultimately provide better service for Canadians.

We are aiming to reform our disability and sick-leave system to place greater emphasis on employee wellness, improve case management and reduce the number of sick days lost to illness. A modernized disability and sick-leave management system, including the introduction of a formal short-term disability plan, will lead to a healthier and more productive federal workforce to serve Canadians. The Government looks forward to working with bargaining agents to make this happen.

Finally, we will continue to streamline government operations. This includes publishing Canada's second Action Plan on Open Government to foster greater transparency and accountability, and changing how we use information technology to achieve greater administrative efficiency and reduce back-office costs.

We will also continue to help reduce and contain red tape for Canadian businesses by enshrining in law the One-for-One Rule from our Red Tape Reduction Action Plan. The rule requires that for every regulation added that imposes a burden on business, another regulation must be removed.

These are just some of the ways we will ensure that the Government provides value for taxpayers' dollars while continuing to meet the needs of Canadians. I look forward to continuing our work toward these objectives, and invite all Canadians to read about the Secretariat's plans and priorities for 2014–2015.

The Honourable Tony Clement
President of the Treasury Board

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