ARCHIVED - Department of Finance Canada

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
•  

This page has been archived.

Section IV: Other Items of Interest

Business transformation

As part of a branch-wide business transformation initiative, the Corporate Services Branch (CSB) continued to implement business transformation activities in targeted areas, as part of an effort launched in September 2006. The purpose was to build CSB's capability and capacity to deliver integrated corporate services to its clients.

In the reporting year, a number of core business improvements have been implemented, and specific projects were identified and launched. Projects were identified following a business diagnostic or in response to external pressures such as audits, evaluations, and emerging policy requirements.

For example, in the Financial Management Directorate, changes to the procedure for processing invoices, the development of a new process to increase the timeliness of recording changes to salary expenditures, and the configuration of a new module of SAP to forecast salary costs have eliminated a backlog in payments.

In the Human Resources Division, a refined process for classification in human resources is allowing certain types of classifications to be fast-tracked, resulting in faster processing of these requests and also allowing resources to be better focussed on more complicated requests. The manual process currently in place will be automated in 2008–09 for improved efficiency and data reporting. As well, workflow processes were elaborated, which helped delineate roles and responsibilities among human resources specialists and management.

Contacts for further information and websites

Home page: http://www.fin.gc.ca

Contact the Minister

Email messages for the Minister of Finance, the Honourable James M. Flaherty, PC, MP: jflaherty@fin.gc.ca

Contact the Department

Comments or questions regarding the Department's activities or the information on the Department of Finance Canada website:

Consultations and Communications Branch
Department of Finance Canada
140 O'Connor Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0G5
Canada

Phone: 613-992-1753
Email: consultcomm@fin.gc.ca

Printed copies of Department of Finance Canada publications

Distribution Centre
Department of Finance Canada
140 O'Connor Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0G5
Canada

Phone: 613-995-2855
Fax: 613-996-0518

---

[1]. For an explanation of the spending variances shown in the chart, please see the description of each program activity in Section III.

[2]. Variances between "Total Authorities" and "Actual" include $2.3 million in operating budget surpluses from  internal services allocations primarily attributable to staff turnover.

Program Activity 3: Financial Sector Policy "Total Authorities" includes the following items not included in "Planned Spending": $3.8 billion for loans to the Farm Credit Canada Act; $1 billion for loans to the Business Development Bank of Canada Act; $69million for unused authority for payments to depositors of Canadian Commercial Bank, CCB Mortgage Investment Corporation, and Northland Bank pursuant to the Financial Institutions Depositors Compensation Act; $2million for payment of liabilities previously transferred to revenues; and $4 million for advances to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada.

Additional variances between "Total Authorities" and "Actual" are primarily attributable to the $69 million for unused authority for payments to depositors of Canadian Commercial Bank, CCB Mortgage Investment Corporation, and Northland Bank; variances for internal services surpluses as mentioned above; later-than-expected start for the Expert Panel on Securities Regulation; and staff turnover.

[3]. See also Program Activity 7: Public Debt

[4]. See also performance information under Program Activity 3: Financial Sector Policy—Prudent and cost-effective treasury management of the borrowing activities of Crown corporations and the government's investment portfolios.

[5]. See also performance information under Program Activity 3: Financial Sector Policy—Prudent and cost-effective treasury management of the borrowing activities of Crown corporations and the government's investment portfolios.

[6]. The variance from "Planned Spending" to "Actual" is due to the inclusion of $42 million for recycled coin costs in the actual expenses.

[7]. Under Program Activity 9: Transfer Payments to Provinces and Territories, "Total Authorities" includes the following amounts not included in "Planned Spending" but approved after the preparation of the 2007 Main Estimates: $1.5 billion for the Clean Air and Climate Change Trust Fund; $1 billion for the Community Development Trust; $88 million for transfer payments in connection with the Budget Implementation Act, 2007; $250 million for child care spaces; $612 million for the Patient Wait Times Guarantee; $300 million for human papilloma virus immunization; $614 million for transitional payments; and $250 million for the payment to Ontario for the transition to single administration of Ontario corporate tax. Details on transfer payments can be found in Table 6 of this report. Further variances between "Planned Spending" and "Total Authorities" and "Actual" are primarily attributable to an increase of $1.2 billion in Fiscal Equalization; $79 million in Territorial Formula Financing; $118 million in Canada Health Transfer; and $795 million in Canada Social Transfer.

[8]. Under Program Activity 10: International Financial Organizations, "Total Authorities" includes adjustments for the following items not in "Planned Spending": $89 million for net loss on exchange for international payments; $318 million for issuance and payment of non-interest bearing, non-negotiable demand notes to the IDA in accordance with the Bretton Woods and Related Agreements Act; and $4 million for issuance of demands notes to the EBRD.

The variance between "Total Authorities" and "Actual" is primarily attributable to a lapse of $128 million in Vote 5, Grants and Contributions, and mainly due to heavily indebted poor countries not meeting the IMF program requirements in accordance with multilateral debt relief initiatives agreed to at the Paris Club.

[9]. Includes Treasury bills, marketable bonds, retail debt, and bonds for Canada Pension Plan.

[10]. Includes marketable bonds and euro medium-term notes issued in US dollars, Canada bills.

[11]. Includes Canada notes.

[12]. Includes marketable bonds and euro medium-term notes issued in euros.

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
•