ARCHIVED - Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat

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Minister's Message

In my capacity as President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, I am pleased to present The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat’s (CICS) Departmental Performance Report for the fiscal year 2008-2009.

For more than 30 years, CICS has been invaluable in facilitating intergovernmental relations in Canada by providing administrative services for the planning and conduct of senior level federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial conferences. This past fiscal year the Secretariat provided services for 70 senior level conferences held throughout Canada; of which 45 were federal-provincial-territorial and 25 were provincial-territorial meetings.

Funded in partnership by the federal and provincial governments, the Secretariat has a mandate to provide technical and administrative services to the federal, provincial and territorial departments in organizing various senior level meetings.

Last January, I attended the First Ministers Meeting with the Prime Minister and experienced first-hand the level of dedication and professionalism of this agency. CICS demonstrates year-to-year their abilities in ensuring the success of such events. The following report highlights the progress and achievements of the Secretariat during the last fiscal year.

The Honourable Josée Verner
President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister
for La Francophonie

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SECTION I – DEPARTMENTAL OVERVIEW

Raison d'être

The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) was established pursuant to an agreement reached at the May 1973 First Ministers' Conference and designated a department of the federal government by an Order-in-Council dated November 29, 1973. Its one program mandate is to provide administrative services for the planning and conduct of First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers level federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial conferences.

CICS is an agency of the federal, provincial and territorial governments and, as such, acts as a neutral intergovernmental body. Its budget is supported by both orders of government and its staff includes federal, provincial and territorial public servants. The Secretary reports to all governments annually. The operations are reviewed by federal, provincial and territorial senior officials designated by their respective First Ministers. CICS reports to Parliament through the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada.

Responsibilities

The mandate of CICS is to serve federal, provincial and territorial governments and Canadians in the planning, conduct, and the serving of senior level intergovernmental conferences. Its primary objective is to relieve client departments in virtually every major sector of governmental activity of the numerous technical and administrative tasks associated with the planning and conduct of such conferences, thereby enabling them to concentrate on the substantive policy issues. CICS provides continuous, effective, impartial administrative services to these meetings on key intergovernmental issues encompassing numerous sectors of intergovernmental activity.

Strategic Outcomes and Program Activity Architecture (PAA)

CICS is a micro agency with a single program mandate. Its Program Activity Architecture is listed below.

	PAA Level	Performance Information: Expected Results
Department/Agency	Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat	Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat
Strategic Outcomes	Multilateral meetings of First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers are planned and conducted flawlessly.
Program Activity (Same as the Main Estimates Presentation Format)	Conference Services.	Flawlessly planned and conducted events, including the effective addressing of unforeseen challenges.
		Needs of all parties involved in intergovernmental conferences served by CICS are understood and addressed / met.

2008-09 Financial Resources ($ millions)

Planned Spending	Total Authorities	Actual Spending
6.5	7.0	5.4

2008-09 Human Resources (FTEs)

Planned	Actual	Difference
36	30	6

Performance Summary

Strategic Outcome 1: Multilateral meetings of First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers are planned and conducted flawlessly.
Performance Indicators	Targets	2008-09 Performance
Extentto which senior government officials are satisfied with various CICS servicesin particular with respect to neutrality of its services, its mandate andgovernance structure.	90% - High degree of stakeholder trust and have confidencein CICS' institutional, independent role. Consequently, there is a highdegree of satisfaction with CICS services.	A range of survey results confirm a very high levelof satisfaction with the quality and type of service provided by CICS andunsolicited feedback in the form of letters and e-mails following specificevents during the 2008-09 fiscal year remain very positive and complimentary.

 

Program Activity	2007-08 Actual Spending ($ millions)	2008-09 Main Estimates	2008-09 Planned Spending	2008-09 Total Authorities	2008-09 Actual Spending	Alignment to Government of Canada Outcomes
Intergovernmental Conference Services	5.4	6.5	6.5	7.0	5.4	Contributes to the achievement of Government Affairs: Support synergies, dialogue, efficient and effective interaction among government sectors in the intergovernmental environment through the provision of impartial conference and information management support services.
Total	5.4	6.5	6.5	7.0	5.4

Actual spending was lower than planned and authorized due to conference activity being significantly lower than funded and anticipated. Given that this fiscal year was far from an average year for governments with the precipitated federal election, provincial elections being called, the world wide economic crisis and the political environment in Ottawa, the number of senior level intergovernmental conferences dropped considerably from the recent five year average of 100 meetings per year. It is important to remember that CICS does not have any control over the number of conferences it is requested to serve in a given year.

Contribution of Priorities to Strategic Outcome

Operational Priorities	Type	Status	Links to Strategic Outcome
Review of standards and practices in conference planning and delivery.	Ongoing	Successfully met. Progress made: Regular meetings of internal work group clusters to share best practices and procedures; A variety of information sharing templates created; Review of services conducted and validated with clients for pertinence; Gathering of data related to conference planning and delivery; Areas in need of attention identified; Corporate knowledge captured through exit interviews with personnel; and Encouragement of a working culture that values learning and continuous improvement.	Directly related to the strategic outcome of flawlessly planned and conducted events Continuous analysis and review of conference planning and delivery practices helps to ensure that our program remains efficient and effective and responds to client needs.
Management Priorities	Type	Status	Links to Strategic Outcome
Strengthened planning and reporting framework as well as an enhanced capacity for program evaluation.	New	Successfully met.	Measuring and evaluating CICS' performance in achieving its strategic outcome is crucial to ensuring its program is focused on results, is delivering value for money and is consistent with intergovernmental expectations and priorities. In addition, it provides valuable information to identify necessary adjustments to improve both program efficiency and effectiveness. In the Fall of 2008, after reviewing its PAA and approving a draft performance measurement framework, CICS expanded its program evaluation to include two new surveys of its clients; one for conference planners and one for conference delegates. The design and implementation of these new evaluation tools were carried out by a neutral third party. The results revealed a very high degree of satisfaction from clients with the various services of the Secretariat. The results also allowed CICS to identify program strengths, to reconfirm client needs and priorities and to pursue suggestions for enhancing its level of client service.
Strategic Review: Examining and building further efficiencies in the internal operations and practices of the Agency.	New	Successfully met.	CICS management is committed to ensuring a proactive approach to change and preparation for the future to ensure that its strategic outcome will continue to be met. Launched in May 2008, the Modernization Project was a unique combination of an organizational needs assessment and consultations designed to actively engage employees in setting the direction for change. A number of initiatives were identified. Senior Management has accepted the proposed plan and implementation is well underway and will be on-going throughout the next fiscal year.

Risk Analysis

The Secretariat is funded annually at a level sufficient to finance a level of conference activity in the 110-120 range. The requests for the agency's services had increased significantly in recent years and we were averaging over 100 conferences annually. However, recent instability in political environments over the past 2 years has led to what is seen as a temporary decline in activities.

Given that CICS reports to all governments, it must be careful to ensure that its services not only remain impartial, confidential and equitable to all clients but that they be perceived as such in an environment that can be highly political. As a result, CICS has always been cognizant of the importance of risk management issues and continues to make steady progress towards effective implementation of integrated risk management. CICS' three highest risks continue to be:

1. maintaining the credibility of CICS as a neutral conference service provider;
2. maintaining continuity of CICS' conference services capability and supporting infrastructure; and
3. maintaining due diligence and reporting on appropriate controls, given the increased emphasis on accountabilility.

Working Environment

CICS' priorities depend in large part on federal, provincial and territorial governments' priorities and are subject to a variety of internal and external influences.

External factors which influenced the Agency's activities in 2008-09 included, for example, a lower number of intergovernmental conferences held in all regions of Canada. As an organization that services the senior level intergovernmental conference activities undertaken by 14 jurisdictions and their respective departments, CICS has no control over the timing, location and costs of such meetings. In times of volatility in leadership of governments, such as in the last two years, activities can decline while departments await a firmer mandate and direction. At other times, requests for services can rise dramatically, and are subject to a strong degree of seasonality.

As previously mentioned, CICS does not convene intergovernmental meetings. It is called upon to respond to decisions taken by governments to meet on key national or specific issues. Decisions concerning the location of such meetings, their number in a given fiscal year, their timing and duration are all factors beyond the control of the Secretariat. The level of CICS expenditures for each fiscal year is, however, directly affected by these factors. As such, in its strategic planning, the agency must respond not only to changes in the external environment, but also to priorities, opportunities and constraints within the governments' contexts.

CICS has also always been characterized by the cyclical nature of its work, with request for conference support peaking during the months of May and June and once again during the months of September and October. With investments in financial resources and personnel needed to ensure efficient and timely services being fairly fixed, an extended period of lower or higher than usual conference activity creates a set of operational challenges that require flexibility in the approach to the optimization of outcomes and uses of resources within the Secretariat. Cross-training of staff from other sectors of CICS (Information Services and Corporate Services) on serving conference was started many years ago as a coping mechanism to serve conferences at peak periods each year.

Working in a nation that spans three oceans and six time zones in and of itself presents organizations such as CICS with unique challenges. CICS provides administrative services as requested in planning and executing senior level conferences on issues of significant importance to the well-being and prosperity of all Canadians. As such, the unique value that the Secretariat brings to these key intergovernmental meetings, in terms of experience, professionalism, non-partisanship, and consistency is a key factor that contributes to their overall successes.

Risks to the strategic direction of the Secretariat and to the efficient and effective management of its conference program remain fairly static over time: access to qualified personnel; retention of corporate memory and practices; cost structure changes related to major expenses of the Secretariat; and the ability to react and adjust to expansions and reductions within the requests for CICS services.

The flawless delivery of high quality services to clients is only made possible by the total dedication and commitment of the agency's personnel; personnel which possesses the aptitudes, character and devotion necessary for CICS operations. As an agency of both the federal and provincial governments, the organization is staffed by a blend of federal, provincial and territorial employees. Provincial and territorial employees are seconded to the Secretariat for a period of three to four years. Recruitment in this environment is executed through a variety of processes and the availability of skilled personnel is partly a function of market forces and trends beyond the control of CICS.

Creative and diligent approaches in seeking quality employees have yielded excellent staffing results over time. CICS will continue to actively pursue top talent through various initiatives and strategies as an integral component of its human resources strategy.

Retention of corporate memory and conference practices and procedures are fundamental to the success of the Secretariat in carrying out its mandate. The efficient execution of conference planning and support comes from having successfully delivered high quality services to a variety of clients in over 30 sectors of intergovernmental activity. The Secretariat's departmental clients are also subject to high turnover rates among the staff assigned to conference planning. Consequently, CICS staff has been instrumental in providing new contacts pertinent information on the protocol and process of intergovernmental machinery.

The majority of senior level intergovernmental meetings occur outside of government facilities and outside of the National Capital Region where the offices of CICS are located. Consequently, a significant portion of the operational budget of CICS is allocated to travel, accommodation, movement of equipment, and rentals. These costs are market-driven, and, as such, are subject to significant fluctuations (usually increases) where competitive and fuel-related factors are in play. To the extent that general pricing increases do not lead to declines in conference activity, the cost of doing business and the ability to remain within budgetary constraints is to a degree beyond the control of CICS. Fortunately, CICS activity level and allotment budgets have not been in conflict in recent years, and as a result cost structures have remained fairly stable.

Integrated Risk Management Approach (IRM)

Organizations such as CICS have unique governance structures that define the corporate context and practices within which organizational and strategic risks can be managed proactively. The governance structure itself builds in checks and balances related to confidentiality and impartiality. By its very scope and nature, it also creates an operating environment that must work in an integrated fashion.

Because of the unique arms-length mandate of CICS and its small size, it is critical that Senior Management in organizations such as CICS be engaged throughout the business and human resources planning processes in order to provide direction and guidance and to outline management's expectations. For example, requests for conference services, information management and information technology requirements, financial matters and staffing requirements have always been standing agenda items at monthly CICS senior management meetings. They reflect how priorities and directions ought to be set, how allocation and re-allocation decisions ought to be made, and how programs ought to be coordinated and managed to achieve the strategic outcome(s) expected.

Strategic discussions relating to organizational wide corporate risk, strategic planning and resource re-allocation are often held at the Executive Committee level, and within other internal committee meetings. CICS' Integrated Business Human Resources Plan (IBHRP), for example, encompasses the entire organization. It incorporates an analysis of CICS' operational environment, its internal and external pressures, as well as its recent staffing and business trends. It also identifies CICS key risk areas, and their potential impact on the organization. As such, the IBHRP allows management to better monitor these risks, to create risk mitigation strategies and to determine where priority focus is required based on business needs, workforce analysis and client service standards.

Greater Formalization of its Integrated Planning and Risk Management Approach

Reputation and credibility come from effectiveness. Senior Executive Management has recognized the need to find a better balance between CICS short and long term priorities while maximizing opportunities and overcoming challenges such as succession planning, a more complex intergovernmental environment and new technologies and new concerns. In order to continue to fully deliver on its mandate, CICS must continue to strengthen its capacity to risk manage, to anticipate, to prepare for and respond to the changing intergovernmental environment and its clients needs.
 
Within the context of these challenges and risks, CICS has utilized the recent decline in meeting activity to consolidate and restructure for the future. Initiatives have included implementing an integrated Human Resources Strategy, standardizing policies and procedures, formulating and executing a phased capital expenditure plan, and making strategic investments in training and development planning. As a consequence, the Secretariat stands more ready than ever to deliver the highest quality professional services in support of its government clients, and by extension, to the benefit of Canadians across the country.

The goal of an integrated planning and risk management approach is to help CICS proactively identify risks at the policy development stage rather than when policies are implemented and to include risk management and mitigation strategies and lessons learned as an integral part of its operations.

Being a micro agency CICS does not have its own audit committee but it still adheres to the Treasury Board Audit Policy by its participation to the Comptroller General' Horizontal Audit program and makes use of the Small Departmental and Agency (SDA) Audit Committee. CICS is also a member of the SDA Advisory Group.

Expenditure Profile

The Secretariat sets performance targets to be ready to have an organization in place to successfully deliver services for up to 120 distinct conferences annually. As environmental circumstances have resulted in lower activity in recent periods and as such, the spending of the directorate has usually been under the estimated and allotted funding each year. The following chart shows actual and anticipated spending, again with the anticipated spending set for activity level in the area of 120 conferences.

Voted and Statutory Items displayed in the Main Estimates
($ millions)

Vote # or Statutory Item (S)	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2006-07 Actual Spending	2007-08 Actual Spending	2008-09 Main Estimates	2008-09 Actual Spending
5	Program Expenditures	5.0	4.6	6.1	5.0
(S)	Contributions to employee benefit plans	0.3	0.4	0.4	0.4
Total		5.3	5.0	6.5	5.4

The increase in spending for 2008-09 as compared to 2007-08 is reflective of the impact of some contract settlement costs related to salaries, as well as some strategic investment undertaken with respect to modernization of processes and equipment.

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