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2008-2009
Reports on Plans and Priorities

Canada Public Service Agency

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The Honourable Vic Toews
President of the Treasury Board

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Table of Contents

Section I: Overview

Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Section III: Supplementary Information

Section IV: Other Items of Interest

Section I: Overview

Minister's Message

As President of the Treasury Board of Canada, I am pleased to present the 2008–09 Report on Plans and Priorities of the Canada Public Service Agency, the focal point for people management in the Public Service of Canada.

As Canadian society changes, so too must the federal public service. As the largest employer in the country, the federal public service provides vital services and programs that affect all Canadians daily. Canadians want and deserve government that is transparent, accountable and adapts to their changing needs. This is why the federal government has made continually renewing and modernizing the Public Service a top priority.

The Agency plays an important role in this process of renewal by leading a forward-looking agenda that supports workforce and workplace excellence. It works to ensure the development of an integrated approach for people management across the Public Service, and advises and supports federal organizations in areas such as learning, official languages, employment equity, and values and ethics.

I am very pleased with the important measures being taken across the government to strengthen accountability and ensure that the Public Service continues to modernize its operations. This includes the work the Agency is leading to implement the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act and the Public Service Modernization Act.

Through its mandate, the Agency assists the government in anticipating the people management needs of tomorrow. The goal is to ensure that Canada maintains a modern, professional public service that is ready to deliver on Canadians' priorities and dedicated to serving them with excellence.

On behalf of all Canadians, I want to thank all federal employees for their hard work and professionalism. I also encourage all parliamentarians and Canadians to read this report to gain a better understanding of the government's ongoing efforts to sustaining a world-class public service that continues to meet the changing realities of Canadian society.

The paper version was signed by

The Honourable Vic Toews, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board

Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2008–09 Report on Plans and Priorities for the Canada Public Service Agency.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles outlined in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2008–09 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports:

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat guidance;
• It is based on the department's strategic outcome and its Treasury Board approved Program Activity Architecture;
• It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information;
• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and
• It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

The paper version was signed by

Nicole Jauvin
President

Canada Public Service Agency

Raison d'être

As Canada's largest employer, the Public Service of Canada actively serves as steward for much of what drives Canadian society, both economically and socially. Thousands of public servants provide front-line service to Canadians, ensuring that they receive the income support benefits to which they are entitled, providing health care to Aboriginal peoples on reserves, conducting search and rescue missions and carrying out climate research in Canada's Arctic, to give only a few examples. Public servants work in our embassies and missions abroad, reviewing applications from those who want to immigrate to Canada. They are on the ground, helping to foster development in impoverished parts of the world. They study scientific, economic and social trends, both global and domestic, bringing forward ideas for the Government's consideration and helping to build the federal policies and programs that serve the needs and interests of Canadians. The work is challenging, the environment complex, and the opportunities to learn and contribute immense.

As with any organization, when you strip away its buildings, computers and office infrastructure, what is left is the people—the people who come to work each day, balancing the lives they lead at home with their responsibilities at work. They come together as work units, dedicated to achieving shared objectives and goals. They ponder facts as individuals, trying to find the recommendation that will make the difference. In places of work that cover all corners of Canada, they form part of a greater whole. The federal public service, and its success as an institution is the result of their contributions. Billions of dollars are spent each year on the federal workforce, which in turn helps the Government manage the billions of dollars that support and build Canadian society. People management is about maximizing the investment made in the Public Service workforce, always guided by achieving results for Canadians.

This is the context for the Canada Public Service Agency, the focal point for people management in the Public Service of Canada.

The Agency's goal, stated as its strategic outcome in the Program Activity Architecture (PAA), is simple. It is to create the conditions whereby:

federal departments, agencies and institutions demonstrate excellent and innovative people management and achieve high quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians.

The challenge is to find the ingredients—the mix of direction, support and monitoring—required to maximize the effectiveness of employees across the Public Service. Clearly, the magnitude of this task is enormous in both human and financial terms.

Over the last year, the Agency has been undergoing an internal transformation that is both philosophical and structural, with the former underpinning the latter. The structural component is set out briefly in a later segment of this report. The philosophical aspect is what drove the creation of the Agency's new PAA to help it report clearly on its work and accomplishments, and guide internal thinking about what is the optimal mix of products and services to support people management excellence across the Public Service.

The Agency's new Program Activity Architecture

 

The first program activity encompasses the establishment of partnerships and the development of policies that provide common standards and directions for the Public Service workforce and workplace, integrating a wide array of efforts across the people management landscape.

The second program activity involves providing strategic services to departments and agencies so that the standards and directions are successfully integrated into the fabric of these institutions, helping to support their individual efforts in achieving people management success.

The third program activity ensures the overall integrity of people management across the Public Service through a mix of monitoring, reporting, research and strategic enterprise-wide projects.

These are the elements that form the basis of the Agency's work—in effect, acting as levers that are applied in a dynamic and mutually reinforcing way. It is for this reason that the Agency's PAA functions as a matrix; it is not possible to separate the functioning of one lever from that of the other two.

Policy and Partnerships

Partnerships help align efforts in an environment that is diverse and complex

People management in the Public Service is very much a collaborative effort, but that collaboration is complicated because it extends across three main levels. The first comprises public servants themselves. Public servants are more than employees; they are partners in managing the institution. As individuals, they develop and manage their careers as part of the larger task of managing the knowledge needed to do the jobs entrusted to them. They are also leaders, encouraging and supporting colleagues, taking risks and trying new ideas. Supervisors and managers lead teams of individuals, mentoring, coaching and supporting their staff and looking for ways to maximize the effectiveness of their collective efforts. Unions are also an important part of the equation at this level, keeping a finger on the pulse of the workforce, and representing the interests and articulating the needs of staff.

The second level is the senior cadre of the Public Service, which operates on a different but related level. They bear additional corporate responsibility for the well-being of the institution itself. The Clerk of the Privy Council, as the Head of the Public Service, has a distinctive role in setting tone and direction. In this role, he is supported by a community of deputy ministers who are collectively responsible for the Public Service and, at the same time, individually responsible for the organizations they lead.

At the third level is the Government of Canada, which is responsible for ensuring that the needs of Canadians are met and that results are delivered. In fulfilling this mandate, the Government tasks the Treasury Board, in its role as employer, and the President of the Treasury Board, who is also the Minister responsible for the Agency, to serve as key points of decision making in the matrix of people management.

The diversity of the government's people management context is further evident at the organizational level, as set out in the diagram below.

 

In considering this landscape, it is important to recognize that the organizations represented here all have different but complementary mandates that use the three program activity levers mentioned above. Policy and partnership efforts, service provision, and integrity assurance are not the purview of the Agency alone. However, as the focal point for people management in the Public Service, the Agency carries additional responsibility for aligning the efforts of these organizations, while respecting their different roles and authorities. For the Public Service to achieve workforce and workplace excellence, the work of these organizations must be complementary, and common objectives must be understood, although the specific responsibilities and priorities are not necessarily the same.

One of the important principles underpinning the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) was the empowerment of departments and agencies to "people-manage" their own staff. The principle is based on a simple tenet: those closest to the workforce and workplace will know best what is needed to maximize effectiveness. In response, each organization contributing to the central support of people management has mechanisms in place to consult deputies on what they believe they need to support their respective organizations. Key governance mechanisms also exist to allow deputies and central agencies to exchange views and consider priorities and directions, with the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Deputy Minister Human Resources Management Advisory Committee sitting at the top of the collective governance processes.

The central organizations responsible for people management are increasingly turning their attention to governance as an important part of ensuring that common objectives are established, information is shared and, as appropriate, efforts are aligned. Staff across these central organizations are working together to advance shared goals. Over the last year, this collective effort has been clearly shown in the joint work undertaken by the Agency and the Public Service Commission (PSC) to give workshops to staff and managers across the country to deepen the understanding of how the changes made under the PSMA can be used to simplify and streamline staffing. The Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) and the Agency together manage the learning strategy for the Public Service, with the latter setting policy in areas such as required learning, and the former providing the educational infrastructure to support the standards that have been set. As for the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and the Agency, the compensation strategies of TBS are aligned with the Agency's classification efforts.

Policies Set a Shared Direction

Although partnerships are vital to integrating people management efforts, in some areas an organization as dispersed and diverse as the Public Service also requires shared standards. The Agency's policy-setting responsibilities include the following:

• official languages
• executive management
• classification
• employment equity and the duty to accommodate
• values and ethics
• learning
• employment

The objective in setting policies for these key areas is to ensure that common standards are in place, regardless of where individuals are employed in the Public Service. However, as previously noted, people management in the Public Service is very much based on a model where departments are provided with sufficient latitude to facilitate people management excellence customized to their workforce and workplace. This approach is very much embedded in the Treasury Board policies related to people management, and over the last year the Agency has focused on making strides to streamline and simplify that suite of policies. In the coming year, these efforts will continue with renewed attention to facilitating the people management work of deputies and their organizations. To support the goals of the PSMA, and push the envelope of administrative innovation, we will simplify these central policies and, at the same time, reduce their number as much as possible. The key is to balance accountability with flexibility. At times, this balancing may mean getting out of the way of deputies and departments, and allowing them the room to innovate. Those innovations can then be compared and considered, with weaknesses noted, where they exist, and strengths adopted and emulated more broadly.

The Agency's efforts are decidedly at the centre of the partnerships and policies that make up people management. With respect to the former, the Agency finds itself chairing and/or managing the agendas of many of the committees and structures that are in place to align people management efforts across the Public Service, prioritizing and coordinating ideas and initiatives. In the case of the latter, the Agency is the steward of most of the instruments that set the workforce and workplace standards for the Public Service and is thus at the heart of the work to simplify those instruments. All of these efforts are encompassed under the Agency's first program activity in its PAA: Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration.

Strategic Services

Setting a shared direction and establishing common standards are at the core of what drives the work of central agencies in the Public Service. The next step in driving excellence across the institution is to put in place reinforcing mechanisms to support departments and agencies in their efforts to move in that shared direction and not only to reach, but to surpass those standards.

At times, economies of scale and shared corporate imperatives argue in favour of providing programs from the centre that support all departments and agencies in achieving excellence. Within this context, all of the central agency players for people management work together to provide a suite of support services that adhere to their common objectives, with a strong focus on how best to complement the efforts already being made by departments and agencies.

The Agency looks upon its own strategic services as complements to its other two levers—direction-setting through policy and partnerships, and maintaining the overall integrity of people management across the Public Service. Services can also inform policy direction, as is the case with the support provided to small agencies, where the impact of policies can be assessed and the merits of simplification monitored. Services can also bring special focus to areas of particular importance. This is the case with the Agency's leadership development programs, which create an environment designed to push the envelope on building leaders and leadership ability, while at the same time providing the means to monitor and manage senior-level talent across the Public Service. Enterprise-wide talent management will grow in importance in the future as the need to recruit, develop and retain Public Service leaders at all levels becomes increasingly imperative in an ever-tightening labour market.

The Agency recognizes the importance of understanding the client perspective; it also sees the importance of taking a service orientation in all that it does. Establishing new policies can serve as a case in point. The process for developing these instruments and having them approved by Treasury Board is well understood—research, consult, collaborate and recommend. However, once in place, those policies need to be supported. This support may occur by means of phone calls taken by Agency experts in specialized fields like values and ethics or diversity. It may also take place through outreach efforts where the Agency's experts meet with staff affected by the policies; this is the case, for instance, with the recently approved executive management policies.

This service orientation is being emphasized across all of the Agency's activities. It is, for example, evident in the people management components found within the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). In the coming year, the Agency will be developing a portfolio-based approach to supporting departments and agencies whereby the information gathered through the evaluation of these MAF elements will be combined with information from other sources (such as surveys, departmental integrated plans and more) to generate a comprehensive profile of departmental successes and challenges. The ultimate aim will be to assess best practices holistically and build a cycle of continuous improvement. For the areas identified as requiring improvement, the Agency, working with departments, will look for ways to bring its expertise to bear in supporting efforts to improve. In time this approach could be extended across the central agency partners in people management, fostering even greater alignment of support services across the Public Service.

The success of the Agency's service orientation is being built on a clear understanding of departmental needs and expectations. Those perspectives are gathered through the everyday work of all of the Agency's staff, whose interactions with departments, communities of practice, human resources practitioners and public servants provide much of the raw data for understanding what its clients need. Recently, the Agency launched an External Consultation Survey to gather views from across the Public Service on what the Agency does and how it does it. The views of human resources professionals, managers and executives are being gathered, both to assess Agency performance and to provide direction on how the Agency can improve what it does.

The people management needs of the Public Service are not static. With focused attention, areas of weakness become strengths; of course, new challenges will emerge and, in turn, become areas for attention. The Agency's role as a focal point in people management puts it in an ideal position to manage and monitor these trends, deploying its resources strategically to maximize their impact, whether in piloting new ideas and concepts, or in redirecting its efforts in areas of high return.

Integrity

As noted, the federal public service is Canada's largest employer. As an institution, its employees are dispersed across numerous departments and agencies, some with thousands of employees, others with less than a dozen. In entrepreneurial fashion, these organizations have the latitude to set many of their own directions for people management; this freedom is consistent with the model of delegated authority brought forward under the PSMA. However, as was highlighted in the section on policies, shared directions and common standards in certain areas are also part of the approach. This balance between the individuality of departments and the collectivity that is the Public Service is very much at the heart of maintaining the integrity of people management in the Public Service.

Information is at the centre of integrity. At times, there are legal reasons to assess whether statutory obligations are being met, as in the case with the requirements established for service to the publicunder the Official Languages Act. Information needs are also built around compliance with policies set by Treasury Board, such as those related to required learning. In both cases, there is a need to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the standards, as well as the support that has been put in place.

Broader efforts are also being made to gather information on people management performance in departments and across the Public Service—efforts that build on the people management elements of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF), but then go beyond it. To support this work, the Agency is renewing its approach to performance measurement to ensure that it assesses the things that really matter. The focus is on identifying key drivers of successful people management, public service-wide and at the departmental level. This information is then used in three ways: to inform thinking on the overall directions for people management in the Public Service; to assist departments in advancing their own people management agendas; and to inform managers of how best to maximize their people management efforts to positively affect their own workforce and workplace.

It is important to underscore that the gathering of this information is not necessarily aimed at enforcing compliance; rather, it may be better understood as part of the cycle of program activity levers that support people management excellence, effectively providing understanding that feeds back into policy and partnership efforts and the related provision of support services. Overall, the objective is straightforward: to assess the extent to which the people management system is working, identify areas where attention is needed, and correct the course as appropriate.

Another important component in maintaining the integrity of people management is research. Adjustments, changes in direction and new innovations in people management must be well informed. The Agency is bringing increased attention to its efforts to ensure that everything it does is based on clear empirical knowledge of the state of people management in the Public Service and on a deep understanding of the elements that comprise people management excellence. Innovative people management ideas can be grown from within and they can also be learned from abroad. For example, if new ways of fast-tracking the staffing process can be learned from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, they should be studied and assessed for their possible application across the Public Service. If ways to enhance employee engagement can be found in the private sector, they too should be considered for possible application in a public service context. Quantitative and qualitative research, surveys and best practice studies, the private sector and other public sector organizations, whether in Canada or abroad, are all potential sources of information on people management challenges and excellence that can potentially be applied within the Public Service.

At times, the Agency is also called upon to lead enterprise-wide efforts, not only to maintain the integrity of people management in the Public Service, but also to move the bar higher. Its leadership role in implementing the PSMA is a good example of this kind of responsibility, as are its current efforts to support Public Service renewal.

Over the last year, the Agency put a special focus on defining and assessing all of the elements of human resources management (HRM), from one end of the spectrum when employees are hired to the other end when they leave the Public Service. This process mapping is the initial step in a longer-term effort, not only to design these processes, but also to renew the infrastructure that supports them. The HRM infrastructure needs to be updated. Processes need to be simplified, streamlined and sped up. New technologies need to be applied to support these new processes with a view to improving efficiency and effectiveness, and, again, to speeding up HRM. These actions are part of a broader sweep of changes all intended to simplify and streamline while maintaining integrity—taking on the web of rules that currently frames people management in the Public Service. Process simplification will continue, with policies more closely scrutinized than ever before to ensure that they truly are needed and with special attention paid to reducing the reporting burden put on departments by central agencies. The goal is to support a culture of innovation, not just in people management, but in all Public Service operations.

Applying the Program Activity Levers to People Management

As noted, the combined impact of the three program activity levers described above—partnerships and policy, strategic services, and integrity—is to create conditions whereby federal departments, agencies and institutions can achieve excellent and innovative people management and high-quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians. Whether through policies and partnerships, strategic services or integrity-related activities, the Agency must be proactive in understanding and assessing the factors that affect excellence in people management. It must also consider ways to apply them, practically, to the workforce and workplace.

The Public Service does not exist in isolation. As the Clerk of the Privy Council has noted in his reports and in recent discussions of Public Service renewal, the changing demographics of the Canadian population and workforce, technological change and the global economy—in particular its impact on the labour market—are but some of the factors that influence the nature and scope of Public Service people management and the work of Public Service employees. Dealing with a changing environment is nothing new. A little more than two decades ago, desktop computing was not part of the workplace environment. Now it is fundamental to how public servants communicate, research policies and deliver programs. Clearly the workforce and workplace have changed in response to this and other technologies, and they continue to do so. What is important is that, whether the issue at hand is technology, demographics, globalization or other large-scale socio-economic changes, it is the Agency's role to examine and consider their impact on people management in the Public Service.

Moving Forward

The Agency's efforts to apply the three levers to people management are reflected in its revised Program Activity Architecture. This new approach allows the Agency to consider how it operates in terms of its policy, service and integrity functions, as well as to examine particular subject areas that cut across all three functions. It reinforces the way in which these three levers act together as three aspects of a whole strategy for reinforcing unified direction in people management.

The Agency understands that it is not alone in applying the three levers: labour relations policies are set at TBS, learning programs are offered by the CSPS, and staffing integrity is maintained by the PSC. The key is to align these efforts and make sure they drive toward a common purpose that is based on a shared understanding of how successful people management works.

Just as the MAF explains, some of the elements of successful Public Service management, including how people management fits within the broader management framework, work is underway to clearly understand and further consider the framework for people management in the Public Service context.

Building on the people management components of the MAF, and on an evidence-based evaluation of the variables of successful people management, the Agency is working with its partners to evaluate these performance drivers and their impact on and relationship to people management and, ultimately, to serving Canadians. These drivers can help establish where the Public Service puts its people management efforts. They can nurture our understanding of how the Public Service modernizes and renews itself. They can help establish a climate that counters risk aversion and fosters innovation. Again, these elements are not in themselves new, and frameworks come and frameworks go. What is important is that conventional thinking be challenged, perhaps confirmed, sometimes built upon and, on occasion, replaced by new ways of doing things. This process is the basis of a cycle of continuous improvement, and it is the Agency's responsibility to use it to strive for excellence in people management by developing the frameworks, and understanding how to apply the levers—always looking to move from good to better and better to best in public service people management.

Organizational Information

In October 2007, the Agency announced a new organizational structure that will strengthen its capacity to deliver on its forward-looking agenda to advance people management across the Public Service. While the mandate of the Agency as the focal point for people management in the Public Service has not changed, its new structure will foster its capacity to work in a more strategic and aligned manner, internally and with its partners. Ultimately, this will allow the Agency to better support the needs of its clients—departments, managers, the human resources (HR) community and public servants—in advancing people management excellence.

The new structure also focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the Agency's operations. By bringing together subject areas that are naturally linked (e.g. the policies and programs that impact the social fabric of the Public Service—values and ethics, official languages and employment equity), it is pooling its functional expertise so that people doing similar work can draw upon and support each other. By moving to an organization with one sector for overall strategic direction and coordination, and four sectors for specific business lines, the Agency will create internal synergies while bringing focus to key priorities.

The Agency's organizational structure includes:

• Four major business line sectors—Workforce and Workplace Renewal; Public Service Renewal Taskforce and Modernization; Strategic Infrastructure, Organization and Classification; and Leadership and Talent Management
• One overall strategic direction and integration sector—Strategic Policy, Planning and Research
• Three corporate support branches—Human Resources Management and Administrative Services, Finance, and Communications.

The Workforce and Workplace Renewal Sector focuses on programs and policies related to employment, values and ethics, official languages, diversity, and integrated business and HR planning. It helps build and sustain a well-managed, dynamic and engaged workforce that is representative of Canada's diverse population and that serves Canadians in both official languages, and supports functional communities and related networks.

The Public Service Renewal Taskforce and Modernization Sector supports the Public Service renewal agenda by providing advice, analysis, monitoring, outreach and coordination, and will continue to advance HR modernization efforts flowing from the Public Service Modernization Act.

The Strategic Infrastructure, Organization and Classification Sector leads on creating the underlying HR infrastructure for the Public Service and advancing efforts to modernize classification.

The Leadership and Talent Management Sector is the focal point for leadership development and talent management for the Public Service and leads on executive management policy and compensation, learning policy, leadership development policies and strategies, leadership development programs, Public Service awards and recognition, Interchange Canada and the Government of Canada Fellows Program, and the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Secretariat. Also, the Visiting Director General (DG) supports the renewal priority of talent management to the executive (EX) community.

The Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Sector supports direction setting for people management, aligning efforts within and outside the Agency. The sector provides an empirical, results-based lens through its strategic policy and research and knowledge efforts, while drawing together information to assess departmental people management performance. It also fosters excellence within the Agency through its responsibility for strategic planning.

The Human Resources Management and Administrative Services Branch provides internal human resources management services, supporting the Agency's goal of having a model workforce and workplace.

The Finance Branch supports the Agency's overall financial integrity.

The Communications Branch brings together the Agency's communications, marketing and outreach activities. It is responsible for developing and sustaining a unified Agency presence, providing support for parliamentary activities, as well as supporting internal and external communications activities, including the web.

The Visiting ADM provides strategic advice to deputy heads on managing their ADM cadre, in areas such as talent management, while supporting the broader needs of the ADM community.

Governance

The Agency maintains a governance structure that combines formal decision-making committees with internal networks and Agency champions for various areas of interest. This governance structure is the foundation that supports external committees and networks that extend the reach and influence of the Agency as it works to align people management efforts across the Public Service.

Policy and program proposals generated by the Agency's various sectors move through a two-committee approval process. The Coordinating Committee of Directors General (CCDG) provides a forum for open discussions, where directors general from across all responsibility centres within the Agency bring their varying backgrounds, experiences and current mandates to collectively consider Agency initiatives and proposals. New concepts, information sharing and brainstorming sessions are all part of the work of the CCDG.

Once something is considered by CCDG, it moves to the next stage in the approval process, the Senior Management Committee Policy forum (SMC Policy). The Agency's senior managers, its President, her direct reports, and the Executive Vice President, come together to consider the items presented at the CCDG to give final internal approval. Policy proposals that will be brought before the Treasury Board are subject to additional governance processes to align the policy efforts and agenda of the Agency and the Treasury Board Secretariat.

The Agency also supports key deputy ministerial governance forums, the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Human Resources Management Advisory Committee. These committees, supported by the Agency, provide places that integrate people management and renewal efforts across the entire Public Service. While the Agency's own efforts are often brought forward to these committees after moving through the Agency's internal governance mechanisms, the proposals and initiatives of the other HR partners are heard here as well.

The Agency's networks are aligned with its efforts to advance internal excellence on many different fronts, including policy and administrative excellence, communities of shared interest within the Agency, and cross-cutting groupings of persons dedicated to advancing and supporting change and continuous improvement within the Agency.

Program Activity Architecture (PAA) Crosswalk

In 2007, the Agency updated its PAA in response to the need to move to a results-based framework that captures the full range of what the Agency does and why it does it. The following table provides a redistribution of financial resources to the new structure.

Program Activity Architecture (PAA) Crosswalk

2008–09
($ millions)	Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program	Strategic Services Program	Integrity and Sustainability Program	Total
Modernized Human Resources Management and Strengthened Accountability	6.9	3.3	7.8	18.0
Representative and Accessible Public Service	4.8	3.1	3.1	11.0
Effective, Ethical Leadership and a Quality Work Environment	11.3	28.5	4.1	43.9
	23.0	34.9	15.0	72.9

Summary Information

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
72.9	65.1	65.1

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
497	438	438

Voted and Statutory Items Listed in the Main Estimates

($ millions)
Voted and Statutory Item	Truncated Vote or Statutory Wording	2008–09 Main Estimates1	2007–08 Main Estimates
50	Program expenditures	64.6	60.5
(S)	Contribution to employee benefit plans	8.3	8.6
	Total	72.9	69.1

(1) The Agency's Main Estimates have increased by $3.8 million from $69.1 million in 2007–08 to $72.9 million in 2008–09 as a result of:

a. An increase of $3.3M in funding for activities that are essential to the continued implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act;

b. A transfer of $2.0M from other government departments to support the National Managers' Community;

c. An increase of $0.6M for the purpose of fulfilling the reporting requirements established by the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act;

d. A net increase of $0.4M related to collective agreement increases and adjustments to Employee Benefits Plans;

e. A decrease of $0.9M in the Joint Learning Program; and

f. A transfer of $1.6M from the Office of the Public Service Integrity Officer, Canada Public Service Agency funding to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner.

Departmental Planned Spending Table and Full-Time Equivalents

($ millions)	Forecast Spending 2007–08	Planned Spending 2008–09	Planned Spending 2009–10	Planned Spending 2010–11
Budgetary Main Estimates (gross)	69.1	72.9	65.1	65.1
Total Main Estimates	69.1	72.9	65.1	65.1
Adjustments
Supplementary Estimates (A)
Funding to fulfil legislative obligations under the Public Service Modernization Act	17.4
Funding for the purpose of leading and overseeing the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act	2.9
Funding for activities that are essential to the continued implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act	2.8
Joint Learning Program	0.4
Transfers to support the National Managers' Community	1.0
Transfer to the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner	-1.4
Collective Agreement Increases	0.7
Operating Budget Carry Forward	4.5
Internal Audit	0.2
Supplementary Estimates (B)
Funding for the Classification Reform Program	4.5
Transfers to support the National Managers' Community	1.0
Total Adjustments	34.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Total Planned Spending	103.1	72.9	65.1	65.1
Plus: Cost of services received without charge	8.9	9.1	8.6	8.6
Total Departmental Spending	112.0	82.0	73.7	73.7
Full-time Equivalents	675	497	438	438

The reduction in estimated total planned spending and full-time equivalents from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009 is mostly due to the temporary nature of funding to continue Human Resources Management Modernization ($17.4M), for Classification Reform ($4.5M), for Operating Budget Carry-Forward ($4.5M), for the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act ($2.3M) and for other minor adjustments.

Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

($ millions)	Expected Results	Planned Spending			Contributes to the following priority
		2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
Strategic Outcome: Federal departments, agencies and institutions demonstrate excellent and innovative people management and achieve high quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians
Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program	Centralization of leadership and direction respecting people management. Effective support to TB vis-à-vis its policy functions. The leveraging and alignment of the individual efforts of others and the integration of these efforts into a collective agreement.	23.0	24.6	24.6	Priorities 1, 2, 3 and 4
Strategic Services Program	Complementarity of Agency services with existing departmental capacity as well as with the work and objectives of other central agencies. Excellence and innovation respecting the people management system.	34.9	29.9	29.9
Integrity and Sustainability Program	Ongoing understanding of the challenges and risks to the integrity and sustainability of the people management system (i.e. how public servants are being managed and the degree to which enabling mechanisms are being applied).	15.0	10.5	10.5	Priority 4
Total		72.9	65.1	65.1

Plans and Priorities

The Agency's plans and priorities in the coming years are based on the following:

Departmental Priorities

Name

1. Achieving effective leadership and management Enhance performance management across the Public Service Develop an executive talent management strategy for all EXs

2. Developing a workplace second to none Develop strategies for enhancing the Public Service brand to facilitate recruitment and retention of employees

3. Building workforce excellence Guide the values and ethics of the workforce by introducing a Code of Conduct for the Public Service Develop strategies to ensure representation in the Public Service is reflective of Canada's population with special emphasis on visible minorities

4. Strengthening HR effectiveness and integrity Take measures to ensure full realization of flexibilities under the PSMA Clarify the people management roles and responsibilities of HR, managers and support staff, and establish service standards for the PE Group (Personnel Administration) Develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules and reporting requirements (web of rules, associated reporting burden, PCMAF renewal and alignment with MAF and Staffing MAF), enhance performance measurement and benchmarking and begin efforts to assist departments in making a transition from the culture of risk aversion to the culture of innovation Ongoing improvement of the empirical understanding of the state of people management in the Public Service

Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Overview of Program Activities

This section highlights the Agency's priorities for the planning period from April 1, 2008, to March 31, 2011, and its contributions to the achievement of its strategic outcome.

Strategic Outcome: Federal departments, agencies and institutions demonstrate excellent and innovative people management and achieve high quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians

The Agency works to accomplish this outcome by drawing out the three key elements in successful people management: an excellent and innovative people management system; a high quality workforce; and a high quality workplace. Each lever of the Program Activity Architecture (PAA) reinforces this perspective by focusing on the key activities that are needed to support the strategic outcome. All three key elements are essential to achieving people management success and are mutually reinforcing.

The following three program areas, supported by corporate services, contribute to achieving the Agency's strategic outcome:

1.  Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program:Provides people management leadership and direction from a central point (the CPSA) to ensure consistent and high performance across the Public Service on the basis of a shared direction, common standards and collective expectations.

2.  Strategic Services Program: Provides strategic and value-added services to support the common direction through targeted programs and infrastructure.

3.  Integrity and Sustainability Program: Develops, collects, assesses and communicates information on people management across the Public Service, initiating enterprise-wide activities to ensure the ongoing integrity of people management and the associated sustainability of the Public Service.

On their own, each of these programs is essential to successful people management and to setting the necessary conditions to achieve the strategic outcome. However, it is the interaction of the programs that is at the core of the Agency's ongoing people management efforts.

Policy sets a common direction. Partnerships and integration draw upon the people management resources across the Public Service to work toward common objectives. Strategic services provide the support needed to achieve the common direction. Integrity and sustainability verify that the Public Service is moving in the right direction, find issues and gaps, and undertake key initiatives to address those gaps.

The Agency's sub-activities and sub-sub-activities follow the same approach—achieving key outcomes based on groups of activities.

Program Activity 1: Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
23.0	24.6	24.6

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
167	151	151

To ensure consistent and high performance across the Public Service, the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program provides leadership and direction from a central point—the Canada Public Service Agency. Leadership occurs by supporting the Treasury Board in establishing policy, effectively a shared direction for the Public Service. It also occurs by leveraging the capacity of others and aligning/integrating individual efforts to a collective outcome. These leadership efforts affect all public servants, though particular activities will result in products that are used by different clients at different times (i.e. individual public servants, managers, people management professionals, and communities of interest).

Specifically, the expected results of this program activity are:

• effective support to Treasury Board vis-à-vis its policy functions;
• leveraging and aligning the individual efforts of others and integrating these efforts into a collective outcome; and
• coherent and integrated common directions, expectations and standards across the Public Service that support departmental people management performance.

Performance measurement for this program activity is based on departmental understanding of policies as indicated by inquiries, and deputy ministers' assessment of the alignment of portfolio partners and the effectiveness of Agency policies.

This program activity contributes to the Agency's priorities as detailed below:

Priority 1: Achieving Effective Leadership and Management

• Enhance performance management across the Public Service
• Develop an executive talent management strategy for all EXs

Priority 2: Developing a Workplace Second to None

• Develop strategies for enhancing the Public Service brand to facilitate recruitment and retention of employees

Priority 3: Building Workforce Excellence

• Guide the values and ethics of the workforce by introducing a Code of Conduct for the Public Service
• Develop strategies to ensure representation in the Public Service is reflective of Canada's population with special emphasis on visible minorities

Priority 4: Strengthening HR effectiveness and integrity

• Take measures to ensure full realization of flexibilities under the PSMA
• Clarify the people management roles and responsibilities of HR, managers and support staff, and establish service standards for the PE Group (Personnel Administration)

The Policy Direction, Partnership and Integration Program has three sub-activities:

• policy development, interpretation, integration and legislation;
• Public Service renewal and modernization; and
• partnerships and alignment.

The description and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Policy Development, Interpretation, Integration and Legislation

The Policy Development, Interpretation, Integration and Legislation Programreflects the policies, guidelines and directives the Agency is responsible for establishing under a number of statutes, as well as related work to interpret those policies on an ongoing basis, develop new related legislative proposals, and integrate those policies into a common policy framework.

Policy areas include:

• official languages
• executive management
• classification
• employment equity and the duty to accommodate
• values and ethics
• learning
• employment

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is common directions and standards across the Public Service. The performance indicator is based on deputy ministers' assessment of the effectiveness of Agency policies.

Across each of these policy areas, a suite of activities which constitute the ongoing plans and priorities include:

• providing ongoing assessment and, as necessary, updating of Treasury Board approved policies to ensure relevance, particularly in terms of supporting departmental people management needs;
• establishing the right blend of departmental and central policies to support successful people management;
• identifying possible gaps in the suite of central people management policies;
• promoting awareness and understanding of current and new policies; and
• collaborating with the Canada School of Public Service on the development of training activities to support the respective policy areas, when needed.

Areas that have been highlighted for special attention over the planning period include the following:

Enhance performance management across the Public Service

At its most basic level, performance management is about the successful relationship between managers and staff and excellence in the Public Service, where the effort maximizes individual and collective productivity and performance at work. Good people management is at the core of the working relationship.

While there is a robust regime for senior leaders and executives, work is now underway to develop a performance management policy for all employees in the Public Service. In addition, consideration is being given to possible mechanisms to recognize performance in the area of people management.

Develop an executive talent management strategy for all EXs

Over the last number of years, the Agency has been working to enhance its efforts to understand and, as appropriate, facilitate the management of executive talent across the Public Service. Policies and strategies are established to foster and support executive excellence, complemented by programs to develop leadership within the executive ranks and more broadly.

The Agency develops talent management strategies and initiatives for all EXs. The goal is to develop a framework and tools to support departments in the management of their EX community, while taking a broader corporate perspective into consideration. A strategy on executive talent management will facilitate the optimal development and deployment of the senior cadre across the entire Public Service, fostering excellence and ensuring a cohort of senior leaders able to undertake a broad range of roles and responsibilities.

The Agency works directly with the ADM community, providing career support and advice, and implementing a comprehensive talent management strategy to enhance collective management of the ADM community. In addition, the Agency supports deputy ministers in the staffing of ADM positions.

Building on the ADM approach, and adapting it to take into account the needs of executives and the needs of the corporation, a talent management strategy will be developed.

Guide the values and ethics of the workforce by introducing a Code of Conduct for the Public Service

A key priority for the Agency is the implementation of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA). Significant effort and emphasis will be placed on assisting public sector organizations in implementing the PSDPA and related instruments such as the Treasury Board Code of Conduct. The Code will establish common standards and practices for behaviour across the federal public sector, including the core public administration, parent Crown corporations and separate agencies. It will help embed generally accepted principles and values of good public administration into the day-to-day operations of public sector organizations. As well, the Agency will focus on developing communication tools and learning strategies to ensure that all public servants are aware of, and feel supported in using, the disclosure mechanisms created by the PSDPA.

Develop strategies to ensure representation in the Public Service is reflective of Canada's population with special emphasis on visible minorities

Canada's diversity is a fundamental part of the fabric of its society and a strength that is recognized at home and abroad. Promoting and achieving greater diversity of backgrounds and perspective (geographic, cultural and linguistic) in the Public Service contributes to the development of better policies, improved and responsive program design, and the delivery of effective services for all Canadians.

The Employment Equity Act requires the Public Service to achieve equity in the representation and participation of four groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities. Since the Act came into force in 1996, significant progress has been made in the overall representation of members of the designated groups—especially for women, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. Representation rates for these groups now surpass their workforce availability. However, challenges still persist and a special emphasis is required with respect to visible minorities.

Working with key stakeholders, efforts will be made to determine what barriers may exist in the Public Service to improving representation. The timing of these efforts is appropriate as Canada's demographics continue to shift and the rate of visible minority representation across Canada increases. Areas of focus in this work will include examining visible minority representation within the EX community, as well as the impact of the concentration of visible minorities within Canada's three largest cities, in terms of the federal workforce.

Key Program Sub-activity: Public Service Renewal and Modernization

The Public Service Renewal and Modernization Programencompasses direction setting and integration activities that drive the people management change agenda. This program sub-activity includes large initiatives such as the implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) and the work related to supporting Public Service renewal decision making; the development of a shared understanding of priorities among departments and agencies, and the implementation of renewal commitments.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is the capacity of the Public Service workforce to deliver on the business of government, now and in the future. The performance indicator is based on deputy ministers' assessment of the quality of Agency Public Service Renewal and Modernization deliverables.

The ongoing plans and priorities for the Public Service Renewal and Modernization Program include:

• providing advice, coordination and operational support to the Deputy Minister Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service, as well as supporting senior managers, central agencies and other Agency sectors on the Public Service renewal agenda, including the coordination of engagement opportunities; and
• supporting and monitoring the integration of the PSMA to adjust, as necessary, the efforts across the Public Service to fully realize the objectives of the PSMA, including improved staffing to achieve results, improved labour–management relations, and enhanced employee development.

Areas that have been highlighted for special attention over the planning period include the following:

Develop strategies for enhancing the Public Service brand to facilitate recruitment and retention of employees

With the anticipated retirement of large numbers of Public Service employees in the coming years, and the associated need to recruit and retain new public servants, we must consider how to ensure that top talent across Canada understands the opportunities that are part of a Public Service career, and that current employees truly appreciate the scope and impact of their efforts in supporting the Government and Canadian society.

For this reason, branding—the articulation of what an organization is about—targets three audiences: prospective employees, current employees and Canadians at large. The purpose is to position the Public Service as an employer of choice recognized for motivating, inspiring and supporting highly skilled and knowledgeable people in serving the public and the public interest. The goal is to help increase employee satisfaction, build employees' trust and pride, and promote a culture of collaboration and engagement across the Public Service such that each employee can exercise his/her full potential in a workplace that is healthy, rewarding, high performing, non-partisan, supportive, challenging, professional and adaptive. It is also an opportunity to explain to Canadians the scope and importance of the work public servants do, and to make the federal public service more attractive as a career.

For these reasons, efforts are under way to develop a branding strategy for the Public Service that will include tools and approaches for internal and external audiences, as well as core messages and an outreach and engagement strategy.

Take measures to ensure full realization of flexibilities under the PSMA

While changes made under the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA) have been part of public service operations for several years, more work remains to be done to deepen the understanding of what those changes were intended to achieve and how they were intended to work, and thereby realize the benefits of the legislation in support of results for Canadians.

Staff from the Agency, in collaboration with the Public Service Commission, travelled across Canada to present workshops to managers and HR professionals to broaden their understanding of the PSMA in order to support deeper integration in ongoing HR practices across the Public Service. An underlying objective of the workshops was to listen to what people at the coalface were saying about how the legislation was working in their day-to-day work lives.

On the basis of what we heard from managers, HR professionals and union representatives at the workshops, along with other efforts to gather views on the state of modernization, a strategy is being developed to deepen the integration of elements of the PSMA, particularly as it relates to the use of staffing flexibilities.

Formal evaluations of current efforts are also being initiated, as is thinking regarding the state of departmental implementation of the legislative framework with preparations for a legislated five year review of key elements of the PSMA to come in the near future. The scope of the changes introduced under modernization were dramatic and it is timely to take stock, course correct if necessary, and ensure that the HR legislative framework is operating at maximum efficiency.

With this information gathered, strategies will be developed that may include the development of additional tools, focused outreach efforts, and any other steps needed to continue to advance the modernization of the Public Service as a foundation for its renewal.

Clarify the people management roles and responsibilities of HR, managers and support staff, and establish service standards for the Personnel Administration Group

As a basis for the efforts to deepen the understanding of the changes that occurred under the PSMA, it is important to clearly understand the roles and responsibilities of HR professionals, support staff and managers. A core premise that drove the PSMA was that people management should be put in the hands of the managers and supervisors, based on the view that those closest to employees would have the clearest sense of what was needed to optimally manage the workforce and workplace. To some extent, this shifted some of the responsibilities and accountability for people management from the HR community to managers. This shift changed the relationship between the various players, although the extent of that change is still being worked out. Therefore, it is timely to assess the current state of the relationships, the roles and responsibilities that have evolved since PSMA implementation, and to what extent it may be appropriate to make adjustments to maximize the effectiveness of each player in achieving the optimal HR practices to meet the needs of the organizations across the Public Service.

With this work underway, it is also timely to consider the standard of service expected from the HR community in their efforts to support employees and managers. Whether providing operational support to HR processes, or strategic advice to guide the work of management, the HR community has a vital role to play in successful people management. For this reason, there is merit to considering the standards of service needed from HR to support these efforts—these standards will not only confirm roles and responsibilities, they will also clarify the manner in which HR support is expected to be provided.

Key Program Sub-activity: Partnerships and Alignment

Effective people management involves bringing together and/or aligning the efforts of many different partners and players. The Partnerships and Alignment Programundertakes these functions. This program plays a key role in avoiding overlapping efforts and maximizing the impact of separate investments made in different parts of the people management portfolio.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is alignment of undertakings, avoidance of overlapping efforts, and maximization of the impact of the separate investments of public servants operating in different parts of the people management portfolio. The performance indicator is based on the number of joint projects across all departments.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• working with champions and networks within functional areas (e.g. values and ethics);
• supporting functional communities and communities of interest; and
• providing stewardship of the HR portfolio, which includes the central agency partners—TBS, CSPS, PSC, Privy Council Office—and aligning their collective efforts in the support of departments

Program Activity 2: Strategic Services Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
34.9	29.9	29.9

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
211	177	177

The Strategic Services Program provides strategic and direction-setting support services through enabling programs and infrastructure so that people management objectives can be optimally realized. Agency services are intended to complement and support existing departmental capacity (i.e. they are not transactional), as well as the work and policy objectives of central agencies. Strategic services are provided to federal departments, agencies and institutions for individual public servants, their managers, communities of interest and the people management community that supports them.

Specifically, the expected results of this program activity are:

• complementarity of Agency services with existing departmental capacity as well as with the work and objectives of other central agencies; and
• excellence and innovation respecting the people management system.

Performance measurement for this program activity is based on a departmental view of the alignment between Agency priorities and needs, as well as of the quality of Agency services.

The Strategic Services Program has four sub-activities:

• support to departments and institutions to strengthen capacity
• leadership development programs
• awards and recognition
• integrated planning

The description and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Support to Departments and Institutions to Strengthen Capacity

Support to departments and institutions to strengthen capacity involves hands-on (e.g. outreach) efforts that reach into departments to help them better follow the directions set out in the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program.

At this time, the ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• Small agency support where the Agency provides direct assistance on PSMA-related initiatives to small agencies that do not have sufficient internal capacity to successfully undertake the necessary actions to integrate the PSMA-related changes into their organizations.
• Staffing recourse, which provides focused advice on the PSMA initiated changes in this area and on related matters. These efforts include directly supporting departments called to appear before the Public Service Staffing Tribunal, as well as facilitating a broader understanding of the mechanisms related to staffing recourse.

Key Program Sub-activity: Leadership Development Programs

The expected results for the Leadership Development Programs are linked to:

• developing of public servants with key leadership competencies
• succession planning
• providing tools to managers for effective talent management
• acquisition of skills and experience

The activities within this sub-activity reflect the suite of public servant development programs that provide targeted development assistance for individuals and include the following:

• Management Trainee Program
• Accelerated Economist Training Program
• Career Assignment Program
• Accelerated Executive Development Program

Two exchange programs are also included:

• Interchange Canada
• Government of Canada Fellows Program

These programs promote the sharing of knowledge and business practices between the Public Service and the private sector, not-for-profits, or other levels of government, and encourage the professional development of participants.

Finally, there is an Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) Secretariat, which assists deputy ministers in staffing and recruitment of ADMs to meet their talent management needs.

The performance indicator for this sub-activity is based on departmental perspectives of the quality of Agency services.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• planning and, as appropriate, delivering executive learning and leadership mechanisms across the Public Service;
• efficient and effective operations of development programs and ensuring they complement departmental efforts;
• providing direction, advice, mentoring and guidance to leadership program participants;
• developing and implementing strategies to attract, recruit and retain top talent from within and outside the Public Service; and
• supporting communities of executives with targeted activities and initiatives.

Key Program Sub-activity: Awards and Recognition

The Awards and Recognition Program provides services to promote excellence through recognition by various awards and recognition events such as the annual Public Service Award of Excellence, the Outstanding Achievement Award and National Public Service Week.

In an effort to be proactive in recognizing employee excellence across the Public Service, an ADM awards advisory committee meets once a month to act as a sounding board, to review possible candidates for specific awards and to encourage departments to submit nominations. A compendium of awards in the Public Service, parapublic organizations, NGOs and the private sector was created to assist the committee in its work.

This program also supports the ADM community through networking and learning activities (such as the ADM forum and DM/ADM dinners), in close liaison with the ADM Secretariat.

The expected result for this sub-activity is an increase in levels of excellence within the Public Service by acknowledging and promoting exceptional performance. The performance indicator is based on the number of recognition related activities and the existence of a recognition program/policy.

The ongoing plans and priorities include:

• planning, developing and coordinating various awards and recognition events; and
• assessing and developing awards and recognition policies/initiatives, as part of a recognition strategy for the Public Service.

Key Program Sub-activity: Integrated Planning

Integrated planningencompasses direct advice, information and tools that are provided to help departments and agencies develop and implement integrated HR, business and financial planning in a seamless manner. Efforts in this area are aligned with learning programs at the Canada School of Public Service.

The expected results for this sub-activity are: departments that are better equipped to undertake the integration of HR, business and financial planning; and integrity, accuracy and practical usefulness of HR, finance and business planning—efforts that have historically been viewed as discrete. The performance indicators are based on departmental perspectives of the quality of the Agency's integrated planning support and of the quality of the Agency services in this regard.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• providing support to departments and the planning community (e.g. tools, networking)
• contributing content to the development and updating of integrated planning courses
• developing new approaches on integrated HR planning

Program Activity 3: Integrity and Sustainability Program

Financial Resources ($ millions)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
15.0	10.5	10.5

Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
119	110	110

As the Public Service people management lead, the Agency requires an ongoing assessment of the challenges and risks to the integrity and sustainability of the people management system. To ensure the quality of the people management system across the Public Service, the Integrity and Sustainability Program develops, collects, assesses and communicates information on how public servants are being managed and the degree to which enabling mechanisms are being applied. This information serves as feedback to adjust other key levers of effective people management, particularly the policy and service-related components. The tools used to undertake this work include surveys, audits, qualitative and quantitative data, with the results of these efforts taking the form of annual reports and organization-specific assessments. A number of these reports are required under legislation and are tabled in Parliament. Forward looking research and transformational initiatives will also be undertaken from time to time to address specific concerns and opportunities related to ensuring the sustainability of the overall people management system.

Specifically, the expected result of this program activity is an ongoing understanding of the challenges and risks to the integrity and sustainability of the people management system (i.e. how public servants are being managed and the degree to which enabling mechanisms are being applied).

Performance measurement for this program activity is based on departmental responsiveness to issues and recommendations to improve people management, and appropriate use of system instruments by departments.

This program activity contributes to the Agency's priorities as detailed below.

Priority 4: Strengthening HR effectiveness and integrity

• Develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules and reporting requirements (web of rules, associated reporting burden, PCMAF renewal and alignment with MAF and Staffing MAF), enhance performance measurement and benchmarking and begin efforts to assist departments in making a transition from the culture of risk aversion to the culture of innovation
• Ongoing improvement of the empirical understanding of the state of people management in the Public Service

The Integrity and Sustainability Program has four sub-activities:

• assessing the strength of people management
• research, data collection and analysis
• reporting
• transformation

The description, expected results, and plans and priorities for each sub-activity are detailed below.

Key Program Sub-activity: Assessing the Strength of People Management

At a public service-wide and individual department/agency level, it is necessary to assess organizational health and consider how the range of people management instruments contributes to, or detracts from, achieving organizational effectiveness. These efforts are based on public service-wide standards and measures. There are two sub-sub-activities: the Values and Ethics and the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework (PCMAF), which provide department specific assessments of people management performance; and the Public Service Employee Survey, which can be disaggregated to assess people management performance of departments, while also providing a snapshot of the attitudes of all public servants regarding their workforce and workplace at a point in time.

In accordance with the Agency's PAA, the expected result for this sub-activity is an understanding of organizational health vis-à-vis the people management instruments in place and the consequent acting upon that understanding. The performance indicatoris based on deputy heads' assessments of the effectiveness of the PCMAF.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• developing the processes and systems required to support departmental people management performance, including efforts undertaken through the people management components of the MAF, which encompass establishing performance measures, data collection, analysis and reporting; and
• conducting the Public Service Employee Survey to assess employee attitudes and perceptions, and providing public service-wide assessments of the health of people management, as well as supporting departmental level assessments of people management performance.

The following area has been highlighted for special attention over the planning period.

Develop and implement an action plan to simplify rules and reporting requirements (web of rules, associated reporting burden, PCMAF renewal and alignment with MAF and Staffing MAF), enhance performance measurement and benchmarking and begin efforts to assist departments in making a transition from the culture of risk aversion to the culture of innovation

Measuring the state of people management in the Public Service is essential to being able to assess the health and sustainability of the Public Service from a people perspective. This work is done at the level of the entire Public Service, as well as at the level of departments. To understand performance at both levels, data is gathered from departments across a range of variables considered to be important drivers to successful people management. There are many sources of data—MAF reporting, surveys, administrative data, departmental plans and more. The objective is to maximize the understanding of the state of people management in departments, while minimizing the amount of information that departments need to directly submit to the centre.

Over time, new systems with a focus on interoperability and enterprise-wide solutions will enhance access to data on departmental people management performance. As efforts are made to move in this direction, it is important to remain sensitive to having sufficient information to assess people management, while not creating a reporting system that is burdensome and not seen as valued added.

The first step is to make sure that what is measured is what is important. Then all available sources of information need to be considered to understand what may need to be submitted from departments.

Associated with this reporting "web of rules" are the rules and procedures put in place to direct people management efforts across the Public Service and in departments. The Agency, as part of its ongoing efforts to refine the framework policies it develops for the Treasury Board under the Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program, will put an emphasis on ensuring that the policies it does put in place are relevant, necessary and value added from the perspective of departments.

Overall, the goal for this area of work is to:

• establish relevant framework people management policies that complement departmental policies;
• put in place associated value added reporting and monitoring elements; and
• build systems to support the gathering of information needed to sustain the people management system.

Together, these elements maximize people management effectiveness within an environment that facilitates departmental people management performance. Further, this approach to streamlining central agency support, guidance and monitoring is a necessary foundation upon which to build an innovative public service culture characterized by intelligent risk taking and improved public service performance.

Key Program Sub-activity: Research, Data Collection and Analysis

Cross-cutting research and analysis activities in all areas of people management provide the basis and evidence base for the development of new policy directions and service initiatives as well as accountability in human resources management. A blend of primary and secondary research is conducted that includes analyzing demographics, employee perceptions and more. The tools used in this regard include qualitative and quantitative mechanisms (e.g. survey research, targeted studies, administrative data manipulation).

The expected result for this sub-activity is increasing reliance on an empirical evidence base in supporting policy directions and service initiatives, and identifying people management challenges and opportunities, both at the departmental and enterprise-wide levels. The performance indicator is based on the extent to which the research program supports the development of the federal people management system.

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• conducting demographic analysis for the Public Service (overall, departments, functional communities, regions, etc.);
• conducting primary research to support empirical understanding of the state of the Public Service;
• assisting departments to manipulate data to support analysis of their state of performance management;
• conducting simulations, modelling, and trend analysis to test scenarios and generate projections of trends and the future state of the Public Service to support people management policy and program decisions;
• conducting medium- and long-term research on people management issues;
• fostering a knowledge and learning culture related to people management across the Public Service; and
• overseeing people management knowledge flow across the Public Service.

The following has been highlighted for special attention over the planning period.

Ongoing improvement of the empirical understanding of the state of people management in the Public Service

People management in the Public Service has grown increasingly complex over the last number of years with the number of variables impacting success increasing (e.g. demographic change, globalization of issues and regionalization of solutions, technology changing at a rapid pace). Further, the issues that impact recruitment, retention and development of public servants are also increasingly complex and driven by an increasingly competitive labour market. This environment puts a premium on understanding, in real time, the state of people management across the Public Service and in departments. It also underscores the importance of being able to watch for trends, predict them where possible and, as appropriate, course correct on a timely basis to address issues before they become problems.

In this context, the Agency is putting a particular emphasis on developing its suite of tools to provide public servants and decision makers with the information needed to make informed decisions regarding directions needed to sustain the modernization and renewal of the Public Service. This approach reflects a management commitment across the Public Service to ensure that the decisions made are well informed by facts.

In addition to developing the necessary tools and mechanisms to collect and analyze information on the state of people management, a commitment to empirically based decision making is being driven through all aspects of Agency operations, with a strong push to develop clear empirical bases for the policy work undertaken with the Agency. Robust data, strong analytical skills and a willingness to questions conventional thinking will combine to drive the Agency's efforts to improve its and the Public Service's empirical understanding of the state of people management.

Key Program Sub-activity: Reporting

Part of the process of assessing the state of people management in the Public Service includes reporting to Parliamentarians and Canadians on the range of activities underway within the Agency and across the Public Service. These reports can also serve as a tool in synthesizing the issues and opportunities and consideration of possible directions and responses. The activities for the Reporting Program represent the four annual reports currently prepared by the Agency on:

• human resources management
• official languages
• employment equity
• values and ethics

The expected results for this sub-activity are:

• understanding on the part of parliamentarians and Canadians of the state of people management across the Public Service, associated issues and opportunities, and of possible directions and responses; and
• coherence across the efforts of various people management activities and partners.

The performance indicator is based on the number of months all reports are late per report (i.e. reporting frequency).

The ongoing plans and priorities for this sub-activity include:

• developing and publishing reports to parliamentarians and Canadians on the range of activities underway within the Agency and across the Public Service, including data collection, integration, synthesis of issues and opportunities, etc.

Key Program Sub-activity: Transformation

Ensuring the integrity and sustainability in people management will, for the foreseeable future, require the development of transformative (and perhaps cross-cutting) initiatives. These initiatives tend to be time limited and associated with specific deliverables that may themselves lead to the development of ongoing leadership or service mechanisms within the Agency or elsewhere within the Public Service.

At this time, the expected result for these initiatives is a more efficient and effective use of resources and increase in transaction speed for HR operations.

The ongoing transformation initiatives include:

• streamlining and mapping common HR business processes for use by departments and agencies; and
• developing common technology tools and platforms.

Relevant transformation initiatives of interest to the Agency on the planning horizon include:

• developing common HR business processes (mapping processes from recruitment to retirement/resignation, and then streamlining via the elimination of unnecessary steps and effecting systems changes);
• developing a web-enabled streamlined approach to carrying out less complex staffing actions, such as assignments, casual appointments, and short-term acting appointments (Fast Track Staffing);
• creating a single HR data warehouse, which will support a common information architecture across government, and result in more accurate and consistent reporting (Employee Passport); and
• developing a government-wide HR portal, which will enable self service transactions, ensuring a seamless experience for the user (HR Self Service Portal).

Section III: Supplementary Information

Table 1: Departmental links to the Government of Canada Outcomes

Strategic Outcome: Federal departments, agencies, and institutions demonstrate excellent and innovative people management and achieve high quality workforces and workplaces able to serve the Government and deliver desired results for Canadians.
($ millions)	Planned Spending			Alignment to Government of Canada Outcome Area
	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11
Policy Direction, Partnerships and Integration Program	23.0	24.6	24.6	All
Strategic Services Program	34.9	29.9	29.9	All
Integrity and Sustainability Program	15.0	10.5	10.5	All

The reduction in estimated total planned spending from 2008-2009 to 2009-2010 is due to the temporary nature of funding for small agency support ($1.9M), information systems ($1.4M) and work on values and ethics ($4.6M), and to minor adjustments to Employee Benefits Plans.

Table 2: Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)

Objective	Target (2007–09)	Activities anticipated within the coming year (2008–09 )
1.1 SD principles are reflected within PS values and ethics policy instruments	To consider incorporating, where appropriate, sustainable development principles into values and ethics policy instruments that are currently being reviewed/developed.	Sustainable development principles have been included where appropriate in the new Treasury Board Code of Conduct being developed following the enactment of the Federal Accountability Act.
1.2 PS leaders are aware of and understand SD principles and how to factor them into their business	To consider incorporating, where appropriate, sustainable development principles into learning and development programs for leaders.	The Agency encourages employees to take a course on sustainable development (SD) offered by the Canada School of Public Service to help them in their decision making related to strategies, mechanisms and strategic environmental assessments. This course also provides a better understanding of the rationale, meaning and implications of SD and the use of some tools to support the Government's commitment to SD. As of February 2008, sustainable development training is being given as part of the required training courses. It is an educational component of the leadership development programs where appropriate.
1.3 Recognize PS leaders who contribute to SD	Create, as deemed feasible, an SD criterion to the management excellence award or add a new single award for SD.	The components and implications of a management excellence award for sustainable development have been examined and implemented where appropriate.
2.1 Integrate SD into the Agency's decision making	Environmental Management System (EMS) – The Corporate Services Branch (CSB) will develop and implement an EMS for the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canada Public Service Agency in collaboration with the Public Service Commission of Canada.	Enviro drafted an Environmental Management System (EMS) that will provide a framework regarding environmental performance, issues, impacts and accountability to better support the integration of sustainable development in decision making. The EMS will support proactive environmental stewardship by enabling the Agency to better control and prevent environmental damage. The EMS is ready to be presented to the EMS committee. The committee membership is being established with most CSB sectors and a PWGSC member. The EMS implementation phase began in February 2008.
	Green Citizenship Network (GCN) – the Corporate Services Branch will establish ongoing support for the GCN, and increase the GCN membership by 25 percent and improve opportunities for employee participation in grassroots environmental activities.	Membership in the Green Citizenship Network (GCN) has increased nominally (Fin, TBS, the Agency and the Public Service Commission). The GCN is working to provide members with more opportunities for grassroots involvement in workplace environmental initiatives. The recent Lug-a-Mug campaign has been initiated, implemented and is being supported by the GCN. The Agency's membership within the GCN has increased from 7 members in 2005 to 42 members in 2008.
2.2 Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and other air emissions	Energy conservation program – Decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by five percent in L'Esplanade Laurier (LEL) based on fiscal year 2005–06 baseline through the development and implementation of an energy conservation plan and awareness campaign that will explore and facilitate energy efficiency opportunities for LEL and other occupied buildings.	LEL is considered an energy intense building in the National Capital Region. The lighting, as well as the heating and ventilation systems at LEL, are considered inefficient. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is expected to modernize the lighting (fluorescent fixture, ballast and controls) by the summer of 2008. User procedures will be developed concurrently with this modernizing work and it will be communicated to employees. With this effort, we are expected to exceed our target of reducing GHGs by five percent. As well, we are pursuing further energy conservation initiatives in the coming year. The percentage reduction in GHG emissions across the Agency building inventory is reported annually.
	Reduce GHG emissions – Reduce GHG emissions per vehicle kilometre from the departmental fleet by 15 percent based on 2005–06 fleet composition baseline.	The Fin/TBS/Agency fleet of six vehicles is being monitored to ensure that new acquisitions meet TBS fleet management policies which call for more fuel-efficient vehicles (i.e. four-cylinders, or hybrid technologies, or ethanol-based fuel use). In the 2007 calendar year, two hybrid (electric and gas) vehicles were purchased. This is expected to reduce GHG emissions by approximately 15 percent.
	Maximize use of ethanol – 90 percent of gasoline purchased for federal road vehicles will be ethanol-blended.	The Fin/TBS/Agency fleet is being monitored annually to ensure that ethanol-based fuels are being purchased whenever possible. Drivers have been provided directions on where to find ethanol-based fuels. It is anticipated that these efforts will allow us to meet our 90 percent objective. The Agency is committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions per vehicle kilometre by 15 percent based on the 2005–06 fleet performance by purchasing ethanol blended gasoline.
	Green and defensive driver training – All drivers will be provided with green and defensive driver with training.	All six Fin/TBS/Agency fleet drivers have completed green and defensive driver training.
2.3 Increase level of green procurement	Green procurement tracking – CSB will coordinate the introduction of a field in the Financial Application System (SAP) and the Integrated Financial and Materiel System (IFMS). Adjust procurement tracking and reporting to include green procurement (collaboratively with a number of departments and agencies).	Finance and Treasury Board Secretariat are collaborating with departments and agencies that use the common financial information system delivered by SAP to work on a common approach to tracking green procurement. To track green procurement purchases, SAP Core Development Team has developed and implemented the government-wide IFMS and the SAP fields. This tracking field came online in September 2007. Training on its use is being developed and will be delivered to procurement, materiel and buyer personnel by April 2008.
	Multi-function document manager pilot program – Develop a pilot project for equipment that would reduce the need for a separate networked photocopier, printer, colour printer and scanner (and possibly fax machine).	A Statement of Sensitivities and a Threat and Risk Assessment have been completed for the use of multi-function document (MFD) printers that have been purchased and MFD managers leased on the network. Two pilot groups have been identified (TBS Pensions and Benefits, and TBS EMS) who have (or will be) moved to 222 Nepean Street by April 2008. Significant operational cost savings for the use of these printing devices is anticipated, as well as energy and paper cost savings. Results of the pilot project should be available by end of the 2008 calendar year. The Agency has the opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of its operations by purchasing environmentally friendly goods and services. This Agency initiative successfully reduced the costs up to 50 percent by reusing recycled toner. The Agency has installed two centralized copy centres to accommodate 69 employees, reducing the use of separate networked photocopiers.
	Green furniture purchases – CSB will increase purchases of green office furniture from 2005–06 levels by 50 percent where and whenever new fit-up opportunities exist, and where current design configuration permits.	Furniture procurement standards have been established and are being followed by the Facilities Management staff and procurement buyers. Reminders of the standard and the SDS target were sent periodically to assure compliance. The office furniture industry is considered quite environmentally responsible and is a centrally managed commodity available through PWGSC mandatory Standing Offer Agreements (SOA). The SOAs have environmental considerations built into them. It is anticipated that we will meet our target.
	CSB will develop and deliver green procurement training to 100 percent of materiel managers and procurement staff by 2008, and 60 percent of acquisition cardholders by 2009.	PWGSC's Office of Greening Government Operations (OGGO) and the Canada School of Public Service have developed online training and made it available through Campusdirect, as of July 2007. The Green Citizenship Network has coordinated the training for the materiel and procurement personnel training, which was to be completed by January 25, 2008. A draft training package has been completed by the Green Citizenship Network for acquisition cardholders. Delivery is expected during the January to April 2008 period.
2.4 Reduce waste sent to landfill	Update recycling program at L'Esplanade Laurier and other occupied buildings – CSB will work with PWGSC to divert 75 percent of waste through the redesign and implementation of an updated recycling program, which include improvements to hazardous materials programs.	The recycling program at LEL has been updated with new signage and the removal of polystyrene bins from the facilities, as these bins are no longer considered a recyclable waste that is marketable. Additional recycling items have been added to the recycling program, including CDs/DVDs/floppies/ ZIP/JAZZ, batteries, various plastics, toner cartridges and inkjet cartridges. Other opportunities for waste diversion are being assessed for 2008. External site recycling programs are also being updated where possible. We anticipate these efforts, coupled with the composting program (see below), will allow us to meet our target of 75 percent waste diversion rate. The Agency has committed to the development of a green procurement guide as indicated in the departmental Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS). The guide is intended to provide those employees with purchasing responsibilities with information on what is required to 'green' departmental purchases. Criteria are included for appraising the environmental benefits of items under consideration for purchase, recognizing that other non-environmental criteria will enter into the decision-making process. The guide does not impose strict regulations requiring the use of costly or inadequate items simply because of their environmental qualities.
	Composting program – Develop and implement a composting program for items such as paper towels and food waste.	The process of composting hand paper towels (37 tonnes annually) has been agreed to in principle by PWGSC. We are also seeking a way to divert pulverized paper waste (100 tonnes annually) from landfills to horse bedding in RCMP and private stables in the region. We are also looking at composting pulverized paper along with the paper towels as noted above. Both initiatives are expected to begin by April 2008.

The following electronic tables can be found on the Treasury Board Secretariat's website at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rpp/2008-2009/info/info-eng.asp:

Evaluations

Green Procurement

Internal Audits

Services Received Without Charge

Section IV: Other Items of Interest

Program Activity: Internal Services

The success of the Agency's efforts across its three program activities is closely linked to the ability to receive timely, effective and efficient internal services. The goal is to combine the efforts of the specialists across the various internal services functions, with the policy and program expertise throughout the Agency, to create an integrated well functioning organization that is well managed and able to sustain its initiatives and efforts across the Public Service.

Public Affairs/Communications Services

The Communications Branch provides a broad range of strategic and operational communications support to the Minister, the President, the Executive Vice-President, vice-presidents and employees across the Agency. The objective is to ensure that the Agency speaks with one voice and that this voice is clear and well understood, regardless of the client or target market. On an ongoing basis, this includes facilitating employee communications in collaboration with the management team of the Agency. The Communications Branch also provides parliamentary and public affairs support.

Over the coming year, the focus will be on developing and implementing a corporate framework for the Agency's communications. Within this framework, the following are priority areas:

• helping to establish and promote the Public Service as a workplace of choice as the Agency continues to support the renewal of the Public Service;
• implementing the Agency's web strategy, which focuses on providing relevant and timely tools and information about people management for managers and human resources professionals at all levels in the Public Service, and serving as a reliable source of data and information about the state of the Public Service; and
• developing communications strategies that will help the Agency communicate its policies, services and research to its audiences through appropriate, timely and open communications, which include publications, marketing, outreach activities and a toll-free enquiry service.

Management and Oversight Services

Strategic planning forms the core of effective management for any organization. It provides the vehicle to establish priorities, monitor progress, ensure results and accountability, essentially overseeing the smooth operation of the organization. The integration of business, financial and human resource planning makes it all the more important to get the strategic planning functions right.

While great emphasis is often put on the plan, the key to great planning is "planning." This dynamic process occurs throughout the year as the planning cycle moves through time. These efforts are informed by risk assessment, audit and evaluation activities, performance measurement and monitoring of performance throughout the year. Through project management, tracking of Agency activities and integration of all planning efforts into the governance and operations of the Agency, progress on the Agency's efforts can be monitored throughout the year, maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Agency operations.

Human Resources Management Services

The Agency's human resources management services provide a focal point for the development of integrated HR policy/advisory functions and programs, as well as the provision of operational human resources functions, strengthening of labour–management relations and the Agency's human resources planning capacity. Attracting and retaining key talent, as well as succession planning, are key internal areas of focus for the Agency in this planning period.

Other key priorities over the planning period include:

• ensure that the organizational structure supports the business lines of the Agency;
• simplify HR business processes and invest in automated solutions for management efficiency;
• build capacity and career progression for HR policy development, program design and core administrative support and HR specialists;
• develop new service standards for provision of HR services to internal clients; and
• improve the demographic information available to Agency managers to support effective integration of human resources planning with business planning.

Financial Management Services

Financial management services support the Agency and senior management stewardship and financial accountability responsibilities. This occurs by ensuring that the funds entrusted to the Agency are expended in accordance with government policy and on programs and services approved by Parliament, that managers with financial responsibilities have access to expert advice on finance and that appropriate controls are in place to protect the security of public funds. Some operational financial services are provided to the Agency under a shared services memorandum of understanding between the Agency and the Department of Finance Canada's Corporate Services Branch (CSB).

Current priorities include:

• enable managers to manage their financial resources by enhancing the delivery of accounting operations;
• prepare audit-ready financial statements to ensure transparency and accordance with generally acceptable accounting principles and financial accountability requirements;
• build a fee structure for services; and
• support the review of Treasury Board submissions.

Supply Chain Services

Procurement and contracting services are provided to the Agency under a shared services memorandum of understanding between the Agency and the Department of Finance Canada's Corporate Services Branch (CSB). Agency service contracts are reviewed by the TBS/Agency contract review committee. In addition, procurement and contracting in the Agency is centralized, with the exception of acquisition card purchases, and all procurement and contracting activity undergoes a full review by the Agency and CSB procurement specialists.

To simplify the contracting process and improve contracting services to Agency clients, the Agency will establish its own in-house contract review committee. The goal is to streamline Agency processes and simplify administrative internal activities with better use of technology.

The Agency has committed to the development of a green procurement guide as indicated in the Departmental Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS). The guide is intended to provide those employees with purchasing responsibilities with information on what is required to "green" departmental purchases. Criteria are included for appraising the environmental benefits of items under consideration for purchase, recognizing that other non-environmental criteria will enter into the decision-making process. The guide does not impose strict regulations requiring the use of costly or inadequate items simply due to their environmental qualities.

Facilities/Asset Management Services

Facilities management will be critical over the planning period. The shortage of office space, facilities improvement and the need to strategically relocate parts of the Agency and consolidate space occupied by the Agency will be a focus over the next few years. The Agency will develop a long-term accommodation plan to bring together as many parts of the Agency as possible in one location to promote integration and horizontal management of Agency programs and to reduce long-term accommodation costs.

Information Management/Information Technology Services (IM/IT)

As of September 2007, the Agency's Chief Information Office (CIO) function was transferred to the Strategic Infrastructure and Information Management (SIIM) organization within the Strategic Infrastructure, Organization and Classification Sector. Systems support is provided to the Agency under a shared services memorandum of understanding between the Agency and the Department of Finance Canada's Corporate Services Branch (CSB).

In 2008–09, priorities for SIIM will include:

• implement the IM/IT Governance Framework;
• promote IM awareness and the use of RDIMS;
• participate in the development of directives on staffing and contracting tool development/acquisition that have an IM/IT component; and
• develop and implement a project management framework, with an associated standardized system development life cycle.

Internal Audit Services

The 2006 MAF assessment of the Agency's internal audit function concluded that this was an area where "Attention was required." Reflecting this, the function became a priority area in 2007–08 to ensure that key improvements were put in place to strengthen the Agency's audit activities.

As a first step, the Agency has now established a high level Internal Audit Committee. Further, the Agency has made significant progress in obtaining approval that its organization be accorded "Small Department/Agency (SDA) Status" for internal audit purposes under the Treasury Board Policy on Internal Audit. As part of this arrangement, the Agency's basic audit requirements will be met through the activities of the Office of the Comptroller General (OCG), which will assume functional responsibility to meet the Agency's needs in this area. To complement this, the Agency will be seeking representation on the OCG's independent SDA Audit Committee, with the transition of the full migration of the audit function to the OCG to be completed by April 1, 2009.

In addition, within the Agency, the independence of the audit function during the transition period has been further strengthened by transferring organizational responsibility in this area (along with the evaluation function) to the Agency's Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Sector, which will also be responsible for liaison with the OCG and the Office of the Auditor General. As a key step in the transition process, the updating of the existing short-term Risk-Based Audit Plan is under review and will be submitted to the Internal Audit Committee prior to approval by the President and transmittal to the OCG. In parallel with these above developments, work-in-progress continues with the Agency's existing audit work.

Evaluation Services

The Agency's evaluation function is to be strengthened significantly during the 2008–09 period. Whereas, in previous years evaluation activities were intermittent and distributed on an "as-needed" basis linked to individual sectors within the Agency, they are now being realigned organizationally, within the framework of the Agency's Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Sector. This realignment will greatly strengthen the strategic nature of the evaluation function and, as well, enable it to exploit economies of scale accompanying consolidation.

A major effectiveness measurement (evaluation) undertaking for 2008–09 will be the development of a large horizontal (government-wide) evaluation of various parallel people-management initiatives—undertaken as part of the implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act and involving a wide range of delivery partners across the federal government. It is estimated that it will take as long as 18 months to complete all of the results measurement work covering the various measures involved. In parallel, a set of short-term leading indicators of long-run PSMA successes is also being developed. Much of this combined work will flow into the upcoming (PSMA-linked) legislative review process.

Evaluations

1. Name of Evaluation	2. Evaluation Type	3. Status	4. Expected Completion Date
Evaluation of Public Service Modernization Act (Strategic Investment Framework)	Summative (Impact)	Preliminary stages	December 2009

Green Procurement

1. How is your department planning to meet the objectives of the Policy on Green Procurement?

The Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canada Public Service Agency have taken a common approach to meeting the objectives of the Policy on Green Procurement as outlined in the departmental sustainable development strategies for 2007–2009. It is important to note that the policy applies to a life-cycle management approach to procurement of goods and services. It encompasses and applies across all four stages of the procurement process: planning, acquisition, use and disposal (ref: http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/greening/text/proc-e.html).

2. Has your department established green procurement targets?

The departments have established five common targets.

X Yes                    No                    In progress

3. Describe the green procurement targets that have been set by your department and indicate the associated benefits anticipated.

(1) Green procurement training for 100 percent of materiel managers and procurement staff, and 60 percent of acquisition cardholders. Benefits – Awareness, application and tracking of the policy's implementation. (2) Increase purchase of green office furniture by 50 percent. Benefits – Increased purchases of furniture to result in improved air quality benefits and decreased long-term costs. (3) Configure IFMS to facilitate green procurement tracking/reporting. Benefits – Departmental-wide ability to track green procurement purchases of products and services. (4) Multifunction Document Manager Pilot Program. Benefits – Improved paper-use, air quality benefits, improved efficiency, improved energy use and cost savings. (5) Ninety percent of gasoline purchases to be ethanol-blended, where available. Benefits – Reducing dependence on fossil-based fuels.

Internal Audits

Audit name	Audit type	Status	Expected completion date
Public Service Modernization Act Management Control Framework	Compliance/performance	In progress	To be determined (in consultation with Office of the Comptroller General)
Financial Management Control Framework	Compliance	In progress	To be determined (in consultation with Office of the Comptroller General)
Procurement and Service Contracts	Compliance	In progress	To be determined (in consultation with Office of the Comptroller General)

Services Received Without Charge 2008–09

	($ millions)
Accommodation provided by Public Works and Government Services Canada	5.2
Contributions covering employers' share of employees' insurance premiums and expenditures paid by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat	3.8
Salary and associated expenditures for legal services provided by the Department of Justice Canada	0.1
Total services received without charge	9.1