Objective
The objective of the Receiver General is to protect
the integrity of the Consolidated Revenue Fund. This
includes ensuring that all money owing to the federal
government is deposited to the credit of the Receiver
General, directing and controlling the movement of money
out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund, maintaining the
central accounts of Canada and producing the Public
Accounts.
Who is the Receiver General? What
is his role?
The Receiver General for Canada is the Minister of
Public Works and Government Services Canada. The Receiver
General is the oldest Cabinet position in Canada, established
in 1784. In meeting his objectives, the Receiver is
responsible for the following functions:
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Making payments for
the Government of Canada
The Receiver General manages the issue of almost
all payments out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
In fiscal year 2002/2003, the Receiver General
issued approximately 226 million federal payments,
about 69 percent by electronic means. The Receiver
General also manages the reconciliation of all
payments issued and cashed and settles with the
financial institutions for the value of those
payments.
Managing the deposit
of money owing to the Canadian government
The Receiver General negotiates and manages all
the banking arrangements needed to provide deposit
and other facilities required to ensure that payments
to the government are made as required.
Maintaining the Accounts
of Canada
The Receiver General maintains the central accounting
systems that record, at the summary level, all
of the financial transactions of the federal government.
Producing the Public
Accounts of Canada
After the end of each fiscal year, the Receiver
General prepares the Public Accounts, the annual
audited, consolidated financial statements of
the Government of Canada, for presentation to
Parliament.
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Signature on government
cheques
Receiver General cheques are signed by the Receiver
General for Canada and Deputy Receiver General for Canada
(Minister and Deputy Minister of PWGSC). Human Resources
and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) issues their employment
insurance benefit cheques, which are signed by HRSDC
officials.
What happens to a government
cheque after it has been cashed
Once a Government of Canada cheque has been accepted
by a financial institution, the cashed cheque is sent
to our redemption control unit. There, a reconciliation
is done against the issue information. If there is a
match, the Receiver General organization settles with
the financial institution that cashed the cheque for
the amount of the payment.
Pension cheques — what
is PWGSC's role
PWGSC issues Receiver General payments including pension
payments such as Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security
and Superannuation, the federal government's employee
pension plan. More than 80% of these payments are made
by direct deposit. PWGSC also administers the Superannuation
plan for the Government of Canada.
Dates on which cheques are sent
out
The issue dates vary for each government program. For
recurring monthly or quarterly payments like pensions
and Child Tax Benefit, the payments are released to
the financial institutions for direct deposit, and to
Canada Post for cheques, in time to be delivered on
the due date. For payments like tax refunds and payments
to suppliers, the payments are released to the delivery
agent on the day that they are processed by the Receiver
General.
Do Receiver General Cheques
have an expiry date?
Receiver General cheques never become stale dated.
They can be cashed at any time.
For further information, visit the Receiver
General for Canada Web site.
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