Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Recruitment for Canada's Future Public Service: Changing the System
(Chapter 2 - December 2001 Report of the Auditor General)

Recruitment for Canada's Future Public Service: Changing the Practices
(Chapter 3 - December 2001 Report of the Auditor General)

Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our December chapters on recruitment for Canada’s future public service. The two chapters deal with changing both the system of human resource management and the practices. With me today are Maria Barrados, Assistant Auditor General and Kathryn Elliott, the Principal who led this audit.

We read with interest your Committee’s eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth reports on hearings in 2001. We are happy to note the Committee’s continued interest in human resource management.

The public service is facing significant challenges to fill existing and anticipated vacancies due to upcoming retirements and a shift in the nature of work.

To meet these challenges, managers need a responsive recruitment system. But what they have is a process that they see as inflexible, complicated, and slow. As a result, managers work around the system and focus on short-term hiring. This practice is not building a strong workforce for the future.

Years of studies have indicated that the existing legislation, and subsequent appeal and legal decisions, have led to the current situation. Despite many attempts at reform within the existing framework, the system remains a barrier.

The existing human resource legislation must be streamlined and simplified. It should be supported by a framework of policy and guidelines that can evolve to respond to the changing environment and challenges.

Clear direction is needed in legislation on responsibilities and accountabilities for human resource management, including the role of deputy ministers. The Committee’s 12^th report discussed the same issues.

We support the concept of a strong oversight agency to provide Parliament with information on human resource management issues, its programs and challenges.

We stress again the need for improved annual reporting to Parliament and within the government on human resource management.

Mr. Chairman, not only the legislative framework but also the management of recruiting to the public service has to change, in order to break the culture of short-term hiring.

Human resource planning must be improved and integrated with the operational plans of departments, leading to the development of recruitment strategies.

Managers need more and better tools such as improved electronic recruitment. They also need more inventories of pre-qualified candidates, both in departments and across the public service.

Managers also need better support. Human resource professionals are seen as controllers of the process who put up roadblocks. We believe they need to be more strategic and oriented toward service.

The government should also evaluate its broadening of the area of selection for recruiting to ensure that it is not having a negative impact on indeterminate hiring.

We are encouraged by the response of the Privy Council Office on behalf of the government and the departments we audited. They concurred that the legislative and management framework for recruitment requires substantial change.

The Task Force on Modernizing Human Resources Management in the Public Service will be recommending a modern legislative and institutional framework for managing human resources. We look forward to its proposals and encourage the committee to:

• Ask for an update on the Task Force’s progress, the challenges it faces, and the barriers to success.
• Explore options for ensuring that the new legislation will receive appropriate parliamentary scrutiny.
• Consider how ongoing oversight by Parliament will be assured since the government faces significant human resource challenges that will have an impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service.

The promised reform of legislation for human resource management is an opportunity that cannot be missed. After 40 years of studies and of raised expectations, a failure to significantly streamline and modernize the legislation will leave the public service at risk as an institution and further increase cynicism and skepticism in its personnel.

Mr. Chairman, we would be happy to answer the Committee’s questions.