May 5, 2005
Check Against Delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I'm pleased to join you for this session on the Government of Canada's priorities.
This morning, you'll be hearing from the trio of central agencies - what some might call the Holy Trinity.
You've just had the perspective of the Privy Council Office and a little later this morning, you'll hear the view
from Finance.
But now it's time to hear from the Treasury Board Secretariat: the general manager of government.
Together with our portfolio partners, the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada, and the Canada
School of Public Service, we support the Treasury Board in managing the government's financial, personnel, and
administrative responsibilities.
The Secretariat supports the government in allocating and reallocating public resources to government priorities. We
set management policies and expectations for departments and agencies, oversee management performance, and through
audit and evaluation, assess whether programs and resources are being managed in accordance with management policies
and authorities.
We also work with the Agency and the School to support the Treasury Board in its role as employer of the federal
public service. That means ensuring effective human resources management, professional development and compensation
planning across the federal government.
This might all sound like routine work, but as I'm sure you know, change has been the order of the day in government
in the last twelve months, and the Treasury Board Portfolio is no exception.
Change is not the only challenge we face as we work to strengthen public sector management.
Tremendous progress has been made, and we shouldn't lose sight of that. But this is a big project and there are
still some challenges facing us.
For example, we don't have a fully effective system of horizontal oversight.
Accountabilities are not always clear, and managers sometimes lack adequate performance information.
And in addressing these and other issues, the Secretariat has sometimes compounded the problems for departments by
setting an overly ambitious management agenda.
We also have to consider the nature of the organization. It is not realistic to expect an organization the size of
the federal government to, in effect, turn on a dime.
We are looking at implementing change in the largest organization in Canada - an organization with 116 departments
and agencies and some 171,000 employees.
So although strengthening public sector management sounds simple enough, of course, it is anything but simple. But I
firmly believe it is "doable."
The President of the Treasury Board is committed to transforming how government works. To use his words,
"Government
must work smarter."
The agenda for making this happen is set out in the Budget 2005 document "Strengthening and Modernizing Public
Sector Management."
In this document, the Government talks about the need for transparency and accountability. It talks about engaging
Parliament and Canadians in more open government.
It also underlines the need to deliver better value for money, while ensuring that spending is focused on meeting
the priorities of Canadians.
And it commits to improving service delivery and accessibility to the public, while modernizing and improving the
public service.
That, in very general terms, is the Government's management agenda. It is up to the Secretariat, together with our
portfolio partners, to take the lead in moving that agenda forward.
As we looked at how to best lead change in this kind of environment, our first task was to develop a clear vision of
where we want to go.
In other words, what do we want the public sector to look like ultimately? How will organizations manage resources?
How will decisions be made? What skills will managers bring to the job?
We had a lot of good work to build on. The Secretariat and departments have done some excellent work in the last few
years to set the foundation.
Working together with our portfolio partners, we tried to build upon those efforts and crystallize them into a
vision of strengthened public sector management.
So let me share the vision with you, although I understand the President may have scooped me in his opening remarks
last night.
In any case, there aren't any bells and whistles. We want to keep things realistic and achievable. Here is how our
vision looks:
First, organizations across the federal public sector allocate resources based on demonstrable performance, sound
values, and the confidence to innovate.
Second, management decisions balance and integrate risk, resource stewardship, people, and rigorous
accountability.
And third, managers continuously strive to improve the quality of their analysis, advice, programs and services, and
their understanding of the needs of Canadians. They are accountable and have the training required to meet clear
expectations.
What are the key enablers to this vision? The key one for me is the Management Accountability Framework, or
MAF. It captures and breathes life into this vision. In other words, it is a roadmap to guide senior Public Service
leaders.
The MAF was introduced in 2003 to clarify expectations of deputy heads and public service managers. It provides a
framework for assessing management performance and capacity across departments and agencies.
It reinforces public sector managers' responsibilities to define accountabilities and manage risk, resources, and
people in delivering results.
Of course, our work didn't begin and end with developing a vision. We have used the vision as a guide to develop an
integrated management agenda with coordinated, clear, and achievable objectives.
I should emphasize that when it comes to implementation, the agenda is not carved in stone. We want to get feedback
from departments as we go forward, and make adjustments as needed.
Change will be phased-in. We will work with our partners, particularly departments, to ensure the pace of change is
manageable. This has to be a collaborative effort.
The four areas of focus of our integrated management agenda are as follows:
- Governance and accountability
- Stewardship and financial management
- Service quality and efficiency, and
- Human resource modernization
Governance and Accountability
Let me start with governance and accountability.
Our goal when it comes to governance and accountability is to show progress in making government as a whole more
open, transparent and accountable.
And that means simplifying the operating environment, clarifying the rules and setting more stable, consistent
expectations for managers.
We have to develop better information for assessing performance and making management decisions; and design better
tools to position policy, program and service needs before Parliament.
One key initiative in reaching our goal is improving parliamentary reporting. We have to ensure Parliamentarians
have the information they need to better hold the government to account.
We've developed a four-year work plan, and we've already made some progress. For example, we've improved the
consistency of information in the Estimates, and included more horizontal and summary information.
In the coming months, we will be working with Parliamentarians to develop a blueprint for improved reporting to
Parliament.
We are also streamlining and consolidating the Treasury Board policy suite.
We need to make the policies easier to follow. We need to clarify accountabilities and allow for greater delegation
to departments where performance warrants.
By lessening the transactional burden on the Secretariat, we can turn our attention to more strategic
considerations.
We will also keep moving forward with implementation of the Management Accountability Framework, which I
talked about a moment ago. We need to focus on performance standards and eventually, on public reporting.
Lastly, we will continue to work on enhancing performance information.
Stewardship and financial management
Sound stewardship of resources and improved financial management is the second element of the agenda.
Our goal is to achieve an enhanced ability to reallocate on an ongoing basis in order to improve alignment of
resources with priorities.
We need to move away from the culture of incrementalism and towards a culture of reallocation.
We need to provide better information on substantive risks and have assurance that controls are working as
intended.
So how do we get there? What are our priorities?
First, we need to strengthen Treasury Board's role as a budget office. That means closer oversight of government
expenditures, ongoing analysis of horizontal programs and a review of select operations.
Second, we need to bolster internal audit. Through the Office of the Comptroller General, we're developing a
long-term plan to enhance internal audit, and introduce standardized, proven audit processes across government.
Third, we need to improve financial management.
We are working through the Comptroller General's Office to establish government-wide systems, standards, controls
and processes. We need financial management systems that are rigorous, but not cumbersome - systems that ensure that
managers have timely and complete information for decision-making.
Service quality and efficiency
Third on the integrated management agenda is improving service quality and efficiency.
Our goal is to establish structures and processes to better integrate service delivery and internal administrative
procedures
We need to reduce costs and free up additional resources for government priorities. We need to facilitate horizontal
initiatives, and develop a solid platform for future service delivery.
We've already made some progress in improving service delivery. For example, the Government On-Line initiative has
substantially extended public access to federal government services and information.
But there is room for improvement.
We want to lead the shift to integrated, multi-channel service delivery for Canadians.
This will include supporting the creation of Service Canada, which will provide one-stop service to Canadians by
phone, on the Internet, and in person for social benefits and other programs.
We are also committed to improving our own internal administration. That means leading the transformation to common
business and technology solutions for internal, corporate, administrative and IT services.
Human Resources Modernization
Last, but far from least, on our agenda is HR Modernization.
I say "far from least" because our employees are key to everything we want to achieve. They are the foundation.
Internationally, they have the reputation of being among the best in the world. That's a reputation we want to
maintain.
Our goal is to enhance management capacity through recruitment, targeted learning, and improved HR management.
We need to establish an HR environment that ensures we can compete in a competitive market for knowledge
workers.
We have to show a genuine commitment to nurturing people. We need to establish an incentive system that rewards
performance.
So with those aims in mind, we are focusing on three main priorities.
First, we will continue implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act
Implementing the Act will lead to a better workplace for public servants, while helping them better serve Canadians.
For example, it provides for a more collaborative approach to labour relations, improves the staffing process, and
links HR planning to business planning.
Second, we will establish a core learning program for managers under the Canada School of Public Service - we want
to make sure that our people have the training they need to excel.
And we want to foster a culture of continuous learning within the Public Service.
Third and finally, we will improve official languages training and testing by implementing the recommendations of
the Review of Language Training and Testing.
Conclusion
That, in a nutshell, is our integrated management agenda for strengthening public sector management. To reiterate,
we'll be focusing our efforts in the four key areas:
- Governance and accountability
- Stewardship and financial management
- Service quality and efficiency, and
- Human resource modernization
It's a busy agenda, and there's a lot of work ahead. But it's hard work in the name of a good cause.
The President of the Treasury Board has said "our goal is to offer Canadians the best public service possible."
That's a lofty goal, but it is also one well worth striving for. And I believe we are on the right path.
And now, I'd like to hear what you think.
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