Public Service Commission
of Canada

2002-2003
Estimates

Report on Plans and Priorities

Approved

Minister of Canadian Heritage

The Estimates Documents

Each year, the government prepares Estimates in support of its request to Parliament for authority to spend public monies. This request is formalized through the tabling of appropriation bills in Parliament. The Estimates, which are tabled in the House of Commons by the President of the Treasury Board, consist of three parts:

Part I - The Government Expenditure Plan provides an overview of federal spending and summarizes both the relationship of the key elements of the Main Estimates to the Expenditure Plan (as set out in the Budget).

Part II - The Main Estimates directly support the Appropriation Act. The Main Estimates identify the spending authorities (votes) and amounts to be included in subsequent appropriation bills. Parliament will be asked to approve these votes to enable the government to proceed with its spending plans. Parts I and II of the Estimates are tabled concurrently on or before 1 March.

Part III - Departmental Expenditure Plans which is divided into two components:

1. Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) are individual expenditure plans for each department and agency (excluding Crown corporations). These reports provide increased levels of detail on a business line basis and contain information on objectives, initiatives and planned results, including links to related resource requirements over a three-year period. The RPPs also provide details on human resource requirements, major capital projects, grants and contributions, and net program costs. They are tabled in Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the ministers who preside over the departments and agencies identified in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act. These documents are tabled in the spring and referred to committees, which then report back to the House of Commons pursuant to Standing Order 81(4).
   
2. Departmental Performance Reports (DPRs) are individual department and agency accounts of accomplishments achieved against planned performance expectations as set out in respective RPPs. These Performance Reports, which cover the most recently completed fiscal year, are tabled in Parliament in the fall by the President of the Treasury Board on behalf of the ministers who preside over the departments and agencies identified in Schedules I, I.1 and II of the Financial Administration Act.

The Estimates, along with the Minister of Finance's Budget, reflect the government's annual budget planning and resource allocation priorities. In combination with the subsequent reporting of financial results in the Public Accounts and of accomplishments achieved in Departmental Performance Reports, this material helps Parliament hold the government to account for the allocation and management of public funds.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by
the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2002

Available in Canada through your local bookseller or by mail from
Canadian Government Publishing (PWGSC)
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9

Telephone: 1-800-635-7943
Internet site: http://publications.pwgsc.gc.ca

Catalogue No. BT31-2/2003-III-42

ISBN 0-660-61773-0