Government of Canada's response to THE HUMA report on the Calls for Proposals Process (CFP)

The Government of Canada welcomes the recommendations from the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills Development, Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) and believes that the Committee’s work will be of great benefit to the Call for Proposal process and to the management of Grants and Contributions programming.  The Government agreed with 17 of the Committee’s recommendations, and response to the Committee’s Report provides a clear outline of future plans to implement those recommendations.  You can view both the report and the Government response at the Standing Committee’s Web Site www.parl.gc.ca/huma-e.

Service Canada is committed to strengthening relationships with stakeholders and the Voluntary Sector involved with the delivery of grant and contribution programs and services.   To demonstrate this commitment, the Minister has established a Working Group of representatives from both Service Canada and the Voluntary Sector. 

This Working Group will streamline administrative policies and processes and make improvements in how we move forward.   In addition, it will also develop an ongoing consultation mechanism to facilitate dialogue and establish a permanent advisory group. 

Minister Stronach has recently announced the creation of a Fairness Advisor who will report to the Deputy Minister of Service Canada, and be responsible to investigate complaints and resolve fairness issues.  The Service Canada/Voluntary Sector Working Group is supportive of this and is co-developing the Terms of Reference for the Fairness Advisor.

On September 14, 2005, with the creation of Service Canada, the responsibility for managing grants and contributions and the response of the Standing Committee was assumed by Service Canada.   Since then, the department has also established an Office of Client Satisfaction that will manage Service Canada’s compliments, suggestions and complaints.  This office will help ensure that decisions concerning our clients are fair, open and transparent and identify areas for improvement in processes and procedures.

The Government of Canada is clearly committed to working with the Voluntary Sector and through Service Canada, will continue to demonstrate this commitment to connecting with Canadians in their communities.   Through Service Canada, we will continue to consult and work with stakeholders and the Voluntary Sector to find real solutions that will advance the process, enabling us to better serve those in need.

In the future, these web pages will be used to share information and updates on our consultations and process enhancements. Check these pages periodically for the latest information.