Backgrounder
The Government of Canada has made a clear commitment to restoring trust and accountability in government. It has
adopted a series of measures to further strengthen transparency, oversight, accountability and management across the
public sector.
February 10, 2004
Today, in response to concerns raised by the Auditor General, the government will take immediate action to:
- Introduce legislation by March 31, 2004 to strengthen the regime governing disclosure of wrongdoing
(whistleblowing) within the public sector;
- Strengthen audit committees for Crown Corporations that fall under Part 10 of the Financial Administration
Act (FAA) - those for which the government has the legislative mandate to dictate immediate regulatory changes -
to ensure greater transparency and oversight of financial management;
- Appoint a Special Counsel for financial recovery;
- Report by September 30, 2004 on proposed changes to the FAA;
- Report by September 30, 2004 on proposed changes to the governance regime for all Crown Corporations, including
reviewing the possible extension of the Access to Information Act (ATI); and
- Report by September 30, 2004 on ways to improve clarity and understanding of the respective responsibilities and
accountabilities, and the "interface" between Ministers and public servants as recommended by the Auditor General.
December 12, 2003
Today's initiatives build on and further strengthen the initiatives announced by the new government on its first day
in office.
On December 12, 2003, the new government:
- Refocused the mandate of the Treasury Board to provide more rigorous oversight of government expenditures;
- Created the Expenditure Review Committee, chaired by the President of the Treasury Board, to conduct an extensive
and rigorous review of all government spending;
- Established the Comptroller General as a distinct office in the Treasury Board Secretariat to ensure that
expenditure plans are sound, and directed that the Comptroller General be given functional authority over, and be
involved in, the staffing of the comptroller positions in departments and agencies;
- Directed that departmental comptrollers must sign off on all departmental spending proposals before they are
submitted to Cabinet for approval;
- Committed to reinstate legislation to establish the office of an independent Ethics Commissioner, as well as a
Senate Ethics Officer;
- Introduced a new "proactive disclosure" policy that requires the mandatory quarterly publication of travel and
hospitality expenses of ministers, ministers of state, ministers' offices, and parliamentary secretaries. This policy
also applies to deputy ministers, associate deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers; and
- Announced measures to strengthen the Conflict of Interest and Post Employment Code for Public Office Holders
including:
- A ban on ministers, ministers of state and parliamentary secretaries accepting travel on private aircraft for any
purpose except in exceptional circumstances and only with the prior approval of the Ethics Counsellor, and public
reporting on such travel within 30 days;
- Stricter provisions on accepting gifts, hospitality and other benefits;
- A requirement to place gifts valued over $1000 into the government inventory; and
- Public disclosure of financial liabilities when requested by the Ethics Counsellor; and a
recusal process which
requires a public office holder to withdraw from participating in a matter that could create a conflict with their
private interests as determined by the Ethics Counsellor.
Broader Public Service Initiatives
In addition to these measures, the federal public service, under the leadership of the
Treasury Board Secretariat and Privy Council Office, have introduced measures to strengthen oversight, management
accountability, and integrity across the public service.
Over the past year, they have introduced:
A New Management Accountability Framework
The new Management Accountability Framework is a rigorous new tool for assessing management accountability both at
the departmental level and government-wide. The Framework, introduced in June 2003 identifies key areas for management
to assess, monitor and track performance, emphasizing citizen-centred services, the need for policies and programs to
achieve intended results, sound risk and people management, effective stewardship, accountability and effective
reporting to Parliament.
A New Guidance Document for Deputy Ministers
The new Guidance for Deputy Ministers clarifies how Deputy Ministers are expected to fulfill their role in the
Government of Canada. It is directly linked to the Management Accountability Framework and sets out the various roles
and responsibilities of Deputy Ministers, as well as their accountabilities. The new guidance was issued in June
2003.
A New Code of Values and Ethics
The Government introduced a new Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service which came into effect in September
2003. The new code outlines the values and ethical principles that should guide public servants in the conduct of their
professional activities, requires all public servants to act in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny,
and outlines the type of relationship that should exist between elected representatives and public servants.
For more information, contact:
Mario Baril
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391
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