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INDEX
What is the
difference between modern and traditional comptrollership?
- Government comptrollership, in
the past, had been seen as the sole responsibility of financial staff.
Its main focus was recording and reporting financial transactions and
making sure government organizations made only authorized
transactions.
- With Modern Comptrollership,
the Government is looking beyond departmental accountability in terms
of controlling individual financial transactions and just making sure
the numbers line up in the right column. The responsibility and focus
rests in the hands of departmental managers.
- It is about transforming the
way managers and financial specialists co-operate, enabling managers
with tools to help prioritize, plan and meet operational goals and to
achieve better results. Managers and financial specialists need to
work in partnership to replace complex rules and regulations, which
constrain flexibility, with simple, well-communicated and properly
enforced principles and standards.
INDEX
What is the
relationship between Modern Comptrollership and Results for Canadians:
A Management Framework for the Government of Canada?
- Results for Canadians: A
Management Framework for the Government of Canada describes
the management commitments (citizen focus, values, results, and
responsible spending) and operating philosophy that underpin the work
required to modernize management practices across Government.
- Modern Comptrollership is one
of six priority initiatives that will contribute to deliver on the
Government's commitments. The other priorities are:
- citizen-centred service
delivery;
- Government On-Line;
- Improved reporting to
Parliament;
- Program integrity; and
- the development of an
exemplary workplace.
INDEX
Why is Modern
Comptrollership an important management improvement initiative?
- With rapid and significant
changes in technology, governments and the way business is conducted,
comptrollership practices must fully reflect current and anticipated
business environments.
- There is little doubt that
further automation of transaction processing, demands for faster,
higher quality service, clearer and more sustained focus on results as
well as demands for more relevant and useful performance information,
will continue.
- Taxpayers expect sound
management of public resources and value for money.
- Comptrollership is, and will
continue to be, a key element of the management infrastructure of the
Government of Canada.
INDEX
How does
comptrollership relate to other initiatives?
- Modern Comptrollership plays
an integrating function - one that brings information from many
sources into a meaningful whole. It involves communicating that
information to those who need it to execute their responsibilities.
- As such, modernization efforts
bring greater coherence to existing initiatives, and balance the
various sources of information with managers' real needs and
requirements.
- Modern Comptrollership
integrates and builds on a number of key government-wide management
improvement initiatives, such as:
- the Financial Information
Strategy;
- the Integrated Risk Management
Framework;
- the revised policies on
Internal Audit and Evaluation;
- the Transfer Payment Policy;
and
- the Modernization of Human
Resources Management in the Public Service.
INDEX
Is the
implementation of Modern Comptrollership discretionary?
- The Treasury Board Secretariat
encourages departments and agencies, within the meaning of section 2
of the Financial Administration Act, to develop plans to
modernize their comptrollership activities.
- However, departments and
agencies will have the flexibility to determine priorities, timelines,
assessment methodologies and action plans that make sense for their
unique circumstances.
INDEX
When will
modernization affect me?
- This will vary on an
individual basis depending on the type of work you do and the
department or agency you work for. Ongoing initiatives may already be
affecting the kind of work you do and the way in which you do it.
- It may be that work to improve
comptrollership in your department or agency will be embedded in other
initiatives related to leadership, human resources, values and ethics,
performance information, risk management, stewardship and
accountability.
- Various departments and
agencies will be gearing up to modernize comptrollership at different
times. They will adopt different strategies, approaches, and
timetables.
INDEX
How is the
capacity assessment carried out?
- An assessment tool known as
"The Capacity Check" is available to departments and agencies to
perform a self-assessment of current capabilities relative to Modern
Comptrollership management practices. This baseline assessment,
involving interviews with executives and managers, allows for the
identification of priority areas for improvement (i.e. processes,
competencies, systems, etc.).
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How will the
results from the capacity assessment be used?
- Results from departmental
assessments, combined with other management reports and performance
information, should be used to identify departmental priorities for
improvements and to develop action plans to address them.
- These priorities will depend
on particular departmental circumstances, respective businesses,
client needs and other considerations.
INDEX
What has been
done to address the learning requirements of Modern Comptrollership?
- The introduction of
comprehensive training courses, offered by Training and Development
Canada, for implementors, managers and functional specialists provide
an in-depth understanding of the implementation tools and the
modernization process.
- Pilot departments such as
Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) have also developed new
courses, programs and learning materials to address Modern
Comptrollership learning needs.
INDEX
What is the
purpose of the Treasury Board Secretariat's Integrated Risk Management
Framework?
- The Integrated Risk Management
Framework is intended to provide guidance to departments and agencies
in order to advance the use of a more corporate and systematic
approach to risk management.
- It proposes a set of risk
management practices that departments and agencies can adopt, or
adapt, to their specific circumstances and mandate. It will support
the desired cultural shift to a "risk-smart" workforce where
public service employees can develop new skills, be more creative and
innovative.
- It will also provide employees
with essential tools to help them be prudent in protecting the public
interest and maintaining public trust.
INDEX
What are
some examples of departmental initiatives undertaken by the
pilots?
- Human Resources Development
Canada (HRDC) is providing extensive training for Modern
Comptrollership including a unique course at the University of
Victoria. It has produced a values and ethics handbook, is refining
its performance information, and is improving its accountability
management. This will be followed shortly with programs at the
University of Ottawa and at the University of New Brunswick.
- National
Defence (ND) has developed a Defence Ethics
Program, including
training, established a strategic change management unit, and produced
a resource management guide for managers.
- Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada (AAFC) has implemented a Strategic Financial Planning
Committee, is redefining its business line structure to better manage
for results, and is developing a risk management framework.
- Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
has launched its Guide to Good Management under its Quality Management
Initiative, addressing many of the elements of Modern Comptrollership.
- Indian and Northern Affairs
Canada (INAC) has established a sophisticated litigation risk
management strategy to assess, manage and resolve litigation risks on
a portfolio basis, and has implemented the Collaborative Assurance
Risk Design (CARD) system to link strategic risks with departmental
objectives.
- Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC)
established the 2001-04 Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)
Portfolio detailing the department's current and anticipated
operating environment, identifying concrete objectives, targets and
milestones.
INDEX
Which departments
and agencies took part in the pilot phase?
- Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Environment Canada
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade
- Health Canada
- Human Resources Development Canada
- Immigration and Refugee Board
- Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
- Industry Canada
- National Defence
- Natural Resources Canada
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Transport Canada
- Treasury Board Secretariat
- Veterans Affairs Canada
INDEX
If you have any further
questions about modernization, please contact the Comptrollership Modernization Office
at: CMO-MFC@tbs-sct.gc.ca
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