Improved Reporting to
Parliament Pilot Document
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 of the Government of
Canada are structured in several parts. Beginning
with an overview of total government spending in
Part I, the documents become increasingly more
specific. Part II outlines spending according to
departments, agencies and programs and contains
the proposed wording of the conditions governing
spending which Parliament will be asked to
approve.
The Report on Plans and
Priorities provides additional detail on each
department and its programs primarily in terms of
more strategically oriented planning and results
information with a focus on outcomes.
The Departmental Performance
Report provides a focus on results-based
accountability by reporting on accomplishments
achieved against the performance expectations and
results commitments as set out in the spring Report
on Plans and Priorities.
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 funds.
İMinister of Public Works and
Government Services Canada -- 2002
Available in Canada through your
local bookseller or by mail from
Canadian Government Publishing -- PWGSC
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9
Catalogue No. BT31-4/4-2002
ISBN 0-660-62112-6
Foreword
In the spring of 2000, the President of the
Treasury Board tabled in Parliament the document
"Results for Canadians: A Management Framework
for the Government of Canada". This document
sets a clear agenda for improving and modernising
management practices in federal departments and
agencies.
Four key management commitments form the basis
for this vision of how the Government will deliver
their services and benefits to Canadians in the
new millennium. In this vision, departments and
agencies recognise that they exist to serve
Canadians and that a "citizen focus"
shapes all activities, programs and services. This
vision commits the Government of Canada to manage
its business by the highest public service values.
Responsible spending means spending wisely on the
things that matter to Canadians. And finally, this
vision sets a clear focus on results - the
impact and effects of programs.
Departmental performance reports play a key
role in the cycle of planning, monitoring,
evaluating, and reporting of results through
ministers to Parliament and citizens. Departments
and agencies are encouraged to prepare their
reports following certain principles. Based on
these principles, an effective report provides a
coherent and balanced picture of performance that
is brief and to the point. It focuses on outcomes
- benefits to Canadians and Canadian society
- and describes the contribution the organisation
has made toward those outcomes. It sets the and
discusses risks and challenges faced by the
organisation in delivering its commitments. The
report also associates performance with earlier
commitments as well as achievements realised in
partnership with other governmental and
non-governmental organisations. Supporting the
need for responsible spending, it links resources
to results. Finally, the report is credible
because it substantiates the performance
information with appropriate methodologies and
relevant data.
In performance reports, departments and
agencies strive to respond to the ongoing and
evolving information needs of parliamentarians and
Canadians. The input of parliamentarians and other
readers can do much to improve these reports over
time. The reader is encouraged to assess the
performance of the organisation according to the
principles outlined above, and provide comments to
the department or agency that will help it in the
next cycle of planning and reporting.
This report is accessible electronically from
the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Internet
site:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr/dpre.asp
Comments or questions can be directed to this
Internet site or to:
Results-based Management Directorate
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
or to this Internet address: rma-mrr@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Departmental Performance Report
For the period ending March 31, 2002
The Honourable Robert G. Thibault, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
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