Message from the Minister
As the Minister responsible for the Public Service Human Resources Management
Agency of Canada (the Agency), I am pleased to table the Agency's first interim
sustainable development strategy for the period covering 2007–09.
A high performing public service contributes to the long-term social,
economic and cultural well-being of Canadians, as well as to their health and
security—and it is a competitive advantage in a global economy.
This is one of the reasons why sustainable development has become an
essential goal of public policy within Canada and internationally.
The Agency provides the leadership and focus needed to foster and sustain
effective and results-driven people management across the public service. As
such, through excellence in human resources management, it contributes directly
to a modern, world-class public service that will continuously deliver quality
services to Canadians and leave a better public service to the next generation.
I am confident that the Agency's strategy will help further advance the
Government of Canada's contribution to sustainable development for the benefit
of all Canadians.
The Honourable John Baird, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board
Agency Mandate
The Agency was created on December 12, 2003, and is part of the Treasury
Board portfolio together with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the
Canada School of Public Service. It is one of the strategic arms that helps the
Treasury Board exercise its oversight and leadership responsibilities in human
resources (HR) management in the public service—Canada's largest employer.
The Agency's raison d'être is anchored in the necessity to rejuvenate,
strengthen and modernize HR management in the public service—a sector where
investments and changes have been limited for many years, leading to systemic
challenges in various areas. In fostering continuing excellence in people
management across the public service, the Agency's primary focus is on
implementing and supporting a new HR management regime—one that enables
managers and public service employees to deliver better results for Canadians.
More specifically, its role is to provide the leadership and focus needed to
promote, enable and ensure effective and results-driven people management across
the public service.
The Agency's vision is to serve Canadians by striving for a workforce and
a workplace second to none. The Agency's overarching goal, or strategic
outcome, is a modern, professional public service dedicated to the public
interest and supporting ministers in democratic governance, representative of
the Canadian public and serving Canadians with excellence in the official
language of their choice, with employees effectively and ethically led in a
high-quality work environment respectful of their linguistic rights.
To achieve its mandate, the Agency brings together most of the HR management
functions that the Treasury Board is responsible for:
- values and ethics (including the Public Servants Disclosure
Protection Act);
- implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act;
- HR planning, accountability and reporting to Parliament;
- management and modernization of the classification system;
- employment policy;
- corporate learning policy;
- management of all aspects of the executive group; and
- management of the employment equity and official languages.
The Agency's programs cover the core public administration, which represents
approximately 180,000 employees from 74 public service organizations. The
program that supports the Official Languages Act, however, covers about
200 institutions, including some private organizations such as Air Canada and
NAV CANADA, for a total of approximately 460,000 employees.
Toward a Sustainable Development Strategy for the Agency
Amendments made in 1995 to the Auditor General Act require most
federal government departments and agencies to table their sustainable
development strategies in the House of Commons every three years. The next
statutory tabling date for all departments and agencies required to table their
sustainable development strategies is December 2006.
On July 20, 2004, however, the Governor in Council exercised the authority
granted to it by subsection 24(3) of the Auditor General Act and set a
tabling date in July 2006 for three agencies that were created since December
2003. The Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada is one of
those agencies.
In this context, and in order to further a government-wide perspective, the
Agency will table its first strategy in two stages, as follows:
- First, the Agency's high-level interim sustainable development
goals and approach will be tabled in July 2006 (this report).
- Second, a more detailed report, including specific activities,
time frames and targets, along with a performance management framework, will be
tabled in December 2006.
This two-stage approach will permit the Agency to fall into the normal cycle
of tablings for sustainable development strategies (set in December of every
three years) and, more importantly, will ensure a well-coordinated approach with
other departments and agencies.
The Agency has a dual responsibility when it comes to sustainable development
because it is both a department and a central agency. The Agency's approach will
be articulated around the two following goals:
1) public service capacity building (as a central agency); and
2) green operations (as a department).
1) -Public service capacity building (as a central agency)
Public service capacity building refers to building capacity across the core
public administration in the area of HR management that will promote and support
sustainable development. This goal will require that the Agency delineate where
sustainable development fits within its mandate and clearly define sustainable
development principles in the context of HR management. It will also cover
priority areas where initiatives could be undertaken to make progress in the
application of these principles and develop ways to build capacity in the area
of HR management in terms of awareness, learning, and reward activities, as well
as through tools and management systems.
Of particular interest will be to assess how the Agency's policies, programs
and services could integrate, where applicable, sustainable development
principles to leave a better public service to the next generation than that
which we inherited, for instance, from an HR management perspective.
2) -Green operations (as a department)
Every federal department and agency is expected to play a role in three
government-wide environmental priorities: procurement, building energy, and
vehicles. Although its operations may be small in relation to some government
departments, the Agency remains committed to minimizing the environmental impact
of its day-to-day operations.
During the summer and fall of 2006, the Agency will initiate consultations
within the organization, and with other departments and agencies, to define
specific activities under both goals to promote sustainable development.
Moving Forward
In December 2006, the Agency will table a detailed sustainable development
strategy that will include the following for each of its two goals:
- priority areas of intervention;
- specific results-based initiatives, including timelines and
targets; and
- a management framework setting out roles and responsibilities,
performance indicators and a monitoring strategy.
The Agency will develop its plans in collaboration with its partners and
ensure alignment with government-wide guidance to enhance coherence,
coordination and results reporting for the fourth round of strategies, and
government-wide priorities identified by the Office of Greening Government
Operations related to building energy, procurement and vehicles.
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