Program Activity: Internal Services

Planned Spending and Human Resource Requirements

The financial expenditures for Internal Services are not shown because, for the purpose of Treasury Board Secretariat's financial reporting, those costs have been re-allocated to the other program activities as departmental overhead.

Program Description

The Internal Services program activity supports the Minister, Deputy Minister, Associate Deputy Minister and Assistant, Deputy Ministers/Chief Executive Officers (ADMs/CEOs) in their dealings with Cabinet, Parliament, central agencies and other stakeholders. It oversees the implementation of integrated management in areas ranging from human resources, risk management and performance and financial management. It also delivers support services to the department in areas such as policy, corporate information management, office automation infrastructure, accommodation, materiel management, health, safety, security, emergency preparedness, communications, legal services, audit and evaluation, and other support services.

Benefits for Canadians

At PWGSC, the Internal Services program activity supports PWGSC's goals of providing quality services and sound stewardship through: Financial Services; Human Resources; Information Technology Services; Corporate Policy and Planning; Communications; Departmental Oversight including Audit and Evaluation and Investigations and Litigation, Access to Information; Health and Safety, and offices in the Pacific, Western, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic regions. It should be noted that regional priorities are aligned to the primary program activities highlighted in Section II of this report.

Major Achievements

Financial Services

The department continues to strengthen financial management within the federal government, through a wide range of activities aligned with improving the quality of financial information, oversight, systems, and management reporting. Attracting and retaining a professional cadre of financial management personnel continues to be at the forefront of our operations while working to achieve a stable, knowledgeable and well-balanced workforce.

On April 1, 2008, PWGSC implemented SIGMA, an integrated Financial and Materiel Management System providing timely and accurate financial information. It supports the department in planning, managing, and evaluating programs and enables managers to make well-informed business decisions. Solid financial management practices are in place to help "get the fundamentals right", and to support compliance with financial legislative authorities and policies as well as departmental reporting for the Public Accounts.

Human Resources – Investing in Our People and an Exemplary Workforce

In 2008-2009, PWGSC hired 430 new employees through post-secondary recruitment, which exceeded our target of 393. We also hired 65 new employees through mid-career recruitment, representing 67% of our target. We have been working closely with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to capitalize on investments made centrally, and PWGSC was recognized by the PSC as one of the top performers in staffing in its 2008 Annual Report to Parliament based on our performance outlined in the Departmental Staffing Accountability Report. We will continue to build our HR capacity to support the long-term success and sustainability of PWGSC.

PWGSC remains committed to "getting the fundamentals right" in human resources management. PWGSC initiated a department-wide quality management initiative to simplify or modernize our approaches and increase efficiencies. PWGSC established a series of learning priorities in 2008-2009. We continued to focus on required training, consultations on leadership development and transfer of knowledge. PWGSC refreshed its career Web site which is used to attract and retain perspective recruits. We continue to improve the content using all lessons learned from branches, program co-ordinators, central agencies, HR and our own marketing findings.

Information Technology Services

In 2008-2009, PWGSC continued to undertake activities to measure and improve efficiency by: reducing the use of contractors in delivering core functions, using project management best practices to improve the delivery of Information Management /Information Technology projects, improving IT performance, and leveraging all potential cost and efficiency opportunities.

As well, PWGSC's Chief Information Officer continued to lead the way as a model client of IT Shared Services in 2008-2009. In fact, PWGSC is currently using services in all four product lines offered by the IT Shared Services.

Corporate Policy and Planning

During the past year, PWGSC revised its governance to include a management committee structure that provides clear departmental priorities, consistent strategic direction, well-documented decision-making, and effective performance monitoring. Changes were made to better align our governance with our core businesses to provide simpler and clearer communication supporting our department's vision and mission

PWGSC developed a comprehensive quality management framework for its large volume of Treasury Board Submissions. The quality and timeliness of these complex documents are essential to the smooth planning and implementation of many of the department's key initiatives, as well as those of its client departments. The measures that were put in place for 2008-2009 produced demonstrable improvement in the department's performance in this important area.

Communications

In 2008-2009, PWGSC produced 1,300 communication materials for a variety of external audiences including Canadians, suppliers, associations, Parliamentarians and other government departments. The department enhanced its Outreach Program to proactively communicate with our stakeholders using various tools including Outreach bulletins for associations and suppliers, Doing Business magazine and online publications for other government departments, as well as articles for News and Features on PWGSC's Internet Web site.

Departmental Oversight

In September 2008, PWGSC established a new Departmental Oversight Branch (DOB). It brought together our Audit and Evaluation, Office of the Chief Risk Officer, Forensic Accounting functions, and our quality control services which were located in different parts of the department. Given that Audit Services Canada has a similar audit-type mandate as Forensic Accounting, it has also been integrated under the umbrella of the DOB.

These changes were designed to improve the effectiveness of our operations and help meet the department's business goals, and fulfill our mandate to provide the Department, as well as external clients, with independent assurance and oversight on the prudence, probity and transparency of its operations. Some of our significant achievements this past year consisted of launching the Quality Management Initiative, revitalizing the Risk Management Program, continuing to increase internal audit and evaluation capacity, and obtaining approval of a new departmental Internal Audit Policy.

Investigations and Litigation Office

Although the Sponsorship Program has been abolished in 2004, PWGSC continued to provide strategic direction for the recovery of sponsorship funds and supporting activities with respect to sponsorship related litigation and criminal trials

A focus of the fiscal year has been active preparation for the civil trial of the Financial Recovery Claim filed in the Quebec Superior Court in March 2005. As of March 31, 2009, the amended claim seeks recovery of funds against 14 defendants with regards to contracts totalling $49 million. In 2008-2009, the government had an out-of-court settlement with one of the defendants bringing the total amount recovered to $6.5 million. The trial has been set for October 2009.

Access to Information

PWGSC significantly improved its performance under the ATIP legislation by implementing the strategies identified in its three-year action plan. During the 2008-2009 fiscal year we completed 667 ATIP requests, with 95% responded to within the legislated time. PWGSC also provided additional Delegation of Authority to the ATIP Chiefs and ATIP Officers, allowing them to process the requests in a more efficient and effective manner. We also implemented an ATIP Quality Circle to improve the work environment.

Health and Safety

PWGSC reduced its Disabling Injury Incident Rate (DIIR) by approximately 32% from 2007-2008 to 2008-2009. The most recent statistics available indicate that our rate of .54 (number of incidents per 100 employees) achieved in 2008-2009 is significantly lower than the Public Service DIIR of 1.16 in 2006. PWGSC also considered a leader in the management of its case/claims and return-to-work programs.

To this end, PWGSC revised six departmental health and safety policies and codes of practice to reflect regulatory changes; worked in close collaboration with bargaining agents and the Treasury Board Secretariat on occupational health and safety issues; delivered a wide range of occupational health and safety training courses to 3,996 employees, supervisors and managers; and provided leadership in the management of its case/claims and return-to-work programs.