Support for the Set-Up of the Minister's Office

Security

Security Overview

Security and Emergency Management is responsible for protecting sensitive departmental information, assets and personnel, safeguarding real property, and reporting and investigating security incidents related to departmental sites, offices and locations, including offices of ministers and ministers of State.

Security and Emergency Management supports you by:

• coordinating VIP protection for the you and your staff with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
• processing security clearances for your staff;
• providing employee identification and building access cards for Place du Portage and alternate emergency work locations;
• providing security awareness briefings to your staff;
• providing security equipment for the storage, transportation and disposal of protected and classified documents;
• conducting investigations of possible security breaches related to your office;
• conducting security reviews of the your constituency office and your personal residence (as required).

SECURITY CLEARANCES AND DEPARTMENTAL ACCESS

All individuals who work in or for ministers' offices require a secret security clearance, as a minimum, prior to starting work. This enables the Government of Canada to ensure that government information and assets are adequately protected.

The security clearance process involves evaluation of an individual's history and background. It includes fingerprinting, criminal record verification, and a credit check, as required.

The Department will coordinate the processing of all documentation for security clearances and fingerprinting for your office staff. Documentation must be completed by individual staff members as soon as possible.

Security clearances for your office staff are processed on a priority basis (within 10 business days). However, complexities related to past residency in other countries and criminality are likely to cause delays of numerous months and also require interviews.

Members of your office staff will be issued departmental and building access cards only when security clearances have been confirmed.

The Security and Emergency Management Sector will coordinate with House of Commons Security for Parliament Hill access cards for you and your office staff.

POLICY

Under the Treasury Board Policy on Government Security, deputy heads are accountable for the effective implementation and governance of security and identity management within their departments and share responsibility for the security of government as a whole. This comprises the security of departmental personnel, including those working in or for offices of ministers or ministers of State, and departmental information, facilities and other assets.

In its role as lead security agency under the Policy on Government Security, Public Works and Government Services Canada also has the responsibility for the protection of Government of Canada assets and is mandated to provide services related to the protection of real property that the Department manages.

Emergency Management and Business Continuity Planning

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING

The Business Continuity Program is a Government of Canada integrated management process involving the development and implementation of activities that provides for the continuity and/or recovery of critical service delivery and business operations in the event of a disruption.

Under the Emergency Management Act and related legislation, Public Works and Government Services Canada maintains a comprehensive business continuity plan, which includes policies and procedures as well as risk management measures related to prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.

Ministerial Services develops, tests, validates and maintains your office's Business Continuity Plan and is therefore your primary contact for all related matters.

The departmental Emergency Operations Coordination Centre contributes to overall federal emergency response by coordinating the Department's response and providing senior management with situational updates. The Centre also reports to the Public Safety Canada Government Operations Centre, which provides briefings and decision-making materials to Ministers and Senior Officials.

It is in this context that our departmental Business Continuity Plan provides procedures and information for the continuity and recovery of critical services that contribute to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians, as well as the effective functioning of government.

MINISTER'S RESPONSIBILITIES AND OBLIGATIONS IN THE EVENT OF A NATIONAL EMERGENCY

Public Works and Government Services Canada, is guided by the Emergency Management Act (2007) and by tenets of the Federal Policy for Emergency Management, in which all ministers are responsible for identifying mandate-specific risks related to their area of accountability, preparing emergency management plans and conducting exercises and training. The Emergency Management Act is intended to create, develop and maintain a collaborative, coordinated and coherent approach amongst federal, provincial and territorial governments for management of natural and human-induced hazards and disasters.

Further, the Emergencies Act (1985) authorizes the taking of special temporary measures to ensure safety and security during national emergencies relating to public welfare, public order, international emergencies and acts of war.

In accordance with the Government of Canada Federal Emergency Response Plan, Public Works and Government Services Canada is identified as one of 13 key federal institutions with a primary Emergency Support Function for Government Services which include but are not limited to:

• Advise and assist departments and agencies on the process of activating emergency procurement authorities. Procure, on behalf of federal departments and agencies, goods and services when the required procurement exceeds emergency contracting authorities of these departments or agencies. Provide additional advice and support as required by the nature of the emergency.
• Stockpile emergency requirements at clients' request, expense and site.
• Assist Industry Canada in establishing provisions for expansion and control of industrial production and for application of a priorities and allocations system, as directed by the Government of Canada.
• Provide information on the inventory of office space and occupancies within the Public Works and Government Services Canada portfolio, as well as facilities available for emergency shelter.
• Provide information on availability and location of conference facilities and services, meeting rooms and other support spaces within the Public Works and Government Services Canada portfolio.
• Provide emergency office accommodations. Provide access to departmental facilities for emergency shelter purposes.
• Provide advice and services related to the acquisition and disposal of real property.
• Provide services, expertise and advice on structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, seismic expertise, architecture, geomatics, environmental issues, indoor air quality and potable water, building systems and heritage conservation.
• Provide project management advice and services, including facilitating contracts related to real property condition assessment, repair and rehabilitation, construction and demolition.
• Provide emergency translation, interpretation and terminology products and services to Parliament, the Judiciary, and federal departments and agencies in English, French, Inuktitut, First Nations languages and foreign languages, as required.
• Issue all Government of Canada payments, including socio-economic payments to individual Canadians, as well as to provinces and territories as required. Issue socio-economic payments on behalf of some provinces and territories.

LAW AND POLICY

Under Section 6 of the Emergency Management Act, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services is responsible for the identification of risks that are within or related to his or her area of responsibility, including those related to critical infrastructure. Requirements under the Act include the preparation of emergency management plans in respect to those risks, maintaining, testing and implementing the plans and conducting exercises and training in relation to the plans. These responsibilities have been delegated to the deputy minister; however the minister remains accountable to Parliament.

Under the Treasury Board Policy on Government Security, deputy heads are accountable for the effective implementation and governance of security and identity management within their departments and share responsibility for the security of government as a whole. This comprises the security of departmental personnel, including those working in or for offices of ministers or ministers of State, and departmental information, facilities and other assets. Emergency management and business continuity planning are also mandated functions under this policy.

Information Management

Information Management / Information Technology Services

The departmental Chief Information Officer is the service provider for information management and information technology services for your office.

Your Ministerial Services point of contact will see that you are provided with a desktop computer and a mobile device to support you in your functions as Minister of Public Works and Government Services.

The standard desktop consists of a mobile device (notebook or tablet) and associated peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse and cable lock). Your standard desktop will come ready to use with corporate software already installed, e.g. Microsoft Office suite (including Outlook, Word and Internet Explorer) and Adobe Acrobat Reader. Additional software products can be added as needed.

A catalogue of available models of BlackBerry smartphones is annexed to this document.

Support for information management and information technology services are provided to your office through three main channels:

MINISTERIAL SERVICES POINT OF CONTACT

Your Ministerial Services point of contact is Anne-Marie Pelletier. She acts as a liaison between you and the Public Works and Government Services information management / information technology service provider for all matters relating to BlackBerry mobile devices, account creation and remote access requests, notebooks, tablets, software and peripherals (e.g. desktop printers).

The Ministerial Services point of contact provides guidance on available desktop products and procedures and is responsible for submitting requests on your behalf.

EXECUTIVE SUPPORT SERVICE

The Executive Support Service—commonly known as VIP Service—is a dedicated service for onsite technical support to your office and all departmental executives and key support staff located in the Portage III complex. Support is provided for technical matters relating to desktop products such as notebooks, tablets, associated peripherals (e.g. keyboard, mouse) and corporate software.

The VIP Service team also provides support for BlackBerry devices and desktop telephony devices.

The VIP Service can be contacted:

• by telephone at 819-956-5200; and
• by email at username Soutien Exécutif SSP TI - IT DSS Executive Support

SELF-SERVICE SUPPORT

Two self-service information management / information technology support services are available to you:

• The IT Service Centre website, is a self-serve support service where you will find useful information relating to how-to and self-help tools and resources. For example, if you need to reset your password or install a new printer, this self-service tool will guide you through the process.
• On the Desktop Services intranet page, you will find assistance on a large variety of questions relating to the Public Works and Government Services standard desktop environment.

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN A MINISTER'S OFFICE

Information resources in a minister's office must be managed according to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's Policy on Information Management.

While ministers' offices are not government institutions in and of themselves, nor are they part of a government institution, the Policies for Ministers' Offices stipulate that they are subject to Treasury Board policies and regulations, unless specifically exempted. As such, the Policy on Information Management and its various supporting policy instruments, such as the Directive on Recordkeeping and the Standard on Email Management, must be implemented in these offices.

While the language in the Policy on Information Management and its supporting instruments is directed at deputy heads and/or information management senior officials, ministers must review the requirements for each and develop processes and mechanisms to attain the expected results. These activities facilitate efficient and effective information management in supporting program and service delivery, foster informed decision making, and facilitate accountability, transparency, and collaboration.

Note: Similar to agents of Parliament, ministers are solely responsible for monitoring and ensuring compliance with information management policy instruments within their office, as well as for responding to cases of non-compliance.

Categories of Information

Ministers will usually have information in their offices that fall into four general categories: Cabinet documents, institutional records, ministerial records and personal and political records. Each of these categories has its own set of considerations under the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act and the Canada Evidence Act. Ministers must ensure that Cabinet documents, institutional records, ministerial records, and personal and political records are each maintained separately. Advice on this subject can be obtained from Library and Archives Canada's Guidelines for Managing Recorded Information in a Minister's Office. (PDF version - 188KB), Help with alternative formats and plug-ins)

1. Cabinet Documents
   
   Special precautions must be taken to guarantee the security of Cabinet documents in accordance with procedures established by the Privy Council Office on the Prime Minister's behalf. Most importantly, when a Cabinet item has been dealt with, the associated Cabinet documents must be returned to the Privy Council Office. Successive prime ministers have also agreed that the Clerk of the Privy Council will work with deputy ministers, and will ensure that Confidences of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada contained in records left in government custody by Cabinet ministers will be protected from access by successive governments.
2. Institutional Records
   
   Institutional records in the office of a minister must be managed according to the Directive on Recordkeeping. As per Multi-Institutional Disposition Authority No. 96/021, records in all media (e.g. paper, electronic, photographic, cartographic) under the control of an institution in a minister's office, and which have historic or archival value, are required to be transferred to the care and control of Library and Archives Canada, with few exceptions.
3. Ministerial Records
   
   Ministerial records must be transferred from the office of the minister to Library and Archives Canada in accordance with schedules approved by the Librarian and Archivist of Canada. Ministers can obtain advice from their deputy ministers about this matter.
4. Personal and Political Records
   
   Upon leaving office, ministers may avail themselves of secure storage facilities and archival services offered by Library and Archives Canada for their personal and political papers.

Records in a minister's office may be subject to the Access to Information Act. Advice and assistance on the applicability of the Access to Information Act is available from the departmental Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.

Ministers must provide for the proper processing, handling, storage and, where appropriate, disposal of classified and other sensitive information in their offices, no matter the category of information. Advice and assistance on meeting government-wide standards for physical and electronic information security is available from the departmental security officer.

Email and Instant Messages

Under the Policy on Information Management, information resources, including emails and instant messages or texts, must be managed in the same way as paper information resources. Further details on the management of email in a minister's offices can be found in the Standard on Email Management.

Annex—BlackBerry Catalogue of Products

Standard Model

Premium Models

Description - Passport

Navigation

Touch-enabled 3-row BlackBerry® Keyboard, featuring contextual auto-correction, next-word prediction and a personalized learning engine that gets to know the way you type.

Keyboard

Touch screen, with intuitive gestion based naviagation. Touch-enabled keyboard.

Description - Classic

Navigation

Capacitive touch screen with intuitive gestures, optical trackpad and classic navigation keys.

Keyboard

35 key backlit physical keyboard.

Handling and Safeguarding Classified and Protected Information

TREATMENT OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION

One of the ways in which the Government of Canada categorizes sensitive information is by determining the degree of injury that could result from compromise of the information's confidentiality. Confidentiality is a characteristic that means the information can only be disclosed to authorized individuals, so as to prevent injury to the national interest or other interests. The national interest refers to the security and the social, political and economic stability of Canada.

Depending on whether sensitive information is related to the national interest, it falls into one of two broad categories: classified and protected.

Classified information is information that may qualify for an exemption or exclusion under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, and whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause injury to the national interest.

There are three levels of classified information:

• Confidential applies to information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause a relatively low level of injury to the national interest—e.g. information on diplomatic relations.
• Secret applies to information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury to the national interest—e.g. proposed or draft legislation.
• Top Secret applies to the very limited amount of information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave injury to the national interest—e.g. widespread loss of life.

Protected information is information that may qualify for an exemption or exclusion under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act, and whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause injury outside the national interest.

There are three levels of sensitivity for protected information:

• Protected A (low-sensitive) applies to information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause a relatively low level of injury outside the national interest—e.g. disclosure of an individual's exact salary figure.
• Protected B (particularly sensitive) applies to information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury outside the national interest—e.g. loss of an individual's reputation or a company's competitive advantage.
• Protected C (extremely sensitive) applies to information whose compromise could reasonably be expected to cause extremely grave injury outside the national interest—e.g. loss of an individual's life.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY

All information transmitted or received over any information technology system runs the risk of being compromised, either through inadvertent disclosure or through deliberate interception. The security measures required and the technical, operational and physical means employed to achieve protection of all information transmitted or received over any information technology system are referred to as Communications Security.

Communications Security is a subset of Information Technology Security and is the protection that results from applying cryptographic, transmission and emission security measures to information stored, processed or transmitted electronically.

Communications Security equipment will be made available to your office so that the information that it manages can be properly secured.

It is important to note that:

• the Public Works and Government Services network is authorized for processing information up to and including Protected A;
• The Department's notebooks include hard-drive encryption and support the temporary storage of information up to and including Protected B;
• USB memory sticks are often used to store and transport Government of Canada information. The improper use and handling of these devices can pose significant risks to the security of information and may violate Government of Canada principles of accountability, privacy, protection, accessibility and information management. Only approved secure USB memory sticks with encryption capabilities can be used. Feel free to address your questions on the proper safeguarding of information or on how to obtain a secured USB memory stick to your Ministerial Services point of contact.

The departmental policy instrument on Information Technology Security is available on the intranet at http://gcintranet.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/pm-dp/politique-policy/p104-eng.html.

Human Resources

Exempt Staff

Your staff is commonly referred to as “exempt staff” because the employees are exempt from the normal appointment process for public servants. The Treasury Board sets the size of a minister's salary budget for hiring exempt staff. The President of the Treasury Board notifies each minister in writing of the annual amount. The exempt staff budget is allocated to the minister's office from within the departmental budget and ministers have the flexibility to configure the complement of exempt staff in their offices to address their specific needs.

A minister must respect the following conditions:

• There is a maximum of one chief of staff for any minister's office allowed;
• Rules regarding position titles and respective salary range maximums must be observed;
• The budget for exempt staff cannot be exceeded without the prior approval of the Treasury Board.

EXEMPT STAFF POSITIONS AND MAXIMUM SALARY RANGE

The Treasury Board annually provides ministers with budget to engage:

• Exempt staff;
• An assistant for your Parliamentary Secretary;
• Staff for your Minister's regional office (is applicable);
• Exempt students (also known as interns);
• Departmental staff assigned to provide non-partisan advice and assistance with the minister's portfolio responsibilities.

Treasury Board guidelines outline position titles and respective salary maximums to be respected. These are:

Title	Salary range equivalent to the current maximum of the public service level (no minimum)
Position (Minister's Office)	Level	Annual Salary Range
Chief of staff	EX-4 or EX-3 or EX-2	$153,600–$180,600 $133,900–$157,500 $119,600–$140,700
Director (e.g. directors of Policy, Communications, Issues Management, Parliamentary Affairs)	EX-2	$119,600–$140,700
Press secretary	AS-8	$92,014–$108,305
Policy advisor	AS-8	$92,014–$108,305
Senior special assistant	AS-7	$89,112–$101,892
Special assistant	AS-5	$76,002–$82,171
Support staff	up to AS-5	$76,002–$82,171
Minister's private secretary	AS-6	$84,658–$91,328
Driver	CR-7	$62,354–$67,550

EXEMPT STAFF IN MINISTERS' REGIONAL OFFICES

Ministers who are assigned additional duties as a regional minister are entitled to additional exempt staff whose place of work must be a minister's regional office in the region being represented. The titles and respective salary maximums for these positions are noted in the table below:

Title	Salary range equivalent to the current maximum of the public service level (no minimum)
Position (minister with regional representation budget)	Level	Annual Salary Range
Regional affairs director	EX-1	$106,900–$125,700
Regional communications advisor	EX-2	$84,658 –$91,328
Regional press secretary	AS-8	$89,112–$101,892
Special assistant	AS-8	$76,002–$82,171

EXEMPT STAFF—MINISTER WITH A PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY

Ministers who have parliamentary secretaries within their portfolio are authorized to hire one exempt staff member dedicated to support the parliamentary secretary. The salary of the parliamentary secretary's assistant is up to the maximum rate of pay for the AS-5 level.

Title	Salary range equivalent to the current maximum of the public service level (no minimum)
Position (Minister with a Parliamentary Secretary)	Level	Annual Salary Range
Parliamentary secretary's assistant	AS-5	$76,002–$82,171

Note that exempt staff may not collect overtime pay.

Departmental Staff

Only one departmental assistant position funded by the Department is permitted; all other positions are considered to be support staff. Within the limit of the overall budget for the minister's office provided by the Treasury Board, the minister can engage departmental officials on assignment to the minister's office to provide advice or administrative support to the minister and his or her staff. The minister may engage as many departmental staff as the budget will allow.

In keeping with the non-partisan tradition of the public service, departmental staff assigned to the minister's office should perform and be seen performing only non-political departmental duties in support of the minister and the minister's exempt staff.

There currently is no departmental staff budget for 2015–2016. However, as Minister, you have the flexibility to transfer funds from the exempt-staff budget, the departmental staff budgets or other operating budgets, to engage departmental staff.

DEPARTMENTAL STAFF POSITIONS AND MAXIMUM LEVELS

As Minister, you can configure the complement of departmental support staff to suit your needs.

Position Title	Maximum Public Service Level	Salary Range (As per current public service collective agreements)
Departmental assistant	EX-1	$106,900–$125,700
Senior Support Staff to Chief of Staff	AS-5	$76,002–$82,171
Support Staff	AS-4	$63,663–$68,793

Human Resources Services

The Department offers a variety of human resources services to you and your office through your Ministerial Services point of contact.

Human Resources is a key function within Public Works and Government Services Canada. It supports the Department by helping managers to attract, recruit, hire, retain and develop a strong workforce of experienced and, professional employees to deliver its programs.

The Human Resources Branch is responsible for the development of innovative policies, new initiatives, programs and solutions to build an exciting and rewarding workplace and manage the workforce. Human resources services include staffing for all level positions (executive and non-executive), classification, compensation and benefits, official languages, labour relations, employment equity, human resources planning, as well as career counseling, learning, and workplace well-being.

It is important to note that, as Minister, only you can execute human resources actions for your exempt staff as this authority cannot be subdelegated.

The following human resources services are provided to the Chief of Staff and exempt staff:

Staffing

• Preparation of various letters, i.e. letters of offer, termination letters, salary increment letters for exempt staff.
• Interpretation of the Treasury Board Secretariat Policies for Ministers' Offices (Part 3 Human Resources Management).
• Provision of advice and guidance to the Chief of Staff and exempt staff on the Policies for Ministers' Office.
• Production of organizational charts.

Compensation and Benefits

• Provision of information related to:
  • pay and benefits for exempt staff,
  • severance pay, if applicable, for exempt staff, and
  • pension for exempt staff.
• Provision of advice on the various insurances available to exempt staff.
• Provision of advice on various leave options and maintains leave credits for exempt staff.
• Provision of estimate calculation amounts for termination of employment entitlements to exempt staff.
• Processing of taxable payment requests.

Finance

Minister's Office Budget Outline

2015–2016 Minister's Office Budget (as of September 30, 2015)

	Salary	Operating*	Total
Budget
Expenditures Spent	$754,298	$42,146	$796,444
Free Balanace / Available funds

* The operating budget is for office supplies, contracting services, consultants, etc. (Refer to the Treasury Board Policies for Ministers' Offices for further details.)

POLICIES

Treasury Board Policies for Ministers' Offices.

Finance and Accommodation

The Department offers a variety of finance and accommodation services to you and your office through your Ministerial Services point of contact.

FINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES

The Finance and Administration Branch provides you with financial advice in areas such as:

• Budget and forecasting (e.g. Monthly Departmental Management Report);
• External reporting (e.g. minister's quarterly reports to the Treasury Board Secretariat, Public Accounts, Estimates, Report on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Planning Report);
• Financial policies and the Policies for Ministers' Offices; and
• Oversight.

FINANCIAL OPERATIONS

This sector provides travel coordination and payment services for your office.

CORPORATE ACCOMMODATION AND MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

This sector provides your office with advice in areas such as:

• The Department's internal purchasing activity, related policy, oversight and reporting;
• Management of the Department's inventory of equipment and its fleet of motor vehicles;
• A credit card issued by Public Works and Government Services Canada and the management of taxi usage in the National Capital Area.
• Setting up offices and workstations, cleaning services, moving, signage and parking.