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MANITOBA
I DECISION-MAKING PROCESS
The decision-making process in Manitoba
rests with the Premier and the full Cabinet (Executive Council). The Executive Council is
composed of 17 Ministers plus the Premier. Deliberations are secret and only Ministers may
participate. However, backbenchers may participate in some Cabinet committees. Typically,
Cabinet committees are composed of five or six Cabinet Ministers. This configuration
allows some caucus input into the decision-making process.
The creation of Cabinet committees is
possible through the Executive Government Organization Act, enacted in 1970. The
statute provides the Premier with the flexibility to modify the role which committees play
in policy development. The Clerk of the Executive Council advises the Premier on Cabinet
organization, but, at the end of the day, decisions relating to the organization of
Cabinet and Cabinet committees remain the Premier’s.
The government of Manitoba is in the midst
of reviewing the makeup of Cabinet committees and pending some final approvals, the
Cabinet committee structure in Manitoba will be the following (the committees follow
normal patterns and mandates are usually consistent with similar committees in other
jurisdictions):
- Economic Development Board Committee (7)*;
- Human Services Committee (9);
- Provincial Land Use Committee (8);
- Public Sector Compensation Committee (4);
- Sustainable Development Committee (8);
- Treasury Board Committee (6); and
- Urban Affairs Committee (11).
There is also a joint Cabinet caucus
committee called Legislation and Regulatory Review Committee of Cabinet,
which includes six Ministers and six caucus members.
During the Estimates review and preparation,
four sectoral committees operate. There are four ministerial committees, one for each
sector parallelled by four Deputy Minister committees. These committees only function for
the purposes of preparing estimates within those sectoral envelopes.
There are at least twice yearly Cabinet
retreats and one or two full government caucus retreats where presentations on the fiscal
and legislative frameworks are made.
The Treasury Board, the Economic
Development Board of Cabinet and the Human Services Committee of
Cabinet currently play important roles in support of Cabinet itself in the
development of overall government policy. The Public Sector Compensation Committee was
established several years ago to deal with significant public sector compensation issues,
primarily those relating to negotiations and settlements within public sector unions, and
those involving publicly funded groups like nurses and doctors.
Over the past 20-25 years, Manitoba has
experienced a number of changes in the use of Cabinet committees and the changing degree
of centralization in staff support on policy matters. The present Government prefers a
minimal number of formal Cabinet committees and a fairly decentralized system of staff
support.
The policy development role within
government is also quite decentralized; it is usually done within departments. However,
the Executive Council ensures that the individual policy directions of each area of
government are monitored and coordinated in order to reflect central policy goals and
objectives. While the government does have a Policy Management Secretariat within the
Executive Office reporting to the Clerk, this secretariat generally does not provide
overall central policy development. It provides basic analysis of policy issues for use by
the Premier and Ministers, such as when answering questions in the legislature or in other
forums within the province.
In early September of each year, all the
proposals for legislation are assembled and submitted to Cabinet for approval in principle
by the various departments. The Legislation and Regulatory Review Committee
of Cabinet is mandated to look at the proposals in more specific detail. Caucus is
briefed by Ministers, especially when it comes to controversial bills.
There are presently 57 Members of the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. They are divided among the following party lines:
- 31 Progressive Conservatives;
- 23 New Democrats; and
- 3 Liberals.
II CENTRAL AGENCIES
In Manitoba, the Premier and the Cabinet are
supported in the exercise of their responsibilities by the Executive Council Office which
includes five branches under the Clerk of the Executive Council:
1) the Premier’s Secretariat;
2) the Intergovernmental Relations Branch;
3) the Policy Management Secretariat;
4) the Cabinet Administration Branch; and
5) the Cabinet Communications Secretariat.
Treasury Board (a committee of Cabinet) is
supported by a secretariat housed within the Department of Finance.
1. The Executive Council Office
a) The Office of the Clerk of the Executive
Council
In Manitoba, the Executive Council Office
supports the Premier and Cabinet (the Executive Council) in the exercise of their
functions. The Office of the Clerk of the Executive Council ensures that all aspects
of the Executive Government Organization Act are administered properly and within
the corporate agenda of the Government.
The Office is required to assist in
developing and fostering intergovernmental relations, both domestically and
internationally.
As the senior Deputy Minister and head of
the civil service, the Clerk plays a liaison role between the various departments of
government in order to ensure that the broad corporate undertakings by government are
coordinated and fully implemented according to the wishes expressed by the Premier and
Cabinet.
In his capacity as Cabinet Secretary,
the Clerk ensures that information being presented to Cabinet has been thoroughly analysed
and presented in such a way that Cabinet can understand the key issues and render
decisions which contribute to the fulfilment of their established policy agenda. The main
functions of the Office are to:
- organize and develop the Cabinet agenda;
- ensure that Cabinet decisions are clearly communicated to the departments and
agencies of government;
- liaise with Deputy Ministers and other senior public servants in order to ascertain
the status of departmental problems, priorities and programs;
- provide departmental support to the Premier; and
- liaise with federal and provincial counterparts.
The Human Services Committee of Cabinet is
supported by a senior manager who reports to the Clerk. However, the Executive Council
Office does not serve all Cabinet committees. The Economic Development Board of Cabinet is
served by a small secretariat in the Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism. The
secretariat in turn reports to the Clerk. The Chair of that Cabinet committee is the
Premier. Treasury Board also has a separate secretariat in the Department of Finance. The
Executive Council Office remains responsible for the Records of Decision.
b) The Premier’s Secretariat (Office of the Premier)
The Premier’s political office is
headed by a Chief of Staff, who is supported by an executive assistant and a small policy
coordination unit which manages daily and longer term political issues, and takes care of
the Premier’s itinerary and correspondence. The politically appointed staff have no
tenure. The administrative support staff are civil servants.
Relations between the Premier’s Chief
of Staff and the Clerk of the Executive Council can best be described in terms of
"structural informality". Both usually have daily discussions and meet twice a
week on a more formal basis. The Clerk and Chief of Staff strive to give the Premier joint
advice on pressing issues and try to ensure that all advice is "balanced". On
rare occasions, an issue has been forwarded to the Premier because they did not agree.
c) The Intergovernmental Relations Secretariat
The Intergovernmental Relations
Secretariat reports through the Clerk to the Premier (although the head of the Secretariat
may also report directly to the Premier).
The Secretariat provides corporate and
strategic advice to the Premier and Cabinet, coordinates and monitors issues related to
federal-provincial, interprovincial and international relations. It maintains up-to-date
knowledge and assessment of the interests of other governments. It links, where
appropriate, Manitoba’s initiatives with those of other governments. It supports
departments in their management of intergovernmental relations and provides necessary
interdepartmental coordination. The Secretariat also represents the interests of the
Manitoba Government in Ottawa and provides intelligence support on policy and program
developments at the federal level.
The Secretariat, together with the Office of
the Executive Council, establishes the Government’s position for the Annual
Premiers’ Conferences, Western Premiers’ Conferences, Western Governors’
and Premiers’ meetings and First Ministers’ Conferences.
More specifically, the Secretariat ensures
that material developed for intergovernmental meetings is consistent and meets the policy
objectives established by the Government. This coordinating role assists the Premier, as
Minister for Federal-Provincial Relations, to determine the direction his Government will
take in intergovernmental relations at the ministerial and officials’ level.
d) The Policy Management Secretariat
The Policy Management Secretariat
reports to the Clerk. Despite its title, the mandate of this office is generally not one
of overall central policy development. This unit is mandated with the task of providing
basic analysis of policy issues for use by the Premier and Ministers, such as when
answering questions in the legislature or in other forums within the province (i.e.,
issues management).
e) The Cabinet Administration Secretariat
The Cabinet Administration Secretariat
provides corporate support to the Premier and Cabinet by reviewing and assembling all
materials prior to establishing a Cabinet agenda. It manages the paper flow in and out of
Cabinet via the agenda and processes orders in council, regulations and proclamations. The
branch also records Cabinet decisions and ensures that the minutes are communicated and
stored properly. In addition, it looks after finances, personnel administration, protocol
and computer administration.
f) The Cabinet Communications Secretariat
The Cabinet Communications Secretariat,
led by the Premier’s Press Secretary, is the group responsible for working directly
with Ministers on the government’s corporate and political communications. The staff
deal directly with the media and review final drafts of press releases that are produced
in departments and the Information Resources Division of government. The Secretariat also
has representatives sitting on various committees that are in charge of information and
advertising campaigns such as tourism, consumer protection campaigns, etc.
2. The Department of Finance
The Department of Finance is
headed by a Deputy Minister. However, because the Minister of Finance is chairman of
the Treasury Board, there is also a Secretary to the Treasury Board at the Deputy
Minister level who reports to the Minister. The department is responsible for establishing
the provincial fiscal framework and taxation policy. The department is also responsible
for revenue collection.
The Treasury Board is
established under the provisions of the Financial Administration Act, and it
exercises certain authorities and responsibilities under that Act. It is primarily
responsible for resources allocation between sectors, and estimates forecasts, but it does
not act as government employer. Approximately 40 people in the Treasury Board Secretariat
support the Treasury Board.
A Chief Information Officer (CIO) has been
recruited and is in place. The CIO is at a Deputy Minister level and reports to the
Minister of Finance as the Chair of Treasury Board. In addition, other technical staff and
system coordinators are seconded to the office to work on special projects. The CIO has
the responsibility for overall coordination of government information (computer) systems
and more importantly for coordination and development of the strategy for new investments
including having a key role in major re-engineering projects.
3. The Civil Service Commission (CSC)
The Civil Service Commission is the central
agency responsible for the Manitoba Government’s human resources management
services. It is responsible for:
- professional staff development and
training;
- labour relations and bargaining with
unions;
- classification;
- appeals; and
- the auditing of hiring.
The Civil Service Commission’s Staffing
Program supports the appointment, career progression and retention of human resources in
the Manitoba civil service under the principles of merit, fairness and equity. Affirmative
action is a factor in selection. Applicants are encouraged to indicate if they are from
any of the following groups: women, Aboriginal people, visible minorities and persons with
disabilities.
The Labour Relations Division in the CSC
negotiates collective agreements for civil servants. Under authority delegated from the
CSC, most government departments maintain their own Human Resources offices and
exercise staffing authority for the majority of positions in their department. The
employing authorities are Deputy Ministers and hiring is conducted through open
competitions.
The highest ranking civil servants, namely
the 21 Deputy Ministers and the Clerk of the Executive Council, together with the Civil
Service Commissioner, are named by the Lieutenant Governor in Council at pleasure.
The Premier consults with Ministers and the Clerk of the Executive Council before making
the final selection. Deputy Ministers are not provided mandate letters, and are instead
verbally briefed on the exercise of their functions. Associate/Assistant Deputy Ministers
are also Lieutenant Governor in Council appointments; everyone else is a civil service
appointment. Employees in the Executive Council are exempt from union membership and
collective bargaining, as is the senior management in other departments.
As head of the civil service, the Clerk of
the Executive Council is responsible for providing leadership and vision. The Government
of Manitoba has initiated public sector reform initiatives entitled "Service
1st". In addition to the general public sector reform activities, there are two other
significant sub-components: "Better Systems" is an initiative involving several
departments which will enhance service to and interaction with the public through the
redesign of government processes and the implementation of information technology to allow
enhanced electronic communication; and, "Better Methods" is a major
re-engineering project involving government-wide corporate processes such as human
resources, payroll, financial management and reporting. "Service 1st" reports to
the Clerk in his capacity as Cabinet Secretary. One of the special projects under
"Service 1st" is the "Service 1st Fund" which promotes innovative
activities and reforms by providing seed money on a non-repayable basis.
Senior bureaucrats traditionally developed
their careers within a single department, but the Clerk is increasingly advising them to
look at other departments and encouraging "cross-fertilization". An annual
review of the senior management in government is undertaken by the office of the Clerk
together with the Civil Service Commission. As for the Clerk, he or she is selected and
evaluated by the Premier.
To deal with the demographics of the
Manitoba civil service, there exists an entry level internal management recruitment
program which offers Master’s level graduates three years of diversified experience
in government. Approximately half a dozen candidates are recruited yearly as part of this
pilot project. There also exists an Aboriginal management program to encourage the greater
mobility of Aboriginal civil servants within government.
The Manitoba civil service has endured a
five year wage freeze and a 4 per cent reduction which was enforced through ten days leave
without pay - seven summer Fridays and three days during the winter holidays. As of April
1st 1998, the wage reduction has fallen to 1.9 per cent, which translates into five days
leave without pay. The reduction will be totally lifted in 1999.
Currently, there are no incentives or bonus
pay in the Manitoba civil service. Performance evaluations, however, are conducted for
every employee on a yearly basis. Political staff are evaluated by the Chief of Staff,
Assistant Deputy Ministers are evaluated by Deputy Ministers, and Deputy Ministers are
evaluated by the Clerk of the Executive Council in consultation with the Minister.
(An Information Technology Project
completion bonus plan has been announced and details will soon be communicated. Senior
manager bonus plans in other jurisdictions are currently being examined, but to date,
there is no decision to implement such a plan in Manitoba.)
*The number appearing in parenthesis indicates the number of
Ministers who are members of the Cabinet committee.
Annex 1 - Executive Council - Administrative and Organization Chart
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