Prime Minister announces appointment of Cabinet

December 12, 2003
Ottawa, Ontario

NEWS RELEASE

Prime Minister Paul Martin today announced the appointment of a new Ministry which has been designed to strengthen the social foundations of Canadian life, build a twenty-first century economy, and ensure Canada’s independent place in the world as one of pride and influence. The overriding objective is to make a positive difference in the lives of Canadians.

In order to achieve these goals, the government intends to earn the trust of Canadians and re-engage them in the democratic process by restoring Parliament as the centre of decision-making and renewing the capacity of Parliamentarians to shape national policy.

The core principles of the new government will be transparency, accountability, financial responsibility, and ethical conduct.

The realignment of the functions of departments and agencies and changes to the Cabinet committee system reflect and facilitate these changes, and are summarized below. Complete lists of appointments of Ministers, Ministers of State, and Parliamentary Secretaries and Cabinet Committee mandates and membership, as well as backgrounders, are attached.

Democratic Reform

This priority is reflected in the following initiatives:

1. As its first order of business, the government will table an action plan outlining a series of reforms to the way the affairs of the House of Commons are conducted. These will include:

Private Members will have much greater freedom to voice their views and those of their constituents through an increased number of free votes on government legislation other than votes of confidence and a limited number of matters of fundamental importance to the government;
The role of House Committees will be reinforced through a greater capacity to influence and shape legislation, increased resources for research and support services, and by the more frequent referral to committees prior to second reading of government legislation;
Ministers will be required to actively engage with Private Members and to meet regularly with House committees in their portfolio area to discuss priorities and receive input on legislative initiatives;
Parliament will play a greater role in the appointment process. Appointments to certain key positions, including heads of Crown Corporations and agencies, will now be subject to prior Parliamentary review. The government will consult with the appropriate House Committees on how best to proceed on prior review of these appointments, and will specifically consult the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights on how best to implement prior review of appointments of Supreme Court of Canada Judges. These committees will also have the opportunity to consider which other appointments could be subject to their review; and
An all party-committee will be asked to consider and provide recommendations on further changes to Standing Orders, Management of House Business, Conduct of Committee of the Whole, and Question Period.

2. The role of Parliamentary Secretaries is being expanded to enhance the relations between Ministers and Parliamentarians. They will play an active role in policy development and will be assigned specific responsibilities by the Prime Minister on key policy issues. To reinforce their expanded role, they are being sworn in as Privy Councillors so they can be invited to Cabinet and Cabinet Committee discussions as appropriate. They will play a pivotal role in representing the concerns of Parliamentarians to their Minister and within government more broadly. Automatic rotation of the Parliamentary Secretaries will be eliminated so that a successful partnership between Ministers and their Parliamentary Secretaries can be maintained.

3. The Prime Minister will have three Parliamentary Secretaries supporting him on key priorities of the government - a New Deal for cities, a government - wide emphasis on science, and a more sophisticated relationship between Canada and the United States. These Parliamentary Secretaries will work closely with the Prime Minister and will be given specific responsibilities in these areas.

4. The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is the Minister responsible for Democratic Reform, and will be accountable for ensuring that the action plan is implemented. He will be an ex-officio member of all Cabinet committees. The Chief Government Whip will join Cabinet as Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, helping to ensure the representation of parliamentary concerns in government decision-making.

5. To improve democratic decision-making throughout the Canadian federation, the Prime Minister has committed to hold annual First Ministers’ Meetings, and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs will report annually to Parliament on the state of federal/provincial/territorial relations, priorities, and initiatives.

6. New Cabinet Committees are being created to provide leadership on policy priorities and strategic coordination of the operations of government. The Priorities and Planning Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, will provide a forum for shaping the government’s strategic direction and priorities. In addition to its core membership, Ministers will be invited to meetings depending on the issues being discussed. An Operations Committee, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, is being created to provide day-to-day coordination of the implementation of the government’s agenda.

7. Ministers’ offices will be realigned within existing budgets to include a new staff position entitled Director of Parliamentary Affairs to strengthen relations between Ministers and Parliamentarians.

Ethics

The government’s commitment to integrity is reflected in a number of early initiatives:

1. The government will move immediately in the new session of Parliament to reinstate legislation to establish the office of an independent Ethics Commissioner and a Senate Ethics Officer reporting to their respective Chambers. The Prime Minister has committed the government to work with Senators and Members of Parliament to have the legislation passed as quickly as possible, to adopt codes of conduct to support the legislation in the Senate and the House of Commons, and to consult opposition party leaders in the House and Senate on the appointment of an Ethics Commissioner and a Senate Ethics Officer.

2. The Prime Minister will distribute tomorrow to his Cabinet Ministers a revised Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State which provides his personal directions to the government on democratic reform and integrity. The Guide announces a new policy on mandatory publication of the travel and hospitality expenses of Ministers, Ministers of State, Ministers’ offices, and Parliamentary Secretaries on a quarterly basis. This policy will also apply to Deputy Ministers.

3. The Prime Minister will issue tomorrow a new Conflict of Interest and Post-employment Code for Public Office Holders. Public office holders are Ministers, Ministers of State, Parliamentary Secretaries, members of ministerial staff, and Governor in Council appointees. The Code has been strengthened by a ban on the use of noncommercial chartered or private aircraft by Ministers for any purpose except in exceptional circumstances and only with the prior approval of the Ethics Counsellor, and public disclosure of the use of such aircraft. The Code will require that public office holders consult the Ethics Counsellor where they have any doubt as to the appropriateness of accepting an offer of a gift, hospitality, or other benefit, including from family members and close personal friends, and obtain the approval of the Ethics Counsellor to accept the offer.

4. The Code also includes a new recusal process that requires public disclosure of the issues requiring recusal, the process to administer the recusal, and annual reporting by the Ethics Counsellor on recusal practices. The Prime Minister will be held to a higher standard of reporting through a public statement by the Ethics Counsellor of specific instances when the Prime Minister has recused himself, subject to respecting Cabinet confidences and the Access to Information and Privacy Acts.

Other Structural Changes

Government departments and Cabinet Committees have been restructured to achieve demonstrable progress in three areas: strengthening our social foundations, building a 21st century economy, and ensuring Canada’s role in the world.

Strengthening our Social Foundations

In support of the government’s social goals, a number of changes are being made.

A stronger focus on social policy through:

1. Splitting the former department of Human Resources Development Canada into two separate organizations in order to facilitate better policy results and improved administration;

2. Creating a new Human Resources and Skills Development department whose mandate will be promoting well-functioning labour market and lifelong learning systems, including student assistance, and which will work with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on the critical issue of foreign credentials accreditation;

3. Mandating the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development to engage the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and communities in community development and the social economy;

4. Creating a new Social Development department which will ensure that an effective income security system is in place for seniors, persons with disabilities, families, and children, and which will provide integrated policy development and program delivery;

5. Mandating the Minister of Social Development to be responsible for the Voluntary Sector Initiative, working in particular with the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development;

6. Creating a new Cabinet Committee on Domestic Affairs which will take an integrated approach to social, economic, and environmental policy;

7. Taking an integrated approach to health and intergovernmental affairs and creating a Minister of State (Public Health) to help implement the new Canada Public Health Agency; and

8. Mandating a Task Force on Active Living and Dignity for Seniors, reporting to the Prime Minister, to examine current programming and community based approaches and make recommendations by the end of the fiscal year on the policy changes required to improve the quality of life of seniors.

A renewed emphasis on Aboriginal issues to focus the government’s efforts, including:

1. A new Cabinet Committee on Aboriginal Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister; and

2. A new Aboriginal Secretariat in the Privy Council Office.

Building a 21st Century Economy

A number of changes reflect the commitment to building a 21st century economy.

A new focus on science and technology and its application, through:

1. Appointing a National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister to work closely with the National Advisory Council on Science and Technology;

2. Appointing a Parliamentary Secretary to support the Prime Minister on science and small business;

3. Fostering the creation and growth of innovative Canadian companies by more effective commercialization of university research and better access to early stage financing;

4. Promoting the development of value added industries in the resource and agriculture sectors; and

5. A comprehensive assessment of federal support for research and development.

Strengthening the capacity for expanding markets, through:

6. Creating a strengthened department of International Trade to provide centralized support for integrated federal trade and investment promotion;

7. Creating a Minister of State (New and Emerging Markets); and

8. Supporting small business’ access to markets.

Sustainable development and communities initiatives, including:

9. Appointing a Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special responsibilities for cities to focus on implementation of a New Deal, and a secretariat in the Privy Council Office to support the Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary;

10. Promoting leading edge technologies, in particular health and environmental technologies; and

11. Creating a Minister of State (Infrastructure) and integrating sustainable development in the infrastructure program and other federal programs.

Ensuring Canada’s Place in the World

The commitment to strengthening Canada’s influence in the world is reflected in the following initiatives:

1. Undertaking a comprehensive review of Canada’s place in the world. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be asked to lead in the development of an integrated and coherent international policy framework for diplomacy, defence, development, and trade, in collaboration in particular with the Ministers of International Trade, National Defence, International Cooperation, and Finance (with respect to international financial institutions), to be reviewed by the appropriate Standing Committee of the House of Commons;

2. Creating a new Cabinet Committee on Global Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister, which will take an integrated approach to foreign affairs, defence, international development, trade and other international issues;

3. Creating a new Cabinet Committee on Canada-U.S., chaired by the Prime Minister, to ensure an integrated, government-wide approach to Canada-U.S. relations and to be supported by a Canada-U.S. Secretariat in the Privy Council Office; and

4. Appointing a Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister for Canada-U.S. relations.

Securing Canada’s Public Health and Safety

While globalization offers enhanced opportunities for Canada, it also brings new risks, including new threats of disease, international criminal activity and terrorism.

The Government of Canada must play a fundamental role in securing the public health and safety of Canadians, while ensuring that all Canadians continue to enjoy the benefits of an open society. The government will achieve these goals by making the following changes to integrate federal activities under strong leadership, maximize the effectiveness of interagency cooperation, and increase accountability to all Canadians:

1. Creating a new Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, to integrate into a single portfolio the core activities of the existing Solicitor General portfolio that secure the safety of Canadians and other activitiesrequired to protect against and respond to natural disasters and security
emergencies;

2. Integrating the Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (currently in the Department of National Defence) into the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness portfolio to maximize emergency preparedness and responses to natural disaster and security emergencies, as well as improving connections to provincial and territorial emergency preparedness networks, and by adding the National Crime Prevention Centre to actively support crime prevention activities;

3. Increasing National Defence Reserves available for civil preparedness, including capacity to deal with natural disasters and local emergencies;

4. Creating a Canada Border Services Agency to build on the Smart Border Initiative and the important progress that has been made in expediting trade and travel while enhancing security with respect to high risk arrivals, and continue to work in close collaboration with business, labour, immigrant and refugee groups, and other important stakeholders in pursuing these changes;

5. Protecting the interests of immigrants and refugees remains the responsibility of Citizenship and Immigration, which will continue to be present at all major airports and land crossings to issue immigration benefits, to greet new Canadians and to make immigration determinations which will be based on existing criteria. There will be consultations with stakeholders to fully define this presence;

6. Reforming the refugee determination process to create a more predictable and streamlined system, including a reformed appointment process to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the Immigration and Refugee Board;

7. Creating an independent arm’s length review mechanism for the RCMP’s activities with respect to national security. The mechanism will be designed in a way that respects the important principle of the independence of the police in relation to law enforcement and criminal investigations;

8. Creating a new position of National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister in the Privy Council Office, to be responsible for intelligence and threat assessment integration and interagency cooperation, and to assist the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness in the development and overall implementation of an integrated policy for national security and emergencies, to be referred to the appropriate House Standing Committee;

9. Creating a new Canada Public Health Agency, under the Minister of Health, Intergovernmental Affairs, and Minister responsible for Official Languages, following consultations with provincial and territorial governments, to address public health risks and coordinate a national response to health crises, assisted by the Minister of State (Public Health);

10. Establishing a new Cabinet Committee on Security, Public Health, and Emergencies, chaired by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, to manage national security and intelligence issues and activities and coordinate government-wide responses to all emergencies, including public health, natural disasters and security;

11. Proposing a National Security Standing Committee in the House of Commons whose members would be sworn-in as Privy Councillors so that they could be briefed on national security issues; and

12. Rationalizing responsibility for marine safety and security policy under the Minister of Transport to consolidate responsibility for security in all transportation sectors and creating the Coast Guard as a special operating agency in the Fisheries and Oceans department.

Financial Accountability

The government’s commitment to financial responsibility is reflected in the following initiatives:

1. The Treasury Board Secretariat has been streamlined and focused on comptrollership and financial management. It will ensure that departments meet all requirements for expenditure planning, control and oversight, and will assess policy proposals for the purposes of due diligence and value for money;

2. There will be a distinct office of the Comptroller General in the Treasury Board Secretariat to enhance accountability. The Comptroller General will be involved in selecting Departmental Comptrollers since they will also have a functional reporting relationship to the Comptroller General. The Departmental Comptrollers will be required to sign off on departmental spending proposals before they are submitted to Cabinet for approval;

3. The Treasury Board will be responsible for ongoing monitoring of expenditures and reallocation of spending from lower to higher priorities;

4. As a first step in creating a culture of continuous reallocation and realignment, a new Cabinet Committee on Expenditure Review, chaired by the President of the Treasury Board, will conduct a fundamental review of all programs and expenditures. The purpose will be to ensure that spending remains under control and is closely aligned with the evolving priorities of government. The Committee will begin its work as early as possible in the New Year and will submit its first set of recommendations to the Prime Minister in the autumn of 2004; and

5. As part of the streamlining of the Treasury Board Secretariat, a new Public Service Human Resource Management Agency of Canada will be established under the President of the Queen’s Privy Council and will, in consultation with unions and public servants, implement the newly legislated human resource reforms.

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