Office of the Auditor General of Canada and the Commissioner of
the Environment and Sustainable Development, 1999 [extract].
Commissioner's Recommendation: 2.81 Given the federal government's re-emerging
interest in public involvement, we believe that the Privy Council Office should take the
lead in updating the guidelines provided to departments on the conduct and evaluation of
consultations.
Privy Council Office's response: The Government of Canada is committed to involving
Canadians in the development of policies, programs and services that have an impact on
their lives. While considerable progress has been made in this area since the 1990 Task
Force on Service to the Public report, significant changes in the past decade - both in
and outside of government - call for new ways of thinking and new approaches to engaging
Canadians in public decision making.
A solid foundation of "building blocks" - i.e. strong policy guidance,
effective co-ordination mechanisms, a range of training and developmental opportunities,
and a framework for assessing our performance in this area - is essential to establishing
a strong consultative culture in the federal public service. As the lead central agency
responsible for public consultation in the federal public service, the Privy Council
Office (PCO) will continue to work closely with other central agencies to this end.
In this regard, the Privy Council Office, in collaboration with federal departments and
agencies, is updating the 1992 federal consultation guidelines. The PCO continues to
provide strategic advice to departments in the development of their consultation
strategies and support to horizontal co-ordination of federal consultation processes. The
Treasury Board Secretariat is establishing an interdepartmental working group to develop
practical guidelines for the evaluation of federal consultation activities. The Public
Service Commission (PSC) and the Canadian Centre for Management Development (CCMD)
continue to address public consultation in their training and development programs. To
respond to the renewed interest in public consultation across the government, the PSC has
updated its existing public consultation course and will continue to ensure the relevancy
of this program. The CCMD is including public consultation as part of a current review of
management training needs and priorities.
These initiatives reflect a collaborative effort on the part of central agencies to
support public servants with the necessary "building blocks" for effectively
planning, implementing and assessing federal consultation processes.
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