Privy Council Office
2005-2006
Report on Plans and Priorities

The Right Honourable Paul Martin
Prime Minister of Canada

Table of Contents

SECTION I – OVERVIEW

A.  Prime Minister’s Message 
B.  Summary Information
C.  Departmental Priorities 

SECTION II – ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME 

A.  Strategic Outcome #1
B.  Strategic Outcome #2

SECTION III – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

A.  Management Representation Statement 
B.  Organizational Information 
C.  Tables

SECTION IV – OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

A.  Proposed Changes for 2005-2006 
B.  For Further Information

SECTION I – OVERVIEW

A. Prime Minister’s Message

I am pleased to present the 2005-2006 Report on Plans and Priorities for the Privy Council Office (PCO).

On June 28, 2004, Canadians elected a new, minority Parliament and they expect their representatives to make it work. With that in mind, the Government articulated a comprehensive and activist agenda in the October 2004 Speech from the Throne; a strategy to build a prosperous and sustainable 21^st century economy, strengthen our social foundations and secure Canada’s place of pride and influence in the world.

The PCO provides critical support to me, to Cabinet, to Parliament and to the federal government at large to deliver on that agenda by developing and coordinating the implementation of policy initiatives, identifying emerging issues and improving the overall management of government. It provides the professional, non-partisan advice that underpins sound public service and effective governance in a proud and vibrant democracy such as ours.

In the coming year, we will move forward on issues of importance to Canadians: quality child care, vibrant communities, accessible health care, aboriginal opportunity, democratic reform, sound public administration, a healthy environment, a dynamic economy and a secure country. Canadians deserve nothing less.

The annual Report on Plans and Priorities outlines how the PCO helps the Government to achieve these shared goals for our country.

 B. Summary Information

Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

 Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

 Departmental Priorities

C. Departmental Priorities

1. Our Roles

The main roles of PCO are to:

• Provide professional, non-partisan advice to the Prime Minister, other ministers in the Prime Minister’s portfolio and Cabinet, on questions of national and international importance.

• Manage the Cabinet decision-making system—Challenge and coordinate departmental policy proposals, conduct policy analysis, and provide secretariat services to Cabinet and Cabinet committees.

• Articulate and support the development of the Government agenda, and collaborate with other federal departments, other governments and external stakeholders to help implement this agenda.

• Provide advice on the appropriate structure and organization of the Government and its entities.

• Help foster a strong Public Service for the 21 ^st century, one that is values-based, high performing and accountable.

• Conduct research on medium-term policy issues of importance to Canada—This is a particular focus of the Policy Research Initiative (PRI).

• Provide administrative support to commissions of inquiry on matters associated with good governance of Canada.

2. Strategic Outcomes

Two strategic outcomes have been identified for PCO, which are discussed in this document:

• The policy and program agenda of the Government of Canada are well coordinated and the Government is well structured to respond efficiently to the needs of Canadians.

• Subjects that need investigation or further study are handled independently from the Government. ²  

3. Structure

PCO is structured according to four activities:

• Office of the Prime Minister.

• Ministers’ Offices.

• Secretariats and Advisors.

• Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others.

We provide administrative support to the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministers’ Offices and to Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others. Our core business is the Secretariats and Advisors activity, which is the focus of this RPP.

4. Working Environment

PCO’s priorities depend in large part on the Government agenda and are subject to a variety of internal and external influences, which are outlined below.

a) Increasing complexity of issues

The Government’s policy agenda is comprehensive and complex, and, as outlined later in this document, includes such subjects as the economy, health of Canadians, children, caregivers and seniors, national security, Aboriginal Canadians, and Canada, North America and the World. In order for PCO to contribute to the development of appropriate policy responses, we must promote increased integration within the federal government community and enhance the networks involving the federal government, other levels of government and other stakeholders.

 b) Constantly changing environment

PCO operates within a constantly changing policy environment, which places considerable pressure on PCO to stay abreast of a wide variety of issues in order to continue to provide effective support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In addition, PCO must be able to quickly adapt its own organizational structure in response to changes to Cabinet committees and to the overall government structure.

The sudden emergence of new issues requires prompt access to the appropriate policy expertise within the federal system and an ability to quickly mobilize this expertise to provide highly responsive advice to decision-makers. This requires a strong capability within PCO to identify emerging issues, and necessitates strong networks with all of the major stakeholders.

c) Maintaining the credibility of PCO as a non-partisan advisor

PCO ensures that its policy advice remains objective, accurate, reliable, relevant and comprehensive.

d) Maintaining continuity of policy expertise and analytical capability

To ensure that PCO properly fulfills its role in providing policy advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet, it will continue to develop ways of accessing the best available information and research within the federal government and elsewhere.

Given the desire to obtain the latest thinking on the policy issues of the day and to attract respected and credible policy experts with specific subject-matter expertise, there tends to be frequent movement of staff both in and out of the PCO organization. Although PCO has little difficulty in attracting staff with extensive policy expertise and experience in subject-matter areas, this movement of staff presents a certain risk for PCO in terms of retaining corporate memory and maintaining continuity in the policy development process.

The organization needs to ensure it has a process in place for succession planning in order to maintain continuity of policy expertise. Also, strong capabilities are required in information, records and library management in order to ensure that the necessary corporate records and information resources are accessible throughout PCO.

e) Public expectations for increased government accountability

The Canadian public is demanding increased accountability on the part of public officials, more efficient use of public resources, greater transparency, and ethical decision-making. Resource allocations need to be tightly linked to changing government policy priorities and PCO is expected to provide a leadership role in improving the overall functioning of the Government.

f) Challenge of internal management of PCO

Maintaining work-life balance in a high pressure and fast-paced environment is an ongoing struggle for all PCO employees. A particular challenge for managers is to find the time to attend to their ongoing management responsibilities while focusing on day-to-day exigencies. In addition, PCO must undertake the commitments of the Clerk in his Corporate Priorities of the Public Service of Canada to such government-wide initiatives as the Management Accountability Framework and human resources modernization.

g) Facilitate stakeholder input into the Government agenda

In developing the Government agenda, it is important to reflect the diverse needs of stakeholders, the changing face of the country in terms of shifting demographic trends, increased diversity, aging and urbanization, and shifts in the values and priorities of Canadians. The Government agenda also needs to reflect the particular challenges faced by groups within Canadian society, such as Aboriginal people and official language minority communities. This requires maintaining open communications with stakeholders, sharing information, establishing networks and other consultative mechanisms, and providing stakeholders an opportunity to provide input into the development and implementation of the Government agenda. Specific examples of ongoing initiatives that relate to this challenge are democratic reform and electoral reform.

Our stakeholders are listed in Figure 1, which also identifies their expectations vis-à-vis PCO.

Figure 1—Stakeholders and their Expectations vis-à-vis PCO

5. Priorities and Plans

PCO’s major priorities for the three-year planning period beginning in 2005-2006 are the following:

a) Focus on key policy areas.

b) Conduct medium-term policy planning.

c) Improve the management of the Government.

d) Strengthen PCO’s internal management practices.

Each of these priorities is described below, focusing on the main plans that will be implemented.

a) Focus on key policy areas

PCO will continue to coordinate the policy work of federal departments in order to address the complex issues that face Canada. A major role of PCO is to develop and coordinate the implementation of the policy agenda, as articulated by the Government in the October 2004 Speech from the Throne. ³  The main policy areas where PCO will be most (though not exclusively) active include:

1. 21^st century economy—The Government will pursue its five-point strategy to build an even more globally competitive and sustainable economy by focusing on investments in individuals, strengthening Canada's ability to generate and apply new ideas, promoting trade and investment, improving the climate for business, and fostering investments in regional and sectoral development. Working with responsible departments, major activities of PCO will include:

• Provide advice on the Government's investments in science and technology to ensure that they are strategic, focused and are delivering results to Canadians in terms of improved health, environmental sustainability, increased economic growth, enhanced security and our place in the world. In particular, the National Science Advisor will work to bring about a fuller integration of the Government's substantial in-house science and technology activity so that it is aligned to address Canadian needs in the short and long term; that it is well linked to other scientific efforts in Canada and internationally; and that it is of the highest scientific and technical quality.

• Develop a new Workplace Skills Strategy, including enhanced apprenticeship systems and boosting literacy and other essential job skills, and improving the integration of immigrant Canadians to the workforce.

• Implement the new Equalization and Territorial Financing Formula framework, to ensure predictability in federal government payments to less-wealthy provinces and territories to support key public services.

• Contribute to the Government of Canada’s effort to forge in partnership with the provinces and territories a stronger Canadian economic union, including improving internal trade.

• Develop policy frameworks for key industrial sectors, in particular the automotive and aerospace industries.

• Develop policies to foster Canadian capabilities in important enabling technologies, such as biotechnology, which will drive productivity and innovation.

• Develop a framework to support regional economic development and to position related activities such as the cities and communities agenda and the rural policy framework, including providing support for research and development.

• Support the undertaking of joint federal-territorial consultations with key stakeholders in the North.

2. Health care—The key priority is the implementation of the Ten-year Plan to Strengthen Health Care, as agreed by the Prime Minister and Premiers and Territorial Leaders in September 2004. Key commitments include: a meaningful reduction in wait times; improved accountability through evidence-based, comparable reporting; and, the setting of goals and targets for improving the health status of Canadians. Working with key federal departments and agencies, major activities of PCO will include:

• Work with provinces and territories to implement the Plan, ensure accountability, and meet the key objectives with respect to sustaining the health care system, improving Aboriginal health, and public health.

3. Children, caregivers and seniors—Priorities include developing a national vision of early learning and child care; developing a comprehensive strategy to support home-based informal caregivers for seniors and people with disabilities; and implementing measures to improve the quality of life of seniors. Working with the responsible federal departments, major activities of PCO will include:

• Conclude negotiations with the provinces and territories on a common national vision that will guide the development of early learning and child care across Canada that is both flexible and accountable.

• Articulate a caregivers framework to address the needs of Canadian families throughout the life-cycle, including maternity and parental benefits and care-giving for the elderly and disabled.

• Develop measures to improve the quality of life for seniors.

4. Aboriginal Canadians—An urgent priority is to achieve significant improvements in the social, economic, health and educational outcomes for Aboriginal Canadians. Working in collaboration with Health Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, and other departments as required, key activities for PCO will include:

• Ensure that the commitments made at the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable of April 19^th, 2004 are delivered. ⁴  These include: complete the sectoral discussions with Aboriginal organizations, provincial and territorial government representatives and other experts; and take the results of these sessions into further dialogue aimed at developing consensus on priorities and actions for a policy retreat involving governments and Aboriginal leaders, planned for Spring 2005.

• Develop key elements of a “national Aboriginal agenda for action” with Aboriginal and provincial/territorial partners, for a meeting between First Ministers and Aboriginal leaders in fall 2005.

• Develop the Aboriginal Health Blueprint from the First Ministers’ health agreement to create an Aboriginal Health Transition Fund, increase Aboriginal involvement in the health professions and address chronic diseases in Aboriginal communities.

• Make progress on the development of an Aboriginal “report card" to drive progress on specific quality of life indicators for Aboriginal communities.

5. Canada, North America and the World—The main goal is to use a combination of robust international engagement and domestic policy initiatives to protect and enhance Canada’s security, prosperity, quality of life and democratic good governance. Working in collaboration with the responsible departments, particular activities of PCO will include:

• Coordinate and monitor the implementation of Securing an Open Society: Canada's National Security Policy, relating to six strategic areas: intelligence, emergency planning and management, public health emergencies, transportation security, border security and international security ⁵ .

• Coordinate and provide a challenge function to the implementation of the International Policy Statement to better integrate Canada’s defence, diplomacy, development and trade efforts.

• Facilitate the expansion of the Canadian Regular Forces by 5,000 personnel and reserves by 3,000 over the next five years.

• Support the development of a comprehensive strategy to engage Canadian specialists to train local trainers and promote greater security and stability in key regions (e.g. training of African peacekeepers).

• Monitor and advise on plans to use Canada Corps to contribute fully to the Government’s strategic approach in the areas of governance, rule of law and human rights.

• Promote internationally a G20 style meeting of world leaders to effectively manage complex global challenges.

• Coordinate strategic responses to ongoing and emerging crises around the world, including tsunami relief and reconstruction in Southeast Asia, the refugee situation in Darfur, infectious diseases in Africa and support for failed or failing states.

• Support and advise the Prime Minister on issues relating to the international agenda, travel and visits.

• Work with federal departments, other governments and external stakeholders to advance a New Partnership in North America that strengthens relations with the US and Mexico on prosperity, security and quality of life.

• Promote federal-provincial-territorial collaboration with respect to the management of Canada-US relations and the implementation of Canada’s international objectives.

6. Environment—Safeguarding Canada’s natural environment is one of the most important responsibilities of citizens and governments in the 21^st century, leading to improved quality of life, healthier Canadians and competitiveness. Key activities will include:

• Provide secretariat support to the new Ad Hoc Cabinet Committee on Sustainability and the Environment, which has been given the mandate to deliver the Government’s sustainability and environment agenda.

• Support and facilitate the work of responsible departments in the consolidation of federal environmental assessment processes and implementation of a new Green Procurement Policy to govern purchases.

• Facilitate the work of key departments in the development of the next steps on climate change, which will complement and build on Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Accord, in partnership with provincial and territorial governments and other stakeholders.

• Ensure progress on the first phase of the Oceans Action Plan that will maximize the use and development of oceans technology, establish a network of marine protected areas, implement integrated management plans, and enhance the enforcement of rules governing oceans and fisheries.

7. A new deal for cities and communities—Through the New Deal for Canada's Cities and Communities, the goal is to make available for municipalities a portion of the federal gas tax to enable them to make long-term financial commitments needed to help contain urban sprawl and invest in new sustainable infrastructure projects in areas like transit, roads, clean water and sewers. ⁶  In 2004-2005, a new department, Infrastructure Canada, was created to coordinate the implementation of the “new deal.” Working with Infrastructure Canada and other departments, an activity of PCO will be to:

• Develop a policy framework for federal-provincial-territorial negotiations on the sharing of gas tax revenue and the “new deal” for cities and communities.

8. Governing in common purpose—A number of initiatives will be introduced, which will include a greater role for Parliamentary committees, an increased involvement of parliamentarians in the review of key appointments, and an examination of the need and options for reform of our democratic institutions, including electoral reform. Key activities of PCO are described below under the democratic reform initiative.

b) Conduct medium-term policy planning

PCO assists the Government in defining its objectives and priorities. In that role, PCO must tap into policy and research expertise to identify emerging issues to inform Cabinet’s deliberations and assist in the elaboration and monitoring of the medium-term directions of the Government.

1. Research on policy issues —PCO, primarily through the Policy Research Initiative (PRI), will conduct research and facilitate information sharing on medium-term policy issues in collaboration with federal departments and outside organizations. Major activities will include:

• Carry out medium-term, cross-cutting research projects on the following: Population Aging and Life-course Flexibility; Social Capital as a Public Policy Tool; The Social Economy; New Approaches to Poverty and Exclusion; Canada-US Regulatory Cooperation; The Emergence of Cross-border Regions; and, Freshwater Management. ⁷  

• Harness knowledge and expertise within the federal government and from Canadian universities, think tanks and international research organizations through conferences, workshops and policy research roundtables on important medium-term cross-cutting issues.

• Identify data needs and priorities for future policy development through the Policy Research Data Group, an interdepartmental committee charged with the identification of emerging data gaps across the federal government.

2. Medium-term planning—PCO will assist the Prime Minister and Cabinet to define the objectives and priorities of the overall policy agenda and work to align policy development within PCO and across departments consistent with the Government’s overall priorities and directions in order to advance the agenda in a strategic and integrated manner. Activities will include:

• Assist in the development of key medium-term statements of Government intent such as the Speech from the Throne, budgets or other special policy directions.

• Track and report to Cabinet on progress achieved on key agenda issues and providing advice on medium-term policy directions and emerging issues on an ongoing basis.

• Advise and support the Clerk and the deputy minister community, notably through the Coordinating Committee of Deputy Ministers and the weekly Deputy Ministers’ Breakfast, to ensure greater cross-departmental coordination and coherence in the execution of the Government’s policy agenda.

 c) Improve the management of the Government

PCO will continue to play a leadership role in improving the overall management of the Government. Key initiatives for 2005-2006 and beyond will include:

1. Improve support for Cabinet Committee decision-making—The goal is to continue to provide effective and efficient support to Cabinet decision-making processes. Key activities will include:

• Improve capacity to convene and support Cabinet Committee meetings as may be required to address unforeseen circumstances.

• Improve mechanisms for reporting on decisions to ensure speedy implementation, where appropriate.

• Continue to ensure that Cabinet Committees receive the required information in a timely fashion.

2. Continue with democratic reform—The Democratic Reform Action Plan was released in February 2004, providing a strategy aimed at improving political institutions and the parliamentary system. ⁸  Democratic reform is designed to ensure that the people Canadians elect will be able to better reflect their views in the process of government. In 2005-2006, the Government will initiate a second phase of democratic reform activity to target non-parliamentary democratic reform. Key activities in 2005-2006 will include:

• Support the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons in parliamentary consideration of electoral matters and in implementing the commitments made in the Action Plan for Democratic Reform.

• Support the Minister responsible for Democratic Reform by carrying out a broader diagnostic of the democratic deficit.

• Support the Government’s response to recommendations of the Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (CPHA). Pursuant to an amendment to the Address in Reply to the Speech from the Throne, the CPHA is tasked to recommend a process to engage citizens and Parliamentarians in an examination of Canada's electoral system.

• Pursuant to the Democratic Reform Action Plan, support the Government in tabling its Annual Reports on democratic reform and on the state of intergovernmental relations, priorities and initiatives.

3. Implement the improved Governor-in-Council appointment system—Following the release in February 2004 of the Government’s action plan to implement democratic reforms, an interim appointment process for chief executive officers, chairs and directors of Crown corporations was developed. Advances in transparency will continue in 2005-2006 as parliamentary committees review key appointments. The result will be greater accountability and enhanced transparency in appointments to these important organizations. In summary, major activities will include:

• Facilitate the review process of key appointments before parliamentary committees.

• Coordinate timely responses to enquiries from parliamentary committees.

• Support the Governor-in-Council appointment process, including advice on the establishment and administration of policies and services that promote high quality, transparent appointments.

4. Coordinate the implementation of the Smart Regulation Strategy ⁹  —In September 2004, the Government received the report of the External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation, which provided advice for bringing the Canadian regulatory system into the 21st century. ¹⁰ Building on the work of the Committee and other outside experts, including the OECD, the Government will implement a strategy to transform the regulatory system to better protect the environment as well as the health, safety and security of Canadians, while enabling an innovative and internationally-competitive economy. The initiative will enhance the existing regulatory management system by providing for coordination and linking of the activities of regulatory departments and include a structure for the federal government to systematically apply modern public policy and management techniques to regulation in a way that already exists in other areas of government activity. Key activities in 2005-2006 will include:

• Publish a bi-annual Report on Regulatory Actions and Plans, which will outline the Government’s plans and priorities in regulatory management and in five thematic areas and sectors.

• Strengthen federal, provincial and territorial regulatory cooperation through the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Working Group on Regulatory Governance.

• Establish a multi-stakeholder process to design a new Regulation Development and Implementation Strategy, which will include new analytical requirements and management techniques, such as alternative instruments, performance measurement and risk management.

• Develop a Web site that will provide citizens and government officials with easy access to regulations and statutes, departmental regulatory initiatives, regulatory guides and research.

5. Implement human resources modernization—PCO will continue to advance the Government’s Public Service management agenda by providing advice and working with other central agencies on human resources modernization. PCO will continue to monitor and provide advice and guidance to Senior Officials and the Clerk of the Privy Council on the human resource management regime. Key activities will include:

• Implement the new Public Service Labour Relations Act in April 2005.

• Implement the new Public Service Employment Act in December 2005.

6. Cabinet Confidences—PCO will continue to strengthen management practices for the better administration of Cabinet Confidences and in particular regarding the application of sec. 69 of the Access to Information Act, sec. 70 of the Privacy Act, and sec. 39 of the Canada Evidence Act. Key activities will include:

• Refine internal administrative guidelines and procedures to assist in the processing of files and to raise awareness through external training.

d) Strengthen PCO’s internal management practices

PCO is highly committed to the ongoing improvement of its internal management practices. Our specific plans reflect the directions outlined in the Clerk’s Corporate Priorities for the Government in 2004-2005. ¹¹  These include continued implementation of the Management Accountability Framework and support and leadership in the successful implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act. Other plans include the pursuit of shared services with other central agencies for corporate services support to PCO. Key initiatives for 2005-2006 and beyond are the following:

1. Implement the Public Service Modernization Act—The Act focuses on three main areas of human resources management: by building on an integrated human resources planning process, it streamlines the staffing system so as to improve the ability to attract and hire people when and where they are needed; it fosters more constructive labour-management relations to create a more productive and supportive working environment; and, it changes the approach to corporate learning and development to help retain employees and to better serve Canadians. To ensure full implementation of the Act, PCO’s major activities will include:

• Carry out consultation activities with various stakeholders, including PCO’s management, representatives of unions, human resources professionals and central agencies.

• Implement adjustment activities and develop policies and other mechanisms necessary to ensure that new requirements are met, that appointments are made on the basis of merit and are free from political influence.

• Provide training for managers and human resources professionals involved in the implementation of the Act.

• Develop and implement communication strategies for all employees.

2. Strengthen information, records, and library management capabilities—PCO’s policy expertise and analytical capability requires ready access to corporate records and reliable and timely information resources. Key activities will include:

• Complete the implementation of the Records, Documents, Information Management System (RDIMS), which is the Government of Canada’s standard software suite for the capture, organization, retrieval and disposal of electronic information in compliance with legislation and policy. PCO will also continue with the ongoing integration of best practices for information management into PCO business processes.

• Ensure that PCO managers and employees are aware of their information management responsibilities and that they are able to make the best use of the information resources and tools available to them.

3. Pursue shared services for administrative support with other central agencies—PCO will pursue a shared service agreement in co-operation with four other central agencies (Department of Finance, Treasury Board Secretariat, Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada and the Canada School of Public Service) for the provision of selected corporate support functions to PCO. Key activities will include:

• Prepare a business case for shared services.

• Implement the recommended option.

6. Measuring Our Progress

PCO’s progress in achieving its commitments over the three-year planning period will be assessed in a variety of ways, which are summarized in Table 1.

 Table 1—Monitoring the Progress of PCO Priorities and Plans

SECTION II – ANALYSIS OF PROGRAM ACTIVITIES BY STRATEGIC OUTCOME

Figure 2 provides the logic model for the two PCO strategic outcomes. The chart identifies the strategic outcomes, intended results and the program activity structure.

Figure 2—Logic Model for the Privy Council Office

Each of the activities falling under the two strategic outcomes ¹²  is described in the following pages.

A. Strategic Outcome #1

1. Program Activity: Office of the Prime Minister

a) Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

b) Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

PCO provides financial and administrative support to the Office of the Prime Minister. This funding serves to hire staff and external expertise to provide political advice, information and special services to support the Prime Minister as Head of Government and Chair of Cabinet. This includes liaison with ministers; issues management; communications; planning and operations related to the international community; and support for certain political responsibilities, including relations with the Government caucus. This funding also covers the costs of operating the Official Residences of the Prime Minister (i.e., salaries of staff, food, staff travel between residences, etc.). The National Capital Commission is responsible for the costs associated with the structures themselves (i.e., to furnish, maintain, heat and keep in repair the Official Residences).

c) Expected Results and Performance Indicators

The main intended result for PCO is to ensure that the Prime Minister’s Office receives appropriate financial and administrative support. Performance indicators are provided in Table 2.

Table 2—Performance Indicators for Office of the Prime Minister Activity

2. Program Activity: Ministers’ Offices

a) Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

b) Human Resources (full time equivalents)

PCO provides financial and administrative support to Minister’s Offices. This funding serves to hire staff and external expertise so that Ministers’ Offices can provide political advice, information and support services to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, and the Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister responsible for Democratic Reform.

The responsibilities of these Ministers’ Offices are as follows: the Office of the Leader of the Government in the Senate manages the Government's legislative program in the Senate and includes the activities of the Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate; the Office of the President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada supports the incumbent in the tasks assigned to him or her by the Prime Minister; the Office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons is accountable for the management of the Government's legislative agenda and to ensure the representation of parliamentary concerns in government decision-making; and the Office of the Deputy Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister responsible for Democratic Reform supports the management of the Government's legislative agenda and helps to ensure the representation of parliamentary concerns in government decision-making, and has functional responsibility for all electoral matters and the Government’s democratic reform agenda. From time to time, the above ministers are assigned additional responsibilities, which then become an integrated part of the Ministers’ Office activity. The funding also serves to pay the salaries and allowances for ministers of state. The operating budgets for ministers of state are reported by their respective departments. Further details are provided in Section III, Figure 3.

c) Expected Results and Performance Indicators

The main intended result for PCO with respect to this program activity is to ensure that the offices of portfolio ministers receive appropriate financial and administrative support. Performance indicators are provided in Table 3.

Table 3—Performance Indicators for Ministers’ Offices Activity

3. Program Activity: Secretariats and Advisors

a) Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

b) Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

The Secretariats and Advisors activity provides public service support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet in the operation of the central policy decision-making process and provides advice and information to the Prime Minister in the discharge of his responsibilities as Head of Government and Chair of Cabinet. This also includes providing the necessary public service advice and support to ministers in the Prime Minister’s portfolio.

Fulfilling this objective involves working with federal departments and agencies to provide the best non-partisan advice and information. It also involves being attuned to the priorities of Canadians to offer strategic advice in the best interests of the country. PCO works with provincial and territorial governments to understand regional issues and must be knowledgeable about international developments and their implications for Canada.

Another aspect of the responsibility of PCO’s activity is to ensure that the Public Service as an institution has the capacity to serve Canadians and their elected representatives in the years ahead. As the responsibilities of government are redefined, the role of this activity is to advise the Prime Minister and other ministers on priorities for change to enable the Public Service to adapt effectively.

As the secretariat to the Cabinet, the role of the Secretariats and Advisors activity is to provide public service policy information and advice to the Prime Minister, to Cabinet, to Cabinet committees, including the Treasury Board in its capacity as Council for Governor in Council decisions, as well as to Advisory and Ad Hoc Committees. The Treasury Board is also supported by another department: the Treasury Board Secretariat.

c) Expected Results and Performance Indicators

The subject of performance measurement is complex and challenging for a policy-type organization like PCO. To a large extent, PCO outputs are not repetitive and quantifiable. Much of the work is facilitative and supportive in nature, and PCO works closely with many stakeholders in order to achieve its intended results and strategic outcomes. When the Government announces a major policy, it is typically the result of the efforts of multiple government organizations, including PCO. Nonetheless, PCO believes it is important for the organization to demonstrate to Parliament and to Canadians the value brought by achieving our strategic outcomes and intended results. At the time of writing of this RPP, a project is underway to develop PCO’s performance measurement framework.

For this program activity, Table 4 presents PCO’s expected results with a corresponding set of preliminary performance indicators. As part of the performance measurement project noted above, PCO is also investigating suitable approaches to collecting the data and information required to support the indicators.

Table 4—Performance Indicators for Secretariats and Advisors Activity

The ways in which the Secretariats and Advisors activity supports the four priorities outlined earlier are summarized below:

• Focus on key policy areas—A considerable portion of the resources of this activity is devoted to providing the Prime Minister, ministers and Cabinet with information and advice on the development and implementation of the Government agenda. PCO staff work closely with federal departments and other stakeholders to ensure policy analysis and solutions are developed to address the complex issues that face Canada. In particular, effective approaches to collaboration with stakeholders are essential to establish needed partnerships with provinces, territories and other stakeholders on issues that transcend jurisdictions and sectors, in order to integrate diverse perspectives and to present a coherent government-wide approach.

• Conduct medium term policy planning—PCO will assist the Government in defining its medium-term objectives, directions and priorities. This includes the work of the Policy Research Initiative ¹³  to advancing research on emerging issues that are highly relevant to the federal government’s medium-term policy agenda, and to ensure the effective transfer of this knowledge to PCO senior staff and policy-makers across the federal government.

• Improve the management of Government—Areas of focus of PCO include developing strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of the overall Cabinet decision-making system and fostering a 21^st century public service.

• Strengthen PCO’s internal management practices—Like all federal departments, PCO is working to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its internal management practices. The Clerk’s annual Corporate Priorities incorporate several initiatives that reflect this government-wide goal. PCO is focused on ensuring that these initiatives, including implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act and the Management Accountability framework are implemented within its own organization.

 B. Strategic Outcome #2

1. Program Activity: Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others

a) Financial Resources (thousands of dollars)

b) Human Resources (full-time equivalents)

PCO provides administrative support to commissions of inquiry, task forces and others. Each commission gathers information and reports under specific terms of reference or undertakes independent projects or studies. For 2005-2006, PCO will support the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar and funding support will also be secured for the ongoing work of the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities. This strategic outcome also includes the Policy Research Initiative.

c) Expected Results and Performance Indicators

Table 5 identifies key performance indicators for this activity.

Table 5—Performance Indicators for Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others Activity

It should be noted that this document focuses strictly on PCO’s support role towards commissions of inquiry and, since these entities are of an independent nature, it does not cover any information relating to their mandate, work, priorities or performance. The reader can find this type of information on the individual websites of these inquiries (Refer to Section IV for website addresses). However, the mandate of the Policy Research Initiative is currently under review and, beginning in 2005-2006, it is proposed to integrate its functions more closely with those of PCO in general. Consequently, while resources associated with this organization are reported under this Strategic Outcome and Program Activity, all information related to its work, priorities and performance is reflected under Strategic Outcome #1, Program Activity “Secretariats and Advisors”.

SECTION III – SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

A. Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament, the 2005-2006 Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP) for the Privy Council Office.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide to the Preparation of Part III of the Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities.

• It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board Secretariat guidance;

• It uses an approved program activity architecture (PAA) structure, although a wording change has been applied to strategic outcome #2 in order to better reflect the intent of the organization;

• It provides a basis of accountability for the results achieved with the resources and authorities entrusted to it; and

• It reports finances based on approved planned spending numbers from the Treasury Board Secretariat.

 ____________________________________________

Alex Himelfarb
Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet
February 2005

B. Organizational Information

This section provides an overview of the organization of the Privy Council Office.

1. Departmental Governance Structure for the Privy Council Office

a) The Department

The Privy Council Office (PCO) reports directly to the Prime Minister and is headed by the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet. It is both the Cabinet secretariat and the Prime Minister’s source of public service advice across the entire spectrum of policy questions and operational issues facing the Government, including matters relating to the management of the federation and constitutional development.

b) Strategic Outcomes

The Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, as the head of the department, is ultimately responsible for the achievement of the first strategic outcome –The policies and program agenda of the Government of Canada are well coordinated and the Government is well structured to respond efficiently to the needs of Canadians. A Senior Management team supports the Clerk in this regard and is considered the decision-making body within PCO. The Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, as the Senior Financial Officer, and the Director of Financial Services, as the Senior Full Time Financial Officer, provide support, advice and recommendations on all aspects of financial administration within the Department.

The second strategic outcome –Subjects that need investigation or further study are handled independently from the Government ¹⁵  – consists of funding, as required, for commissions of inquiry appointed to make recommendations on specific issues and for the Task Forces and other persons or bodies that need to operate independently from PCO, while still receiving the appropriate level of administrative services from the department.

Due to their independent nature and for administrative purposes, commissions of inquiry established under the Inquiries Act appear under PCO; however, the spending of each commission is directly and solely the responsibility of the respective commissioner. The Financial Administration Act provides for the designation of commissions of inquiry as departments for purposes of the Act, which requires that financial administration of commissions of inquiry be carried out under the same controls as government departments. Further, while Commissioners have authority to engage the services of persons whom they deem necessary to assist with the Inquiry, including Counsel, the rates of remuneration paid to such persons are subject to Treasury Board approval. A Chairperson is usually designated to manage task forces and is accountable for the work of the task force. Treasury Board policies and guidelines apply in the management of task forces or other such entities.

c) Program Activities

1. Office of the Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is responsible and accountable for expenditures charged to his Office whether by him directly or on his behalf. The Prime Minister has a Chief of Staff to assist him in the administration of the Office budget.

2. Ministers’ Offices

Ministers are individually responsible and accountable for expenditures charged to their offices whether by them directly or on their behalf. Often the Minister will seek the assistance of his Chief of Staff with the administration of the office budget. Figure 3 provides the organization chart.

Figure 3—Ministers’ Offices Organization Chart

3. Secretariats and Advisors

The Clerk is responsible and accountable for expenditures charged to this program activity. A Senior Management team assists with the management of this program activity.

Further information including the organizational chart and detailed description of each area is available on the PCO website.

4. Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others

Commissioners appointed to each commission are fully accountable for the management of the Inquiry. A Commissioner will seek the assistance of his Executive Director or equivalent with the administration of the Commission’s budget.

A Chairperson is usually designated to manage Task Forces or other such entities and is accountable for the work of these entities. A Chairperson will seek the assistance of his Executive Director or equivalent with the administration of the Task Force’s budget.

In 2005-2006, this activity comprises the following:

• Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar¹⁶;

• Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities ¹⁶  ; and,

• Policy Research Initiative ¹⁷.

C. Tables

The following financial tables are relevant to PCO:

• Table 6 — Departmental Planned Spending and Full Time Equivalents

• Table 6a) — Detailed 2004-2005 Supplementary Estimates

• Table 6b) — Departmental Planned Spending - Details Concerning  Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others

• Table 6c) — Departmental Planned Spending – Explanations of Major Net  Spending Variations

• Table 7 — Program Activities

• Table 8 — Voted and Statutory Items listed in Main Estimates

• Table 9 — Net Cost of Department

• Table 10 — Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenue

• Table 11 — Resource Requirement by Branch

 In order to show the full cost of program activities, planned spending and FTE’s related to Corporate Services have been allocated to our program activities. This approach is new for 2005-2006, since Corporate Services was, in the past, presented separately.

Table 6 — Departmental Planning Spending and Full-Time Equivalents
This table summarizes the Main Estimates plus Supplementary Estimates, Budget announcements and other adjustments to arrive at PCO’s total planned spending requirement. It also identifies the planned full-time equivalent (FTE) levels over the planning period.

Table 6a) — Detailed 2004-2005 Supplementary Estimates

Table 6b) — Departmental Planned Spending - Details Concerning Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others

Table 6c) — Departmental Planned Spending – Explanations of Major Net Spending Variations

• a decrease of $40.0 million pertaining to the termination of certain items related to the funding of following: the Commission of Inquiry into the Sponsorship Program and Advertising Activities ²⁶, the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar ²⁶, PCO’s budget related to Commissions of Inquiry ²⁶, the Indian Specific Claims Commission and the External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation; and to one-time items such as the department’s 2004-2005 Operating Budget Carry Forward;

•  a decrease of $2.3 million related to reductions approved by the Expenditure Review Committee; and,

• a decrease of $2.8 million mainly related to Employee Benefit Plan adjustments.

 Offset by:

• an increase of $11.0 million to fund non-discretionary pressures and new initiatives ; and,

• an increase of $1.8 million mainly related to transfers to the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and to the Office of Infrastructure of Canada.

• a decrease of $17.2 million mainly related to the termination of the funding for certain activities such as the Commission of Inquiry into the Actions of Canadian Officials in Relation to Maher Arar; and,

• a decrease of $4.5 million related to one-time initiatives of the Implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages and additional reductions approved by the Expenditure Review Committee.

• a decrease of $2.1 million related to additional reductions approved by the Expenditure Review Committee.

Table 7 — Program Activities

This table represents PCO’s Main Estimates for 2005-2006, by budgetary item and by Program Activity. The total planned spending is arrived at by adding the planned adjustments to the 2005-2006 Main Estimates. PCO does not have any non-budgetary items in its Main Estimates.

Table 8 — Voted and Statutory Items Listed in Main Estimates

This table represents the ministry summary table that is presented in the Main Estimates. Parliament approves the voted funding and the statutory amounts are presented for information purposes only. The 2004-2005 Main Estimates are also presented for comparison purposes.  

Table 9 — Net Cost of Department

This table represents the net cost of PCO by adding the costs of services received without charge from other government departments and by subtracting non-respendable revenue.

Table 10 — Sources of Respendable and Non-Respendable Revenue

This table summarizes PCO’s non-respendable revenue by Program Activity and by source.

Table 11 — Resource Requirement by Branch

This table represents the 2005-2006 planned spending by Branch. This table is new for
2005-2006 since previous years’ planned spending was only presented at the equivalent of program activity.

Table 12 — Major Regulatory Initiatives

While PCO does not administer any major or significant regulations, it is responsible for coordinating the implementation of the Smart Regulation Strategy, which is designed to improve the functioning of the entire regulatory system.

Table 13 — Horizontal Initiatives

Over the next year, the Privy Council Office will lead the following horizontal initiative:

2005-06
1. Action Plan for Official Languages (lead department).

Further information on the above-mentioned horizontal initiative is available at: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/default.asp?Language=E&Page=Publications&doc=RPP2005-2006/horizontal-initiatives_e.htm 

SECTION IV – OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST 

A.Proposed Changes for 2005-2006

PCO plans to implement the following changes in 2005-2006:

• The Program Activity Architecture (PAA) outlined in Section II is currently under review. Once the review is completed, the revised PAA will be submitted to Treasury Board Secretariat for approval.

• The mandate of the Policy Research Initiative is currently being revised in order to integrate it more closely into the core business of PCO. Therefore, during 2005-2006, the Policy Research Initiative's resources will be re-aligned under Strategic Outcome #1, and will support the expected result “Cabinet receives sound advice on the development and implementation of the policy agenda” (see Figure 2).

B. For Further Information

Endnotes

¹ PCO is reporting only on key departmental priorities in this RPP. Therefore, the category “all other PCO activities” includes the costs of all remaining functions related to, for example, the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministers’ Offices and commissions of inquiry as well as ongoing responsibilities such as the provision of legal advice and security operations.

² A wording change has been applied to strategic outcome #2 in order to better reflect the intent of the organization.

³ The October 5^th, 2004 Speech from the Throne is available at: http://www.pm.gc.ca/eng/sft-ddt.asp 

⁴ Further information on the Canada-Aboriginal Peoples Roundtable of April 19, 2004 is available at: http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/nr/iss/cab/index_e.html 

⁵ Further information on the Securing an Open Society: Canada’s National Security Policy is available at: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/docs/Publications/
NatSecurnat/natsecurnat_e.pdf 

⁶ Further information on the New Deal for Cities and Communities is available at: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/ndcc/index_e.shtml 

⁷ Further information on these research projects is available at: www.policyresearch.gc.ca 

⁸ The Action Plan for Democratic Reform is available at: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/default.asp?
Language=E&Page=publications&Sub=dr-rd&
Doc=dr-rd_doc_e.htm 

⁹ Funding for the implementation of the Smart Regulation strategy is being provided for 2005-2006.

¹⁰ Further information on the External Advisory Committee on Smart Regulation is available at: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/smartreg-regint/ 

¹¹  The Clerk’s Corporate Priorities for 2004-2005 are available at: http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/default.asp?
Language=E&Page=PCOsSecretariats&Sub=mpsp&
doc=pmp_dma_priorities_e.htm 

¹² A wording change has been applied to strategic outcome #2 in order to better reflect the intent of the organization.

¹³ The resources associated with the Policy Research Initiative currently fall under strategic outcome #2, as described in the next section. However, its mandate is currently under review, and beginning in 2005-2006, it is proposed that the Policy Research Initiative will be moved to strategic outcome #1. For further details, see Section IV—Other Items of Interest.

¹⁴ A wording change has been applied to strategic outcome #2 in order to better reflect the intent of the organization.

¹⁵A wording change has been applied to strategic outcome #2 in order to better reflect the intent of the organization.

¹⁶ The scope of work for these commissions is being reviewed and appropriate resource levels will be sought through Supplementary Estimates.

¹⁷ The Policy Research Initiative currently fall under the activity Commissions of Inquiry, Task Forces and Others. However, its mandate is currently under review, and beginning in 2005-2006, it is proposed that the Policy Research Initiative will be moved to the Secretariats and\ Advisors activity. For further details, see Section IV—Other Items of Interest.

¹⁸ The 2004-2005 Main Estimates have been adjusted from $141,861K to $141,734K to reflect the reduction of $127K as voted by Parliament.

¹⁹ See Table 6a) for details pertaining to Supplementary Estimates.

²⁰ Adjustments to Statutory Items represents the Employee Benefit Plan amounts related to items in the Supplementary Estimates.

²¹ These items include $6,939K for Commissions related work (2005-2006), and $1,999K for Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Initiatives (2005-2006 and ongoing).

²² Starting in 2005-2006, subject to the approval of a recent review, the Policy Research Initiative will report under Secretariats and Advisors.

²³ Some adjustments were required to reduce the Corporate Services allocation since it was overestimated in the Main Estimates.

²⁴ The Indian Specific Claims Commission was transferred to Indian Affairs and Northern Development on July 20, 2004.

²⁵ Funding for the Commissions will be obtained through Supplementary Estimates.

²⁶ The scope of work for these activities is being reviewed and appropriate resource levels will be sought through Supplementary Estimates.

²⁷ The 2004-2005 Main Estimates have been adjusted from $141,861K to $141,734K to reflect the reduction of $127K as voted by Parliament.

²⁸ The scope of work for these activities is being reviewed and appropriate resource levels will be sought through Supplementary Estimates.