III
The Public Sector of the
Government of Canada
In order to understand the reforms that are under way in the
public sector, we need to have a good understanding of the public
sector of the Government of Canada as it is today.
Diversity of the public sector
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There is great diversity in the public sector |
There is great diversity in the public
sector. Today the public sector of the Government of Canada is
composed of 24 departments; 37 Crown corporations; 26
tribunals and quasi-judicial bodies; and at least 48 service
agencies of different types. Each organization exists for a
purpose, and has its own role and its own culture.
Each type of organization is best suited to perform certain
types of work. They differ from one another by their management
regimes, the degree of flexibility granted to managers, and the
nature of the accountability framework for ministers and
employees.
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A minister oversees a family, or portfolio, of
independent but related organizations |
The public sector of the Government of
Canada today provides the equivalent of 370,000 full-time jobs of
which less than half, about 170,000, are in departments. Each
organization reports to a minister and through the minister to
Parliament. A minister, therefore, oversees a family, or
portfolio, of independent but related organizations. Generally a
minister oversees
- A department -- to serve the needs of its
minister and the government; to shape laws and policies;
and to provide those services that require regular
ministerial oversight and direction.
Departmental acts give a minister general authority for
management and direction of the department. They also
designate the deputy minister as the deputy head of the
department and responsible for its financial and human
resources management. The deputy is answerable to the
minister for the quality of management and advice
provided by the department and for any actions taken by
departmental officials.
- Service agencies -- to provide services within
an agreed-upon policy and legislative framework. These
agencies are usually managed on the basis of greater
accountability for results and require only general
ministerial monitoring. Many are created by statute,
which further defines their accountability.
Usually, the minister is responsible (and must answer)
for agencies. While the power and accountability
relationships between heads of agencies, Parliament and
the minister for each agency vary, the head of the agency
usually has responsibility for its management, under the
direction of the minister.
- Crown corporations -- to provide businesslike
services within an agreed-upon policy and legislative
framework. Ministers oversee these corporations by
approving their multi-year business plans and tabling
their annual reports to Parliament.
Crown corporations have their own statutes that spell out
the responsibilities of the minister, board of directors,
and head of the corporation. These corporations are
responsible to Parliament through ministers, whose role
includes recommending to the Governor in Council the
names of prospective members for the board of directors,
approving business plans before submitting them to
Treasury Board, and tabling annual reports. The president
of a Crown corporation is the chief executive officer
who, on behalf of the board of directors, directs and
controls the business of the corporation.
- Tribunals -- to make decisions or hear appeals
to give effect to government policies at arm's length
from the government and on an independent basis. Their
independence is key to their effectiveness.
The minister is answerable in general to Parliament for
the activities of tribunals in his or her portfolio, but
maintains an arm's-length relationship. The minister's
role is generally limited to making recommendations to
the Governor in Council on appointment of members to the
tribunals, and tabling annual reports. The chairperson is
usually the chief executive officer of a tribunal, and
supervises and directs the work and staff of the
tribunal.
These models are part of the current reality of the
public sector of the Government of Canada. Each one has its
advantages and disadvantages, and each is undergoing change. In
the past, as in the future, one model did not and will not fit
all.
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More diversity is likely to emerge |
Over the coming years, it is a fair
assumption that more diversity (not less) is likely to emerge as
the government experiments with
- Integrated service delivery among departments and among
governments
- New information technologies
The challenge is to encourage experimentation, but to guide it
in a manner that is respectful of the basic values and principles
of the public sector, that maintains the necessary accountability
of ministers, and that ensures appropriate parliamentary
oversight.
Core functions of the public sector
Last year's report discussed the core functions of the public
sector at some length. These are
- To support the government and ministers by helping to
shape policies and laws for the future
- To serve citizens by delivering services under existing
laws and policies
Now that the fundamental role of the Government
of Canada has been largely redefined, it is time to look at how
the public sector can best carry out its dual role of delivering
services to citizens in today's society and providing policy
support to government and ministers. Chapter IV will report
progress made since last year on improving service delivery.
Chapter V discusses strengthening policy capacity.
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