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Departmental Performance Report 2006–2007

As President of the Treasury Board of Canada, I am pleased to present the 2006-07 Departmental Performance Report of the Canada Public Service Agency, formerly called the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada.

The Agency is part of the Treasury Board portfolio, along with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Canada School of Public Service. It plays a vital role in helping to modernize human resources management in the public service of Canada. It also works with departments and agencies to foster ethical leadership and achieve a representative and accessible workplace.

I am proud of the results we have achieved over the past year. The coming into force of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act in April 2007 was a major milestone. This legislation protects public servants and Canadians who report wrongdoing in the federal government. It is also a key part of the Federal Accountability Act and an ongoing commitment of the Government of Canada to restore public trust in federal institutions.

The Agency continued to make important progress in facilitating the way employees are hired, developed and managed—notably by leading the implementation of the new Public Service Modernization Act. A major focus has been updating and streamlining human resources practices and policies across the government. This work will strengthen the ability of public servants to deliver timely services that respond to the evolving needs of Canadians.

The emerging human resources regime forms part of the foundation for renewing the public service. Canada's aging work force and labour-market trends are creating significant recruitment and retention pressures on all employers, including the public service. In this increasingly challenging and competitive environment, Canadians should expect a strong public service that can continue to deliver results. This is why the government has made public service renewal an ongoing priority, and has developed specific goals and timeframes for action. Going forward, the Agency will continue to play a central support role through its broad range of activities to make public service renewal a reality and foster excellence in managing people across the public service.

I invite parliamentarians and Canadians to read this report and recognize our shared interest in public service renewal and excellence.

The paper version was signed by

Vic Toews, P.C., Q.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board

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Management Representation Statement

I submit for tabling in Parliament the 2006–07 Departmental Performance Report for the Canada Public Service Agency.

This document has been prepared based on the reporting principles contained in the Guide for the Preparation of Part III of the 2006–07 Estimates: Reports on Plans and Priorities and Departmental Performance Reports.

It adheres to the specific reporting requirements outlined in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat guidance.

It is based on the department's approved Program Activity Architecture structure as reflected in its Management Resources and Results Structure.

It presents consistent, comprehensive, balanced and reliable information.

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

It reports finances based on approved numbers from the Estimates and the Public Accounts of Canada in the Departmental Performance Report.

The paper version was signed by

Nicole Jauvin, President
Canada Public Service Agency

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Section I: Summary information

Overview

The Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada, now referred to as the Canada Public Service Agency, serves as the focal point for the people management of the public service of Canada as it works toward establishing a work force and workplace that is second to none.

In striving toward this goal, the Agency exercises leadership through policy and partnerships, delivers services that support public servants, managers and the human resource (HR) community; and supports the overall integrity of the HR management system through monitoring, measuring and reporting. With these tools, the Agency supports federal departments, agencies and institutions in delivering advice to the government and services to Canadians.

Areas of activity

These functions are undertaken across a wide range of people management areas, including:

• learning
• leadership development
• executive HR management
• public service values and ethics
• official languages
• employment equity and diversity
• classification
• employment policy

Partnerships

One of the most fundamental characteristics that mark how these activities are undertaken within the Agency is the emphasis placed on partners and collaboration. For instance, our efforts on learning reflect a close working relationship with the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS), the common service provider for learning in the public service. Our understanding of the end-to-end process for staffing in the public service is informed by the Public Service Commission (PSC), which has a mandate to oversee the integrity of the federal staffing system. When work occurs on classification, its impact on compensation, which falls under the leadership of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), is taken into consideration.

These organizations form the core of an even broader people management partnership that spans the core public administration of more than 185,000 employees from 84 organizations, which are the target of most of the Agency's programs. In addition, the Agency's activities in support of the Official Languages Act (OLA) and the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act (PSDPA) cover a wider sector, targeting over 380,000 employees spread across more than 160 institutions.

Within these many organizations, partners are found at all levels and areas of responsibility. They are deputy ministers, human resource (HR) professionals, managers and public servants. They are the ones who operate the people management system, the ones who learn, the ones who teach, the ones who hire along with many others. It is the Agency's responsibility to support their efforts to ensure that a working environment that is conducive to successfully serving the government and Canadians is in place.

It is also the Agency's responsibility to help ensure that the people management needs of these communities of public servants are met. Champions, networks and communities of interest are established to better understand those needs. They also provide the information that the Agency prepares to support effective people management in the public service. The year 2006–07 was an important period for building and reinforcing these networks, particularly in terms of continued efforts to maximize the impact of the changes to HR management that were part of the Public Service Modernization Act (PSMA).

Policies and services

A significant portion of the Agency's efforts reflect its responsibility for advising Treasury Board (TB) Ministers on the appropriate policy environment for effective people management in the public service. These policies (as well as guidelines and directives) ensure that public servants, regardless of where they are employed in the public service are part of a working environment that maximizes productivity and effectiveness. In this regard, 2006–07 reflected a period of renewal as the people management policies of the TB were updated as part of the broader TB policy suite renewal exercise. These efforts are ongoing as part of a process of continuous improvement where policies are regularly re-evaluated to assess their application and impact.

Establishing the policies of people management is only the first element of a sequence of activities. Once in place, policies need to be communicated and integrated into the work environment. In this regard, interpretation services provide guidance on how policies are applied to specific situations. Communications and change management activities work on getting the right information to the right people, and on making sure this information is understood and applied as intended.

While the Agency does not provide transactional HR management services beyond direct support to deputy ministers (DMs), it does engage in a number of strategic services to support its policy responsibilities and the broader people management agenda. Its suite of leadership development programs provide learning and career management for program participants, helping to support broader efforts and strategies for succession planning. DMs are supported in staffing assistant deputy minister (ADM) positions, key positions in public service talent management. Awards and recognition programs provide a clear acknowledgement of exemplary performance by public servants, celebrating success and illustrating the kinds of efforts for which all should strive. Of particular note in 2006–07, the Agency's service focus was on developing tools and supports to help advance departments' integrated planning efforts, helping them to ensure a holistic approach to financial, HR and business planning. This year was also important for the Agency's Small Agency Transition Support team, which works with smaller federal organizations that lack in-house capacity to fully implement HR management modernization by themselves.

Integrity and sustainability

Leadership and service are two steps in a process of ensuring ongoing excellence in managing people. The third key element is ensuring the integrity and sustainability of people management in the public service. The Agency initiates activities to assess the strength of people management in departments and across the public service using the components of the Management Accountability Framework (MAF) linked to values and ethics and people management. Departments and agencies work with the Agency to determine the extent to which their workplace is fair, enabling, healthy and safe, and their work force is productive, principled, sustainable and adaptable. They are also assessed on the extent to which they have the leadership, organizational culture and infrastructure needed to embed public service values and ethics into their operations. These efforts are important to understand the state of people management in the public service, as well as to highlight specific departmental successes and areas for improvement. The Agency's efforts in 2006–07, the third year since the launch of the MAF, were very much focused on simplifying how departments reported to the Agency on their performance and ensuring that the indicators of success were accurate and appropriate.

Research is also an important component of understanding the state of people management, and it provides the base for evidence-based decision making. The results of the third Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) were particularly important in this regard in 2006–07 since they provided a comprehensive snapshot of the views of public servants across a wide array of people management issues.

Knowing the state of people management, both in the short and long term, is a vital part of direction setting. Equally important is reporting to public servants, parliamentarians and Canadians on our performance. Efforts related to progress on the PSMA are reported on annually. Annual reports are also made on how the public service is performing on official languages, employment equity, and values and ethics. Together, these efforts ensure that there is clarity on how well the public service is doing in each of these areas, and where it needs to go to improve its performance. The year 2006–07 was particularly important in terms of preparing the elements of the first annual report on HR management across the public service.

Finally, the Agency also acts as steward of the overall HR management system and associated processes. Work undertaken in 2006–07 laid the foundation for mapping the business processes related to HR management, a vital step in supporting efforts to streamline and simplify HR management.

From modernization to public service renewal

From its inception, the Agency has had a strong focus on the modernization of HR management, playing a central role in implementing the PSMA. Rebuilding the legislative framework for HR management, with its emphasis on employee development, collaborative labour relations and flexibility in staffing, was essential in laying the foundation for a modern and effective public service. In 2006–07, the Agency's mandate took on an added dimension when the government made public service renewal a high priority. Public service renewal encompasses modernization efforts to date and brings focus to the four following priority areas identified by the Clerk of the Privy Council in his 14th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service:

• Planning: Integrating business and HR planning to ensure capacity is in place to meet the needs of the government and Canadians;

• Recruitment: Renewing and sustaining capacity at all levels to ensure the public service has the right people and skills it needs now and in the future;

• Employee development: Fostering leadership at all levels and ensuring that employees have meaningful work to do in a supportive environment;

• Enabling infrastructure: Putting in place the systems and processes to support efficient, user-friendly planning, recruitment and development.

There are many imperatives for moving forward strongly on renewal, including: the nature of public service work is changing because of automation and the necessity to see and make linkages in an increasingly integrated and interrelated global environment. In addition, the public service is facing a tightening labour market driven by the demographic changes within Canadian society. These factors, and more, highlight the importance of ensuring that the public service has the work force and workplace to succeed in recruiting and retaining talented Canadians, now and in the future.

The Agency has had to adjust to the demands of helping to drive this agenda of renewal, with a strong emphasis placed on direction setting through the support it provides to the Deputy Ministers' Committee on Public Service Renewal and the Advisory Committee on the Public Service of Canada established by the Prime Minister. Although the Agency has been in the business of modernizing and renewing from its very beginnings, there is a heightened need to increase the pace of change and move forward now with deliverables that have a tangible impact on the lives of public servants.

The bulk of daily work at the Agency is focused on results that have a positive impact on the lives of public servants and that foster an effective public service based on sound people management. This is the context that explains Section II of this report, which has been written to clearly indicate what the Agency committed to do in 2006–07, the progress in fulfilling the commitment and the impact those efforts have had in terms of benefiting the Agency's clients who, as noted already, are also its partners: deputy ministers, HR professionals, managers and public servants. Every investment the Agency makes and the programs it operates support and help our clients and partners. Together they set the conditions for excellence in managing people and creating a high-quality work force and workplace to serve the government and deliver results for Canadians.

1.1  Financial and human resources

The following tables summarize the Agency's performance in 2006–07.

Financial resources ($ 000)

Planned Spending	Authorities	Actual Spending
104,710	108,068 (a)	96,369 (b)

(a) The difference of $3.4M between the Authorities of $108.1M and the Planned Spending of $104.7M is primarily attributable to the inclusion in the 2006–07 Authorities of a budget of $3.1M carried forward from 2005–06, as well as increases in funding related to collective agreements made available through the Supplementary Estimates.

(b) Actual Spending of $96.4M includes operating expenditures of $7.1M for participants in leadership programs and $8.7M for the provision of corporate services by the Department of Finance Canada (FIN), under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the delivery of shared services by the latter as a shared services organization.

Total Authorities of $108.1M less Actual Spending of $96.4M results in lapsing funds of $11.7M. A frozen allotment of $10.1M accounts for 86 percent of the lapse. The remaining $1.6M in unspent funds is a result of unforeseen delays in program implementation.

Human resources (full-time equivalents)

Planned Spending	Actual	Difference
667	608 (c)	-59

Planned and Actual human resources include 75 full-time equivalents (FTEs) for the provision of corporate services provided by FIN.

(c) Reported FTEs do not include the 93 FTEs participating in leadership development programs.

Financial resources by program activity (strategic outcome components)

2006–07 Program Activity (Strategic Outcome Components)	Type	Planned Spending ($ 000)	Total Authorities ($ 000)	Actual Spending ($ 000)	Overall Progress Status
Modernized HR Management and Strengthened Accountability	Ongoing	47,822	48,870	38,319	Progressed as planned with some areas realigned with public service renewal
optimize and sustain PSMA benefits in the long run modernize the Public Service Classification System strengthen planning, accountability, reporting, and transparency in HR management
Effective, Ethical Leadership and a Quality Work Environment	Ongoing	43,688	45,975	45,870	Progressed as planned with some areas realigned with public service renewal
foster effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal promote and embed public service values and ethics at all levels
Representative and Accessible Public Service	Ongoing	13,200	13,223	12,180	Progressed as planned with challenges in specific areas
achieve and preserve employment equity and diversity plans and priorities achieve and preserve official languages plans and priorities
Total for Agency		104,710	108,068	96,369

1.2 Department performance

As outlined above, the Agency articulates its priorities and plans around three interrelated program activities (or strategic outcome components). The following presents an overview of the Agency's most significant achievements for each program activity. Detailed summary tables of the progress made on all program activities are provided in Section II of this report.

1.3 Modernized HR management and strengthened accountability

This program activity is at the heart of the modernization of HR management in the federal public service and lays the foundation for a renewed public service. It is a prerequisite for successful people management and supports the increased delegation of HR management functions that resulted from the PSMA. It also contributes to strengthening accountability, transparency and trust in the public service as a whole. While much has been accomplished in this area, more remains to be done. To that end, the Agency's plans and priorities for 2006–07 were articulated around three key areas:

• optimizing and sustaining PSMA benefits in the long run;

• modernizing the Public Service Classification System; and

• strengthening HR planning, accountability, reporting and transparency.

Optimizing and sustaining PSMA benefits in the long run

The Agency has made steady progress in developing the new mechanisms and infrastructure that support the PSMA, whose many components had come into force by December 2005. This ongoing work not only ensures that the right mechanisms are in place, but also establishes an environment where they will be used successfully. It is designed to give managers a greater say in HR decisions and facilitate the way public servants are hired, managed and developed. These activities, especially in the way they offer support to managers, are all priority areas for the Agency. This work is also important to the renewal agenda, which builds on the benefits and flexibilities of existing initiatives such as the PSMA.

Highlights:

• Departments and agencies were assisted in moving to more efficient and standardized HR processes and information management systems.

• The Agency's Public Service Renewal Taskforce started work on a strategy that integrated the four priority areas and identified drivers for action.

• The reporting burden on small agencies was decreased, collective recruitment efforts were developed and succession planning was supported.

Modernizing the Public Service Classification System

The Agency continued to make progress in updating and modernizing the classification standards of various occupational groups in the public service. The goal is to make the staffing system more effective, simple and flexible. In addition to establishing qualifications and standards of work, these activities link to pay equity, compensation, collective bargaining and labour relations. The Agency has been actively engaged in classification modernization since 2003 and is advancing in a tangible, systematic manner.

Highlights:

• A series of new classification standards were developed and approved in close collaboration with Agency partners. This will strengthen employee engagement and support career mobility. It will also make it easier for departments to hire appropriately qualified people and understand the development needs of their staff.

• A number of initiatives, tools and guidelines were implemented to enhance classification capacity in departments.

Strengthening HR planning, accountability, reporting and transparency

The new regime created by the PSMA has shifted primary responsibility for HR management away from central agencies to deputy heads and from HR professionals to line managers. This means managers now have more authority and flexibility—but also more responsibility and accountability—to manage their people, customize their staffing systems to meet the specific business needs of their organization, and greater flexibility and discretion to use their own judgment in assessing candidates and making staffing decisions. In this emerging environment, strengthening HR planning, accountability, reporting and transparency has become paramount.

Highlights:

• The Agency continued to support departments and agencies by providing them with assistance, tools and best practices to ensure that HR management is integrated with business goals and that the skills and competencies of employees are aligned with priorities.

• Assessments were conducted to ensure managers are accountable for their decisions, notably through the MAF and the People Component of the Management Accountability Framework (PCMAF). Work also started on integrating public service renewal performance measures into the PCMAF.

• HR management policies were reviewed or renewed to support deputy heads, managers and HR specialists in exercising their responsibilities.

• Strategies were developed to support major work force transitions.

1.4 Effective, ethical leadership and a quality work environment

Competent, ethical, accountable and vibrant leadership is a key factor in successful people management and, ultimately, successful public service operations. To that end, the Agency's plans and priorities for 2006–07 were articulated around two key areas:

• fostering strong, effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal; and

• promoting and embedding public service values and ethics at all levels.

Fostering strong, effective learning and ongoing leadership renewal

Leaders are found at all levels of an organization, and fostering leadership is instrumental to the sustainability of any work force. The Agency supports this objective through HR management, talent management and policy development for the executive community. In addition, the renewal of the leadership of the public service is supported by the Agency's leadership development programs, which develop key feeder and functional groups. Finally, the Agency's broader responsibilities in areas such as learning, leadership competencies, and awards and recognition ensure that leadership and excellence is promoted at all levels of the public service.

Highlights:

• The Agency supported the Clerk of the Privy Council, the Committee of Senior Officials, deputy heads and client departments through the implementation of the new Policy on Learning, Training and Development.

• A new Policy on the Management of Executives was also introduced.

• The Agency launched the Government of Canada Fellows Program, a senior executive exchange program between the federal public service and other sectors of society.

• An ADM talent management strategy was designed and launched.

• The Accelerated Executive Development Program specialist streams of HR, finance and law were introduced to meet the needs of functional communities corporate succession planning.

Promoting and embedding public service values and ethics at all levels

Values and ethics form the foundation for any strong culture of accountability, integrity and transparency. This is the guiding principle of the Agency's Office of Public Service Values and Ethics (OPSVE). Since its creation in 2003, the OPSVE has taken the lead in advancing public service values and ethics for the government. It provides sound and strategic policy advice to departments and agencies on numerous issues related to values, ethics, conflict of interest, post-employment, harassment, political activity, indemnification and assessment of organizational integrity.

Highlights:

• This year, the Agency supported the government in implementing the PSDPA, which came into force in April 2007. This legislation protects public servants and Canadians who report wrongdoings in the federal government.

• The OPSVE contributed to workshops and orientation sessions to ensure deputy heads, ADMs and other senior public service leaders are aware of and understand their values and ethics roles and responsibilities.

• The Agency initiated the development of a general workplace strategy for the government to develop healthy and productive workplaces.

1.5 A representative and accessible public service

The Agency helps foster a representative and accessible public service through the implementation of two key pieces of legislation.

• The Employment Equity Act, which is dedicated to achieving equality in the representation and participation of four designated groups: women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, and persons with disabilities.

• The OLA, which ensures service to Canadians in the official language of their choice, enables employees in bilingual regions to work in their language of choice and ensures equitable participation of English- and French-speaking Canadians.

To that end, the Agency's programs for 2006–07 were articulated around two key results:

• achieving and preserving employment equity plans and priorities; and

• achieving and preserving official languages plans and priorities.

Achieving and preserving employment equity plans and priorities

The Agency continues to provide policy leadership in building a more representative public service, assisting departments and agencies in meeting their targets and closely monitoring their progress. While women, Aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities are well represented in the public service, visible minorities remain under-represented. This will remain a priority area for action as Canada's visible minority population increases in the coming decades.

2006–07 Highlights:

• The Agency created the Public Service Renewal and Diversity Branch, demonstrating a commitment to achieving workplace diversity within the context of public service renewal.

• Through extensive consultations with various stakeholders—including the Employment Equity Council, the HR Council and bargaining agents—the Agency redeveloped policies relating to employment equity and duty to accommodate.

Achieving and preserving official languages plans and priorities

The Agency continued to make progress by fostering a shared vision of service in both official languages across the public service, with its efforts targeting approximately 200 institutions that are subject to Parts IV, V and VI of the OLA.

2006–07 Highlights:

• The Agency strengthened monitoring and reporting systems, bolstered its outreach activities and began work on a national information campaign to be launched in 2007–08.

• The Agency held its second "Best Practices Forum" regarding official languages.

• The Agency has put the Official Languages Management Dashboard at the disposal of institutions that are part of the core public administration.

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