ARCHIVED - Canada Public Service Agency

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President's Message

As President of the Treasury Board of Canada, I am pleased to present the 2008�09 Departmental Performance Report of the Canada Public Service Agency (the Agency).

As of March 2, 2009, the Agency was consolidated into a new Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) that, along with parts of the Secretariat that deal with pensions and benefits, labour relations and compensation, is now housed in the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. This represents an important restructuring of people management in the public service of Canada.

Today's public service, like all employers, operates in an increasingly complex environment marked by changing demographics and one of the most competitive and diverse labour markets we have seen in years. The newly created OCHRO puts the Government in an even better position to ensure the public service adapts to these challenges and continues its renewal. It will reduce overlap and duplication and give deputy ministers the flexibility they need to better manage, attract, and develop their employees.

The OCHRO will build on the achievements and efforts of the past year. These include the support provided to departments to foster ethical leadership and achieve a representative and accessible workplace that reflects Canada's linguistic duality. It also includes the expert advice and guidance provided to the human resources community to simplify the process to get the right people in the right jobs, a key objective of the landmark Public Service Modernization Act.

The employees of OCHRO have an important mandate to ensure the public service continues to be the vibrant and professional organization Canadians can rely on, especially in these difficult economic times. I have no doubt they will live up to the chanllenges.

Original signed by

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

Section I: Agency Overview

Summary Information

Raison d'�tre

Operating Environment

In the summer of 2008, six central human resources (HR) organizations conducted a horizontal strategic review of the central HR management functions they deliver to support government departments and agencies (HR Strategic Review). The organizations were (1) the Canada Public Service Agency, (2) the Canada School of Public Service, (3) the Public Service Commission of Canada, (4) the Public Service Labour Relations Board, (5) the Public Service Staffing Tribunal and (6) the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (specifically, the HR functions in the Labour Relations and Compensation Operations Sector, the Pensions and Benefits Sector and the Expenditure Management Sector).

Through this exercise, over $250 million in funding dedicated to central human resources management and policy functions was reviewed. The aim was to better align roles and responsibilities across the central human resource management organizations to ensure that investments in HR activities were effective and efficient and that deputy ministers had the flexibility and controls they needed to better attract, develop and manage their employees.^[1]

The primary result of this review was that, effective March 2, 2009, a new Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) was created by combining the functions of the Canada Public Service Agency and those parts of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat dealing with Pensions and Benefits and Labour Relations and Compensation�all to be housed within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Consequently, this departmental performance report is the last that will be tabled on behalf of the former Canada Public Service Agency.

Strategic Outcome and Program Activity Architecture

The chart below illustrates the Agency's program activity architecture (PAA), which is the framework of activities and subactivities that contributed to the achievement of the Agency's strategic outcome.

Performance Summary

The following tables provide a summary of the Agency's total financial and human resources.

(a) The difference of $27.8 million between Total Authorities ($92.4 million) and Planned Spending ($64.6 million) is mainly attributable to funding increases approved through Supplementary Estimates during the year. These differences include $12.5 million for the Agency's program integrity, as well as additional program funding of $7.5 million, and other transfers such as operating budget carry forward and collective agreements funding of $7.8 million.

Total Authorities of $92.4 million less Actual Spending of $84.8 million result in lapsing funds of $7.6 million. The lapse was mainly caused by the reduction in staffing and the cancellation of multi-year projects in anticipation of the HR Strategic Review reductions.

(b) Actual Spending of $84.8 million includes operating expenditures of $4.6  million for participants in leadership programs and $9.6 million for the provision of corporate services by the Department of Finance Canada.

(c) Reported FTEs do not include the 70 FTEs participating in leadership development programs, although part of the salaries of these individuals is included in actual expenditures.

(d) Actual FTEs exceeded planned because the Agency received additional program funding and FTEs during the year.

The above table provides a performance summary of three of the Agency's four program activities (PA) for 2008�09. Human and financial resources associated with Internal Services (PA 4) are allocated across the Agency's other PAs in accordance with Treasury Board reporting guidelines.

The Agency's spending has decreased from the 2007�08 fiscal year. The net decrease in the spending trend is mostly due to the following:

• Increased spending (PA 1) on the previously approved initiative (Classification Program) and decreased spending (PA 1) due to the sunsetting of programs in 2008�09, such as Values and Ethics;
• Decreased spending (PA 2) on the previously approved initiative (Joint Learning Program) and decreased spending (PA 2) due to the sunsetting of programs in 2008�09, such as Implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act; and
• Decreased spending (PA 3) due to delays in project funding.

Actual Spending was less than Total Authorities across all program activities because of some work delays resulting from delays in funding and the decrease in staffing and cancellation of projects in anticipation of the HR Strategic Review reductions.

Expenditure Profile

The Agency spent a total of $84.8 million in support of its strategic outcome. The strategic outcome is supported by three main program activity areas. The proportional distribution of spending is shown below.

Voted and Statutory Items

This table illustrates the way in which Parliament approved CPSA resources. It shows the changes in resources derived from Supplementary Estimates and other authorities as well as how funds were spent.

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