The first phase of the Improved
Reporting to Parliament Project (IRPP) began in 1994 in collaboration with a
parliamentary working group. On a Part III of the
Estimates was split into two reports: Departmental Performance Reports tabled
in the fall and Reports on Plans and Priorities in the spring.
Since the fall of 1996, electronic
versions of Estimates reports have been available on-line
The second phase of the project began in 1999 as proposed in the Government's
Response to the 51st
Report of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (often
referred to as the Catterall-Williams Report). It focused on building
ongoing collaborative partnerships between parliamentarians and officials,
further improving the Estimates information provided to committees, and
streamlining reporting. It also sought to improve the Government's financial
accountability framework as part of modernizing comptrollership.
The introduction of Results
for Canadians: A Management Framework for the Government of Canada in
March 2000 and the Government's move to results-based management and accrual
accounting have since positioned it well to further improve reporting to
Parliament.
The President's annual report, Canada's
Performance, offers a good example of progress achieved to improve
reporting and make better use of electronic links to additional information:
- It provides integrated performance information on government
outcomes and progress across federal areas of enduring interest (i.e. health,
environment, economy, and communities);
- It provides context for the review of information provided in
departmental Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPPs) and Departmental Performance
Reports (DPRs);
- Its electronic version acts as a road map to these reports,
providing electronic drill downs to more detailed departmental planning and
performance information, audits and evaluations; and
- Groups departments and agencies that contribute to similar
outcomes, thereby facilitating horizontal or whole-of-government thinking.
Information on horizontal initiatives is available on-line at the Government's
Horizontal Results Database.
Budget 2003 re-iterated the Government's commitment to improve its
reporting to Parliament and "make greater use of electronic reporting on
expenditures and the results achieved by government programs and activities".
The June 2003 release of the Management Accountability Framework, against
which management performance is now assessed, reaffirms the expectation that
deputy ministers provide departmental reports that are balanced, transparent,
and easy to understand.
The September 2003 Report of the Standing Committee on Government
Operations and Estimates, Meaningful
Scrutiny: Practical Improvements to the Estimates Process acknowledged
that the reporting process was a "real improvement on previous reporting"
and made valuable recommendations for further improvements.
The Government's
Response to that Report was tabled in February 2004, shortly after tabling
its Democratic
Reform Action Plan and was followed by Budget
2004. All three documents highlighted the importance of improved
reporting to Parliament as key to increased transparency and accountability and
the Government's ongoing commitment to that effect.
|
