Improved Reporting to Parliament
Pilot Document
Each year, the government prepares Estimates in support of its
request to Parliament for authority to spend public monies. This request is
formalized through the tabling of appropriation bills in Parliament.
The Estimates of the Government of Canada are structured in
several parts. Beginning with an overview of total government spending in Part
I, the documents become increasingly more specific. Part II outlines spending
according to departments, agencies and programs and contains the proposed
wording of the conditions governing spending which Parliament will be asked to
approve.
The Report on Plans and Priorities provides additional
detail on each department and its programs primarily in terms of more
strategically oriented planning and results information with a focus on
outcomes.
The Departmental Performance Report provides a focus on
results-based accountability by reporting on accomplishments achieved against
the performance expectations and results commitments as set out in the spring Report
on Plans and Priorities.
The Estimates, along with the Minister of Finance's Budget,
reflect the government's annual budget planning and resource allocation
priorities. In combination with the subsequent reporting of financial results in
the Public Accounts and of accomplishments achieved in Departmental Performance
Reports, this material helps Parliament hold the government to account for the
allocation and management of funds.
İMinister of Public Works and Government Services Canada --
2002
Available in Canada through your local bookseller or by mail
from
Canadian Government Publishing -- PWGSC
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0S9
Catalogue No. BT31-4/11-2002
ISBN 0-660-62150-9
Foreword
In the spring of 2000, the President of the Treasury Board tabled in
Parliament the document "Results for Canadians: A Management Framework for the
Government of Canada". This document sets a clear agenda for improving and
modernising management practices in federal departments and agencies.
Four key management commitments form the basis for this vision of how the
Government will deliver their services and benefits to Canadians in the new
millennium. In this vision, departments and agencies recognise that they exist
to serve Canadians and that a "citizen focus" shapes all activities,
programs and services. This vision commits the Government of Canada to manage
its business by the highest public service values. Responsible spending means
spending wisely on the things that matter to Canadians. And finally, this vision
sets a clear focus on results - the impact and effects of programs.
Departmental performance reports play a key role in the cycle of planning,
monitoring, evaluating, and reporting of results through ministers to Parliament
and citizens. Departments and agencies are encouraged to prepare their reports
following certain principles. Based on these principles, an effective report
provides a coherent and balanced picture of performance that is brief and to the
point. It focuses on outcomes - benefits to Canadians and Canadian society
- and describes the contribution the organisation has made toward those
outcomes. It sets the and discusses risks and challenges faced by the
organisation in delivering its commitments. The report also associates
performance with earlier commitments as well as achievements realised in
partnership with other governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Supporting the need for responsible spending, it links resources to results.
Finally, the report is credible because it substantiates the performance
information with appropriate methodologies and relevant data.
In performance reports, departments and agencies strive to respond to the
ongoing and evolving information needs of parliamentarians and Canadians. The
input of parliamentarians and other readers can do much to improve these reports
over time. The reader is encouraged to assess the performance of the
organisation according to the principles outlined above, and provide comments to
the department or agency that will help it in the next cycle of planning and
reporting.
This report is accessible electronically from the Treasury Board of Canada
Secretariat Internet site:
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/rma/dpr/dpre.asp
Comments or questions can be directed to this Internet site or to:
Results-based Management Directorate
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
or to this Internet address: rma-mrr@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Departmental Performance Report 2001/2002
The Honourable Lawrence MacAuley, P.C., M.P.
Solicitor General of Canada
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