for the year ended March 31, 2007 |
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1. Authority and Objectives |
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The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat (PACS) was established by Order in Council on April 21, 2006. The Secretariat was created to prepare the ground for the establishment of the Public Appointments Commission, whose mandate is described in the Federal Accountability Act. |
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The Commission and its Secretariat are within the portfolio of the Prime Minister, reflecting the prerogative of the Prime Minister with respect to Governor-in-Coucil appointments. |
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2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies |
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The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector. Significant accounting policies are as follows: |
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a) Parliamentary appropriations: The department is financed by the Government of Canada through Parliamentary appropriations. Appropriations provided to the department do not parallel financial reporting according to Canadian generally accepted accounting principles since appropriations are primarily based on cash flow requirements.
Consequently, items recognized in the statement of operations and the statement of financial position are not necessarily the same as those provided through appropriations from Parliament. Note 3 provides a high-level reconciliation between the bases of reporting. |
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b) Net Cash Provided by Government: Public Appointments Commission Secretariat operates within the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF). The CRF is administered by the Receiver General for Canada. All cash received by the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat is deposited to the CRF and all cash disbursements made by the department are paid
from the CRF. The net cash provided by Government is the difference between all cash receipts and all cash disbursements including transactions between departments of the federal government. |
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c) Change in net position in the Consolidated Revenue Fund is the difference between the net cash provided by Government and appropriations used in a year, excluding the amount of non-respendable revenue recorded by the Public Appointments Commission Secretariat. It results from timing differences between when a transaction affects
appropriations and when it is processed through the CRF. |
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d) Expenses - Expenses are recorded on the accrual basis: |
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- |
Contributions are recognized in the year in which the recipient has met the eligibility criteria or fulfilled the terms of a contractual transfer agreement. |
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- |
Vacation pay and compensatory leave are expensed as the benefits accrue to employees under their respective terms of employment. |
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- |
Services provided without charge by other government departments for accommodation, the employer’s contribution to the health and dental insurance plans and legal services are recorded as operating expenses at their estimated cost. |
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e) Employee future benefits: |
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i) |
Pension benefits: Eligible employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, a multi-employer plan administered by the Government of Canada. The department’s contributions to the Plan are charged to expenses in the year incurred and represent the total departmental obligation to the Plan. Current legislation does not require the Public
Appointments Commission Secretariat to make contributions for any actuarial deficiencies of the Plan. |
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ii) |
Severance benefits: Employees are entitled to severance benefits under labour contracts or conditions of employment. These benefits are accrued as employees render the services necessary to earn them. The obligation relating to the benefits earned by employees is calculated using information derived from the results of the actuarially determined liability
for employee severance benefits for the Government as a whole. |
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f) Measurement uncertainty: The preparation of these financial statements in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies which are consistent with Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities,
revenues and expenses reported in the financial statements. At the time of preparation of these statements, management believes these estimates and assumptions to be reasonable. The most significant items where estimates are used are contingent liabilities, the liability for employee severance benefits and the useful life of tangible capital assets. Actual results could
significantly differ from those estimated. Management’s estimates are reviewed periodically and, as adjustments become necessary, they are recorded in the financial statements in the year they become known. |
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3. Parliamentary Appropriations |
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The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat receives most of its funding through annual Parliamentary Appropriations. Items recognized in the statement of operations and the statement of financial position in one year may be funded through Parliamentary appropriations in prior, current or future years. Accordingly, the department has different net
results of operations for the year on a government funding basis than on an accrual accounting basis. The differences are reconciled in the following tables: |
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a) Reconciliation of net cost of operations to current year appropriation used: |
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2007 |
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(in thousands of dollars) |
Net cost of operations |
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843 |
Adjustments for items affecting net cost of operations but not affecting appropriations: |
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Add (Less) : |
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Vacation pay and compensatory leave |
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(25) |
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Services provided without charge by other government departments |
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(103) |
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Employee severance benefits |
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(82) |
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Current year appropriation used |
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633 |
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b) Appropriation provided and used: |
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2007 |
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(in thousands of dollars) |
Vote - Operating expenditures |
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986 |
Statutory amounts |
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54 |
Less: |
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Appropriations available for future years |
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0 |
Lapsed appropriations - Operating |
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(407) |
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Current year appropriation used |
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633 |
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c) Reconciliation of net cash provided by Government to current year appropriation used: |
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2007 |
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(in thousands of dollars) |
Net cash provided by the Government |
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579 |
Change in net position in the Consolidated Revenue Fund |
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Variation in accounts payable and accrued liabilities |
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54 |
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Current year appropriation used |
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633 |
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4. Employee Benefits |
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a) Pension benefits: The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat’s employees participate in the Public Service Pension Plan, which is sponsored and administered by the Government of Canada. Pension benefits accrue up to a maximum period of 35 years at a rate of 2 percent per year of pensionable service, times the average of the
best five consecutive years of earnings. The benefits are integrated with Canada/Québec Pension Plans benefits and are indexed to inflation. |
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Both the employees and the department contribute to the cost of the Public Service Pension Plan. The 2006-07 expense amounts to $39,920 which represents approximately 2.2 times the contributions by employee. |
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The department’s responsibility with regard to the Plan is limited to its contributions. Actuarial surpluses or deficiencies are recognized in the financial statements of the Government of Canada, as the Plan’s sponsor. |
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(b) Severance benefits: The Public Appointments Commission Secretariat provides severance benefits to its employees based on eligibility, years of service and final salary. These severance benefits are not pre-funded. Benefits will be paid from future appropriations. Information about the severance benefits, measured as at March
31, is as follows: |
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2007 |
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(in thousands of dollars) |
Accrued benefits obligation, beginning of year |
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0 |
Expenses for the year |
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82 |
Benefits paid during the year |
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0 |
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Accrued benefits obligation, end of year |
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82 |
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