Français | Background | Why a Corporate Business Plan? | Link to Agency and Other Major Initiatives | Our Strategic Foundation | Strategic Direction | Tracking and Accounting for Our Progress | The Investment | Need More Information
A Message From the Deputy Minister
The Corporate Business Plan lays out our organization's agenda for the next three fiscal years (1999-2000 to 2001-2002), a period that may be one of the most challenging and exciting for Revenue Canada, and the soon-to-be Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA).
The Plan gives us a roadmap for the journey ahead. It serves as a reminder of the direction in which we are headed, and of the things we must strive to accomplish along the way. It identifies our corporate objectives, and outlines some of the strategies we plan to undertake to achieve them.
Central to the Plan is the creation of the CCRA and the various ways of taking full advantage of the opportunities that will accompany this change. Another related theme of the Plan is the continuation of our work on service improvement.
As we move forward on the issue of service, we will also continue our efforts to enhance compliance and ensure the fair treatment of our clients. Finally, we will pursue management process changes that will result in improved planning, accountability, and performance measurement, as well as the re-engineering of information systems.
I never fail to be impressed with the hard work and dedication that the employees of this organization bring to their tasks on a daily basis. Their drive, enthusiasm, and co-operation will ensure that we achieve the corporate objectives we have set for ourselves. In doing so, we will give Canadians the best possible customs and revenue administration.
Rob Wright
Deputy Minister
Revenue Canada
Background - How We Built the Corporate Business Plan
For the last few years, Revenue Canada has been working towards attaining the following six goals:
QUALITY SERVICES AND CLIENT EDUCATION
- to provide high-quality and affordable services
RESPONSIBLE ENFORCEMENT AND BORDER PROTECTION
- to deliver responsible enforcement programs
FAIR ADMINISTRATION
SIMPLE AND EFFICIENT PROCESSES
- to reduce the compliance burden through simplification and efficiency
KNOWLEDGEABLE AND SKILLED PEOPLE
- to manage our human resources effectively
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT AND CORPORATE SERVICES
- to make sure management and corporate services support program delivery
During the summer and fall of 1998, a group of senior departmental managers known as the Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) participated in a series of discussions about the challenges and opportunities facing the organization over the next few years. These discussions led to the identification of the strategic issues that we face as an organization.
Using the long-standing goals listed above as a base, and considering the issues identified by the SAG, 12 corporate objectives were identified and agreed on for the planning period ahead. The Department's branches were then asked to develop business plans describing their contributions towards achieving the objectives.
This then led to the compilation of the Corporate Business Plan. The Plan contains a comprehensive list of initiatives which will lead to achieving our objectives. It also includes sections that deal with our approach to the management of human, financial, and other resources-including information technology.
Why a Corporate Business Plan?
The Plan is designed to:
- recommend our strategic direction through the Minister of National Revenue to Parliament;
- help present our strategic direction and requirements for resources to central agencies such as the Treasury Board; and
- provide a planning and accountability tool for senior management-to help managers develop plans that support our strategic direction, and to facilitate management accountability against these plans.
By its nature, the Corporate Business Plan focuses on the "big picture"-those objectives and initiatives that will lead us on a path to achieving our mission and goals. Many employees involved in the delivery of essential day-to-day services, may not be immediately or directly affected by the many initiatives underway. However, these services-which are key to achieving our mission-and the employees who are delivering them, will be influenced by the implementation of the Plan in the years to come. 
Link to Agency and Other Major Initiatives
Like all plans, the Corporate Business Plan is oriented towards the future. However, it is not possible to think about where we are going as an organization, without taking stock of where we have been and where we are now. Accordingly, the Plan builds on our past record and includes current major initiatives that will continue to have an impact over the three-year planning period.
For example, the transition to the Agency continues to be the most significant, if not the prime force, behind the change agenda of the Department. The three themes on which the Agency is based also guided the development of this Plan:
- better service to Canadians;
- closer working relationships with other levels of government; and
- better management.
In addition, the recently announced Setting a New Standard: A 7-Point Plan for Fairness, and the Customs Blueprint are key initiatives that continue to be prominent in our plan for the future.
The next three pages show the alignment of Revenue Canada's mission and vision, the six strategic goals, and the related corporate objectives. In addition, we have included a description of some of the work that we have planned to achieve our objectives.
Our Strategic Foundation
MISSION
An organization's mission statement clarifies its purpose-why it should be doing what it does.
Our long-standing mission is to promote compliance with Canada's tax, trade, and border legislation, and regulations through education, quality service, and responsible enforcement, thereby contributing to the economic and social well-being of Canadians.
VISION
A vision statement describes what an organization should look like after it implements its strategies and achieves its full potential.
Our vision of the future is to be recognized and respected by clients for our integrity, fairness, and innovation in administering high-quality, affordable programs. Our progressive stance will encourage new inter-governmental and international partnerships, fostering greater government efficiency and a stronger economic union.
VALUES
Carrying out our mission requires us to interact daily with thousands of Canadians from every walk of life. We strive to ensure that our behaviour toward clients and colleagues alike is guided by four core values:
- Integrity is the cornerstone of our administration, ensuring that we treat people fairly and apply the law fairly. Integrity requires that we act with honesty and openness.
- Professionalism is the key to success in achieving our mission, reflecting an ongoing commitment to the highest standards of achievement. Professionalism requires that we act with dedication and skill.
- Respect is the basis for our dealings with colleagues and clients, being sensitive and responsive to the rights of individuals. Respect requires that we act with courtesy and consideration at all times.
- Co-operation is the foundation for meeting the challenges of the future and building partnerships aimed at realizing common goals.
Strategic Direction
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Quality Services and Client Education
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- Implement a multi-year plan for quality service
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- Confirm programs and services that align with our mandate and core business, as well as areas where new services could be considered.
- Outline a service direction for the Agency based on a plan to manage and improve our services.
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- Achieve program integration through partnerships
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- Pursue new service agreements aligned with our mandate and core businesses-through an enhanced marketing and business development capacity.
- Build a consistent and strategic approach to negotiating agreements.
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- Advance the use of electronic service delivery
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- Make electronic filing, payment, and communication accessible and so simple, inexpensive, and trusted that clients will prefer these methods.
- Extend the use of electronic commerce to increase operating efficiency, and give direct benefits to clients.
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- Enhance our international activity and influence
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- Work closely with international revenue, customs, and trade organizations to develop ways to simplify rules and procedures.
- Market our expertise by sharing best practices and providing technical assistance.
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Responsible Enforcement and Border Protection
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- Increase our capacity for risk management and sector-specific strategies
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- Integrate risk-management principles, techniques, and practices throughout our organization-based on a corporate risk-management policy.
- Enhance enforcement through a risk-management system and more effective identification of high-risk areas.
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- Address the compliance issues that arise from electronic commerce
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- Ensure that we are in step with international electronic commerce developments.
- Work with the private sector through four technical advisory committees on taxpayer service, compliance and administration, interpretation and international co-operation, and consumption tax.
- Increase our expertise, through research and practice, in the verification of electronic commerce transactions.
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Fair Administration
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- Demonstrate the fairness of our administration
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- Develop a guide on the rights of our clients, and on standards for the services we provide.
- Communicate better with our clients; identify credits, benefits, and overpayments for them, and give them an opportunity to correct any omissions in their past dealings without penalty.
- Better equip our employees to respond to client needs.
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Simple and Efficient Processes
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- Establish a systematic program for process improvement
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- Review and map our processes and clients, and their relationship to our core business-to identify where we can improve.
- Apply process-improvement methodologies (such as ISO 9000 standards) in areas that will give the best return.
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Knowledgeable and Skilled People
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- Put in place a responsive, adaptive human resources function
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- Emphasize competency in human-resource management.
- Integrate human-resource planning so we can analyze our work force and demographics, and anticipate requirements.
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- Adopt a structured approach to change management
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- Develop a comprehensive transition plan and strategy focussing on innovations, and equipping employees, and managers to deal with the changes.
- Establish a productive, labour-management relationship with labour organizations in the Agency.
- Enhance and support a strong, accountable, and people-oriented management.
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Effective Management and Corporate Services
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- Implement an integrated management framework
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- Identify the elements critical to Agency start-up to ensure readiness for its first day.
- Pursue the development and implementation of accountability management and performance management regimes.
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- Promote a culture in tune with corporate values
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- Communicate our direction and the way managers and employees are expected to contribute to it.
- Recognize and reward behaviour and work performance that are in line with the Agency's values and direction.
- Ensure an open and transparent management approach.
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Tracking and Accounting for Our Progress
As indicated in the section "What we plan to do," during the planning period we will be implementing accountability and performance measurement mechanisms. In 1999-2000, we aim to establish a framework of some 12 to 15 high-level program measures. These will be the basis of our next corporate plan, and the way we will measure achievement of the goals and objectives in this plan.
We will track our overall progress against each of the objectives through the accountability reporting features of our senior committee structure. For example, our Departmental Management Committee undertakes mid-year and end-of-year program performance reviews.
The program evaluation function will help us to measure program performance at a strategic level, and provide broader measures of our corporate, program, and strategic performance. We will carry out program evaluation studies in areas such as the transformation to the Agency, risk management, client service, fairness, and future program delivery through technology and electronic commerce.
In 1998-99, an accountability agreement process was established for those senior managers reporting to the Deputy Minister. This year, we are streamlining the process, and extending it to all our executive managers. A major part of these agreements will be supporting contributions to the strategic change agenda in the Corporate Business Plan. In addition, the pay senior managers receive will be linked to some of these key contributions.
The Investment
In 1997-98, Revenue Canada collected $245 billion in total government revenues. To achieve our objectives aimed for the next three years, the organization will invest in the following financial and human resources:
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(Estimates)
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Budgetary expenditures ($ millions)
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2,533.5
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2,534.1
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2,501.7
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Full-time equivalents (employees)
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42,108
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42,070
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42,029
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Need More Information?
If you have any questions, or require copies of this Corporate Business Plan - In Brief document, contact the Corporate Planning Division in any of the following ways:
Mail:
Corporate Planning Division
6thfloor
123 Slater Street
Ottawa ON
K1A 0L5
Email:
Global address list: CA-AM-Plan
Internet address: ca-am-plan@ms.rc.gc.ca
Fax: (613) 941-5698
Employees of Revenue Canada or the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency may access more information on the InfoZone under "Corporate Planning."
