DEPARTMENTAL ACTION PLAN

ON

Spending on the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism Initiative

 

IN RESPONSE TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN

CHAPTER 8, “SPENDING ON THE PUBLIC SECURITY AND ANTI-TERRORISM INITIATIVE” OF THE

SPRING 2013 REPORT OF THE AUDITOR GENERAL OF CANADA

 

PRESENTED BY

THE TREASURY BOARD OF CANADA SECRETARIAT

 

  WINTER 2014

 

Office of the Auditor General Recommendation

The Secretariat’s Response

 

Actions and Timelines

 

Recommendation 8.32: 

 

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat should review its program for monitoring the Public Security and Anti-Terrorism (PSAT) Initiative and have a mechanism in place that would allow reporting of both financial and non-financial information on government-wide initiatives. 

 

Agreed. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat reviewed the PSAT reporting framework in 2010. The Secretariat is using the outcomes of this review to feed into an exercise to explore improvements by March 2014 to reporting financial and non-financial information for future government-wide initiatives, as applicable, in a way that is consistent with established departmental accountabilities for monitoring and reporting on expenditures and results.

 

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s goal is to ensure clarity around how horizontal initiatives are defined, approved and managed so that funds used and results achieved can be clearly reported. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will examine the current process and requirements for approving and managing horizontal/government-wide initiatives with a view to making any changes deemed necessary. Currently, lead departments report the total funding, results and expenditures of each program that is funded in a horizontal initiative in parliamentary reporting documents such as the Departmental Performance Report. This information is also made available on the Horizontal Initiatives Database. The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat will examine the roles and responsibilities of all departments, as well as lead departments on horizontal initiatives, to ensure clarity in governance and improve reporting.  

 

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is reviewing the elements of horizontal initiatives in consultation with departments. These consultations will inform additional guidance, on reporting of horizontal initiatives, which will be released in 2014.

 

Responsible officers:

 

Sally Thornton, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

 

Bill Matthews, Assistant Secretary, Expenditure Management Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

 

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