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Joanne Laucius -
© Provided by Ottawa CitizenTreasury Board president Mona Fortier said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.
A review of government policies and operations is aimed at making government smarter, not smaller, says Treasury Board president Mona Fortier.
The review, outlined in last Thursday’s federal budget, has concerned public service unions, who fear that it will lead to downsizing the federal workforce.
The “comprehensive strategic policy review” announced in the budget aims to save money by examining the effectiveness of government programs and operations. The government anticipates savings of $6 billion over five years and $3 billion annually by 2026-27, a figure that was a surprise to public service unions.
Fortier, who will head the review, said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.
“We want to make sure that we focus on the delivery of services we have and programs for Canadians. We know that digitization is going to be very important in how we deliver those services,” said Fortier.
Travel expenses are another saving as workers become proficient in using videoconferencing platforms, she said.
The federal public service has grown from just over 257,000 in 2015 when Justin Trudeau’s Liberals took power to more than 319,000 last year.
For the public service unions, mention of a new review last week conjured memories of the Harper years, when across-the-board cuts affected public service morale, productivity and citizen satisfaction. Cuts at Veterans Affairs, including the disability awards branch, attracted attention, and an auditor general’s report was critical of the length of time it took to decide on the benefit claims of ex-soldiers.
“We’re not Harper,” Fortier said Monday. “We are not going to do what was done in the past.”
Sahir Khan, executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, said a review is a good idea.
Reviews can be done on two ways — on a fiscal basis to cut costs or with the aim of improving quality. In this case, the government is not using this exercise as a way to get back to a balanced budget, said Khan.
“They’re using it to improve the quality of spending.”
There are three goals of a review. The first is to consider whether spending is aligned with the priorities of the government. In the past, programs have had conflicting goals — funding smoking cessation programs while subsidizing tobacco farmers at the same time, for example.
In the case of this review, the budget has stated that key priorities are strengthening economic growth, inclusiveness and fighting climate change.
The second goal is to review whether every program is working well, said Khan.
The third goal is consider whether a program is the most efficient way to achieve the desired effect. For example, if the aim is to increase youth involvement in sport, this can be achieved through creating a sports program or by allowing parents to submit the cost of their child’s existing sports program for a tax credit.
Khan cautioned that while technology solutions may seem a simple way to improve efficiency, the Phoenix payroll controversy was an illustration that this is not always the case.
Meanwhile, the government will need to have a human resources strategy in place before a real estate strategy to determine how many workers can work from a hybrid or permanent home office before embarking on a strategy to reduce office space, he said.
If programs are eliminated at the end of the day, there are ways to handle the reduction in the workforce, including attrition and being generous with buyouts.
“Unions shouldn’t be concerned. But they should be involved,” said Khan.
Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said what she had heard in recent days has been reassuring. But her members are still concerned about a lack of details — especially after the budget released target savings.
Those who work from home also want to be assured that they will get the necessary training and tools, she said.
“We know Canadians don’t want services cut.”
Fortier said she was looking forward to making sure that unions are part of the conversation.
The first update on the review is to be provided in the fall 2022 economic and fiscal update and another in the 2023 budget.
© Provided by Ottawa CitizenTreasury Board president Mona Fortier said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.
A review of government policies and operations is aimed at making government smarter, not smaller, says Treasury Board president Mona Fortier.
The review, outlined in last Thursday’s federal budget, has concerned public service unions, who fear that it will lead to downsizing the federal workforce.
The “comprehensive strategic policy review” announced in the budget aims to save money by examining the effectiveness of government programs and operations. The government anticipates savings of $6 billion over five years and $3 billion annually by 2026-27, a figure that was a surprise to public service unions.
Fortier, who will head the review, said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.
“We want to make sure that we focus on the delivery of services we have and programs for Canadians. We know that digitization is going to be very important in how we deliver those services,” said Fortier.
Travel expenses are another saving as workers become proficient in using videoconferencing platforms, she said.
The federal public service has grown from just over 257,000 in 2015 when Justin Trudeau’s Liberals took power to more than 319,000 last year.
For the public service unions, mention of a new review last week conjured memories of the Harper years, when across-the-board cuts affected public service morale, productivity and citizen satisfaction. Cuts at Veterans Affairs, including the disability awards branch, attracted attention, and an auditor general’s report was critical of the length of time it took to decide on the benefit claims of ex-soldiers.
“We’re not Harper,” Fortier said Monday. “We are not going to do what was done in the past.”
Sahir Khan, executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, said a review is a good idea.
Reviews can be done on two ways — on a fiscal basis to cut costs or with the aim of improving quality. In this case, the government is not using this exercise as a way to get back to a balanced budget, said Khan.
“They’re using it to improve the quality of spending.”
There are three goals of a review. The first is to consider whether spending is aligned with the priorities of the government. In the past, programs have had conflicting goals — funding smoking cessation programs while subsidizing tobacco farmers at the same time, for example.
In the case of this review, the budget has stated that key priorities are strengthening economic growth, inclusiveness and fighting climate change.
The second goal is to review whether every program is working well, said Khan.
The third goal is consider whether a program is the most efficient way to achieve the desired effect. For example, if the aim is to increase youth involvement in sport, this can be achieved through creating a sports program or by allowing parents to submit the cost of their child’s existing sports program for a tax credit.
Khan cautioned that while technology solutions may seem a simple way to improve efficiency, the Phoenix payroll controversy was an illustration that this is not always the case.
Meanwhile, the government will need to have a human resources strategy in place before a real estate strategy to determine how many workers can work from a hybrid or permanent home office before embarking on a strategy to reduce office space, he said.
If programs are eliminated at the end of the day, there are ways to handle the reduction in the workforce, including attrition and being generous with buyouts.
“Unions shouldn’t be concerned. But they should be involved,” said Khan.
Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said what she had heard in recent days has been reassuring. But her members are still concerned about a lack of details — especially after the budget released target savings.
Those who work from home also want to be assured that they will get the necessary training and tools, she said.
“We know Canadians don’t want services cut.”
Fortier said she was looking forward to making sure that unions are part of the conversation.
The first update on the review is to be provided in the fall 2022 economic and fiscal update and another in the 2023 budget.
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