Thank you, Mr. Chair.
We thank you for this opportunity to discuss chapter 2, “Modernizing Human Resource Management”.
Joining me at the table today are Ronnie Campbell, Assistant Auditor General, and Marie Bergeron, principal, who are responsible for this audit.
The Public Service Modernization Act amended four pieces of legislation and is designed to transform the way the federal government hires, manages, and supports its employees. It is a complex undertaking that involves many stakeholders.
In this audit, we examined whether the central agencies and the departments and agencies had implemented the new legislative requirements, met the reporting requirements, and reported on the progress of the act's application. We examined whether the new or revised roles and responsibilities were exercised in accordance with the legislation and we also looked at preparations for the upcoming legislative review called for in the act.
I would note for the committee that the work for this audit was completed in September of 2009.
We found that the key legislative requirements have been implemented. The new concept of merit is being applied, and managers are using the new staffing flexibilities. New organizations were created, such as the Public Service Staffing Tribunal and the Canada School of Public Service. The government created the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to take over the various human resource responsibilities of the secretariat.
We have noted that generally the entities have met the reporting requirements.
Although the reports contain information about implementation activities, there is little information about interim achievements or the actual impact of the legislation. The government, however, had committed to reporting on this progress in 2005.
We also noted that the secretariat had not fully developed a set of performance indicators that would allow it to report on the results of implementation of the changes. As a result, the secretariat is limited in its capacity to link results to expectations and to identify trends and assess impacts.
It is important that good information on progress and achievements of the new legislation be produced to assess its impacts. We noted that the Public Service Commission reported in its latest annual report as it did in previous years that it still takes longer to staff a position than before the new legislation was implemented.
The legislation calls for a review of the Public Service Employment Act and the Public Service Labour Relations Act starting in 2010, which is five years after implementation. The President of the Treasury Board is responsible for reporting on the review results, a team has been established and preparations are progressing. The objective is to report in 2010 or early 2011.
Mr. Chair, we recognize that the implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act is still a process in transition. However, I am concerned that the lack of information about measures and interim achievements could limit the review team's ability to provide meaningful information to support the review and inform Parliament to allow it to propose any changes or improvements. Having good information about achievements is needed to manage the challenges, monitor progress and ensure the expected results are realized.
We made recommendations to the Treasury Board Secretariat and the review team regarding the information required for the legislative review. The entities have agreed with our recommendations and have made commitments accordingly. Your committee may wish to ask how they will address this issue.
Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. My colleagues and I would be happy to answer any questions that committee members may have.
Thank you.