Thank you.
I'll try to keep my comments brief and turn to my colleague from Treasury Board, Mr. Wild.
My name is Anita Biguzs. I am the assistant secretary to the cabinet for operations in the Privy Council Office. I'm also the acting assistant secretary to the cabinet for social development policy. This latter position includes responsibilities as the champion for gender-based analysis in the Privy Council Office. I have been in the position of acting assistant secretary social development policy for the last two months while this position is being staffed on a permanent basis.
I'm very pleased to be here this morning to help discuss and describe the policy development process and the role of PCO in that process, and in gender-based analysis as part of it. It's very fitting, with International Women's Day this Saturday, that we are discussing this issue.
I think it would be helpful if I first explained the role of the Privy Council Office in the policy development process and then spoke about the role of the gender-based analysis champion.
The primary responsibility of the Privy Council Office is to provide public service support to the Prime Minister and to cabinet. We are responsible for facilitating the smooth and effective operation of the cabinet decision-making process, where policy decisions are taken by the government.
It is important to note that PCO is not responsible for leading the direct development of new policies or programs. This responsibility resides with departments. Rather, PCO helps shape policies by supporting departments in their efforts to act on the government's agenda.
Our role is to help advance the policy process by providing constructive feedback to departmental proposals and to ensure that the proposals are ready for consideration by cabinet; in other words, that the due diligence has been undertaken so that proposals are practical, responsible, and sustainable. This is accomplished by helping to ensure that there is coherence and clarity in new policy proposals and existing programs and that these are consistent with the government's overall agenda.
Status of Women Canada also plays a very important role in the policy process, and I know you've met with representatives from Status of Women. They are the policy experts in the area of gender-based analysis, and the agency assists departments and central agencies, through training and support, to ensure that a gender-based analysis has been conducted as appropriate.
The Speech from the Throne lays out the government's agenda and key priorities. Responsible ministers are tasked with bringing forward policy proposals to advance the government's priorities as outlined in the Speech from the Throne. Historically, in support of cabinet decision-making, departments are required to prepare a Memorandum to Cabinet.
The memorandum to cabinet is the basis for cabinet decision-making. There is a template available online at the PCO website for access by departmental analysts and the public. If you haven't seen it, I have a copy here. The template includes a consideration section where the sponsoring department is expected to include an analysis of a full range of perspectives, and that includes gender issues.
The analysis to support a policy initiative should include a range of considerations, including, for example, the problem or issue that needs to be addressed, the rationale for government action, the objectives to be accomplished, whether it has implications for existing programs or policies, and whether there are horizontal interdependencies or ramifications with other issues or programs within the department or other departments. It should identify a range of credible options to provide the government with choices. It should also include an assessment of implications, including issues such as costs, benefits, effectiveness.
In other words, the memorandum to cabinet should demonstrate how a proposal aligns with relevant management, fiscal, and policy agendas and the government's overall direction.
Individual ministers and their departments are responsible for ensuring that various aspects of the proposal are considered and assessed. From a horizontal perspective it is part of PCO's coordination role to make sure interdepartmental consultations are undertaken during the MC process and that the considerations raised by other departments are taken into account by the sponsoring department. At the same time, central agencies--and that includes PCO, Finance, and Treasury Board Secretariat--work together to provide feedback and to challenge proposals against the range of considerations--and that includes gender-based analysis--to ensure that when a proposal comes forward, cabinet is presented with information to help inform decision-making.
So that represents the public service role in cabinet decision-making and how we develop our non-partisan, neutral advice. After this point it is up to cabinet to consider, discuss, and debate proposals and take decisions collectively on how to proceed. It is important to bear in mind that the policy process must be considered in a broad context, and that it must weigh numerous considerations and impacts of competing priorities and pressures.
Turning to look within PCO, based on recommendations made by this standing committee the Privy Council Office has also established the role of gender-based analysis champion attached to the function of assistant secretary of social development policy. The champion's role is to ensure that gender-based analysis is integrated into the policy process and challenge function of PCO. On an ongoing basis the champion works to promote and encourage gender-based analysis training to all PCO officials. To ensure a coordinated horizontal perspective on the issue, PCO is a member of a gender-based analysis interdepartmental committee, which assists in the creation, coordination, facilitation, and support of gender-based analysis activities across federal government departments and agencies.
As part of our commitments we have worked with Status of Women Canada to provide annual training to PCO officers to ensure officers are familiar with gender-based analysis as part of their challenge-function role. This training helps analysts to identify whether gender issues have been taken into consideration in program and policy proposals presented by departments. Formal gender-based training was first piloted at PCO starting in the summer of 2006. The second round of training was provided early in 2007, and following participant evaluations training has now been incorporated into the annual suite of courses available to analysts. We are currently working on rolling out the 2008 training with Status of Women Canada, and we're trying to reflect the results of evaluations and the comments we received last year.
In conclusion, I would like to say that I think progress has been achieved over the last two years--I think thanks to a lot of the recommendations and work of this committee--to ensure that gender-based analysis has a profile in the Privy Council Office, and to ensure that it is embedded in the training curricula of PCO officers consistent with their role to undertake policy due diligence. Our colleagues in Status of Women have provided their expertise and assistance to us to ensure that training has been provided. The introduction of this training has been an important tool to strengthen the PCO challenge function.
With that I will conclude my comments. I hope I haven't exceeded my time.
I'll turn to my colleague, Joe Wild.