Treasury Board of Canada
The Treasury Board of Canada (French: Conseil du Trésor du Canada) is the Cabinet committee of the Privy Council of Canada which oversees the spending and operation of the Government of Canada and is the principal employer of the core public service.[1] The committee is supported by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, its administrative branch and a department within the government itself.
Conseil du Trésor du Canada | |
| Abbreviation | TB |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1867 |
| Type | Cabinet committee |
Membership | Appointment by Prime Minister of Canada |
| Mona Fortier | |
Parent organization | |
Staff | Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat |
| Website | www |
The committee is chaired by the president of the Treasury Board, currently Mona Fortier, who is also the minister responsible for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
Role
The Canadian Cabinet is arranged into several committees with varying responsibilities, but all other ones are informal structures and frequently change. Currently organized under the Financial Administration Act,[2] the Treasury Board is the only one created by law and is officially a committee of the Privy Council.
Its role in government makes it far more powerful than most Cabinet committees as it is responsible for "accountability and ethics, financial, personnel and administrative management, comptrollership, approving regulations and most Orders-in-Council".[3] It is also unique in that its committee chair, the president of the Treasury Board, is a member of Cabinet by virtue of holding that office—other Cabinet committees are chaired by minister holding seats in Cabinet by virtue of some other office.
Expenditure management
The Treasury Board oversees the expenditures of the federal government. Ministers submit funding proposals on behalf of their departments to seek financial approval for programs and policies approved in the federal budget or by Cabinet. The president of the Treasury Board is responsible for presenting the Estimates from these submissions to Parliament. The Estimates are prepared by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Department of Finance Canada.[1]
Management and performance policies and principal employer
The Treasury Board, on advice of the Secretariat, sets policies regulating the authority of ministers and deputy ministers to administer and manage their departments, ensuring a government-wide to administration.
As the principal employer of the Government of Canada, it is responsible for labour relations, collective bargaining, and pension and benefits across the core public administration.
Secretariat
The Treasury Board is supported by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, a federal department which acts as a central agency of the Government of Canada and is administered by members of the public service. The role of the Secretariat is to advise members the Treasury Board, develop policies for approval and administer certain programs on behalf of the Treasury Board.[1]
Membership
The Treasury Board is composed of six Cabinet ministers, always including its president and the minister of finance. The current members, as of December 3, 2021, are as follows:[4]
| Member | Ministerial portfolio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mona Fortier | President of the Treasury Board | Chair |
| Helena Jaczek | Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario | Vice-chair |
| Chrystia Freeland | Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of Finance | Member |
| Ahmed Hussen | Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion | Member |
| Diane Lebouthillier | Minister of National Revenue | Member |
| Joyce Murray | Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard | Member |
There are also a number of alternate members, who may attend Treasury Board meetings in the event of conflicts of interest. The prime minister, through a Governor in Council appointment, may designate as many alternate members as the committee may need. As of December 3, 2021, the following are alternate members of the Treasury Board:
| Alternate member | Ministerial portfolio |
|---|---|
| Randy Boissonnault | Minister of Tourism; Associate Minister of Finance |
| Jean-Yves Duclos | Minister of Health |
| Sean Fraser | Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship |
| Gudie Hutchings | Minister of Rural Economic Development |
| Mary Ng | Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development |
| Carla Qualtrough | Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion |
| Dan Vandal | Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency |
| Jonathan Wilkinson | Minister of Natural Resources |
See also
Related legislation
References
- ^ a b c Smith, Alex (23 April 2009). "The Roles and Responsibilities of Central Agencies" (Background paper). Library of Parliament.
- ^ "Financial Administration Act. Part I: Organization. Treasury Board". Department of Justice (Canada). 1985. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
- ^ "About the Treasury Board". Treasury Board Secretariat. Retrieved June 9, 2011.
- ^ "Cabinet Committee Mandate and Membership".
Bibliography
- PCO (2018-02-22). "A Drafter's Guide to Cabinet Documents". Government of Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat (2013-12-31). "Comparing Types of Cabinet Papers". Government of Canada.
- PCO (2017-12-07). "Memoranda to Cabinet". Government of Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat (2016-07-15). "The Business of the Treasury Board". Government of Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat (2011-06-02). "ARCHIVED - A Guide to Preparing Treasury Board Submissions". Government of Canada.
- Library and Archives Canada (2017-05-26). "Treasury Board Submissions". Government of Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat (June 2016). "Better government with partners, for Canadians: Memorandum to Cabinet and Treasury Board Submission - Why They Are Major Tools for Government". Government of Canada.
- Treasury Board Secretariat (1999-12-01). "Archived - Access to Information Guidelines - Confidences of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada". Government of Canada.
External links
- Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
- Former Presidents of the Treasury Board