Alberta FMI Meeting Edmonton, Alberta Charles-Antoine St-Jean Comptroller General of Canada September 13, 2007

2 Federal Accountability Act A New Culture in Financial Management

3 Overview of Presentation New Policy on Internal Audit Renewal of financial management policies Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building

4 Taking Stock The government re-established the Office of the Comptroller General 3 years ago This was partly in response to public cynicism of public and private institutions The government put a heightened emphasis on accountability

5 Internal Audit In 2005, the government introduced the new internal audit policy to: reorganize and bolster the internal audit function strengthen public-sector accountability

6 Internal Audit Internal auditors will fill an enhanced role We are developing core training for the IA community The task will take time

7 Internal Audit Internal auditors and departmental audit committees will have more independence Audit committees will include members from outside the public service Understanding between the public and private sectors will improve

8 The revamp of financial management policies The entire suite of Treasury Board policies is being renewed The new government mandated a senior committee to assist our review of financial management policies

9 The revamp of financial management policies The proposed financial management policy framework will reduce existing policies and other guidance documents We will reduce nearly 150 policies to just five core policies and 30 related directives.

10 Public-sector financial management Public-sector financial management has unique demands We spend a lot of time “putting dollars in the right buckets”

11 Public-sector financial management We need to develop the capacity to answer questions such as: do we have the right delivery model for programs, or the right business model?

12 Public-service renewal and capacity building Demographic changes are underway in the public service By 2009, 16% of financial officers will be eligible for retirement New people are needed

13 Treasury Board recruitment campaign

14 Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building Must hire people at a younger age We must emphasize that an enormous variety of challenging career opportunities exist in the public service The need for financial officers will only grow

15 Hiring the best people Attracting employees from every region Being open to new ideas Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building

16 Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building Must offer a rewarding career path We are raising the financial function to the top of federal government departments This means much room for advancement to the highest levels of accountants

17 Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building Need to balance work and life Public servants need to be given training The Canada School of Public Service is identifying core training programs

18 We are emphasizing certifications and training. We have re-evaluated the eligibility criteria for our professional development program. We are creating a federal public service of unrivalled opportunities. Public Service Renewal and Capacity Building

19 QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

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