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 |
| Anita Anand | |
Parent organization | |
Staff | Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat |
| Website | www |
The committee is chaired by the president of the Treasury Board, currently Anita Anand, who is also the minister responsible for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
Role
editThe 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
editThe 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
editThe 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 approach 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
editThe 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
editThe Treasury Board is composed of six Cabinet ministers, always including its president and the minister of finance. The current members, as of July 26, 2023, are as follows:[4]
| Member | Ministerial portfolio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Anita Anand | President of the Treasury Board | Chair |
| Diane Lebouthillier | Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard | Vice-chair |
| Chrystia Freeland | Deputy Prime Minister; Minister of Finance | Member |
| Kamal Khera | Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities | Member |
| Seamus O'Regan, Jr. | Minister of Labour and Seniors | 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 April 19, 2023, the following are alternate members of the Treasury Board:
See also
editRelated legislation
editReferences
edit- ^ 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
edit- 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.