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ARCHIVED - RPP 2007-2008
Canada Revenue Agency
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Chapter 6 – Agency Governance and the Board of Management
The Board of Management brings to bear a forward-looking, strategic perspective as it undertakes its legislated role of overseeing the organization and administration of the CRA, as well as the management of the CRA’s resources, services, property, personnel and contracts.
The Board’s influence is felt throughout the CRA’s operations. Its complex role can be broken down into three key elements:
- providing guidance on the Agency’s strategic and operational objectives;
- supporting the achievement of those objectives by approving appropriate project plans, strategic approaches and investments in infrastructure and resources; and
- ensuring that sound internal and external reporting practices are in place.
The Board’s Priorities
The CRA’s priorities for the upcoming three-year period are set out in this annual Report on Plans and Priorities, which is based on the Corporate Business Plan 2007-2008 to 2009-2010 that was approved by the Board of Management.
While the Board’s and the CRA’s priorities necessarily coincide, each year the Board prepares its own three-year plan to identify specific areas of focus for the Board and its four committees (the Audit, Governance, Human Resources and Resources committees).
The following is a top-level summary of the Board’s priorities for the period 2007-2008 to 2009-2010. In addition to the priorities described below, the Board continues to refine its own governance framework and operating procedures to maximize its contribution to the Agency’s strategic objectives and program activities.
Strategic Direction
The Board will oversee the ongoing implementation of Agency 2010, the CRA’s corporate vision, by monitoring planning and progress on key initiatives.
Human, Financial and Corporate Resources Management
Enterprise Risk Management
As a key element of business sustainability, enterprise risk management will always be an important area within the Board’s purview. Following the Board’s March 2006 approval of the CRA Enterprise Risk Management Policy, enterprise risk management will be implemented over the next three years, as tools are developed, tested and rolled out.
Over time, enterprise risk management will become a fundamental element at all levels of the CRA in terms of practices, planning, reporting and decision-making.
Human Resources
The CRA requires a diverse, adaptable workforce, boasting a strong leadership component that is complemented by superior technical expertise. Within this overarching context, human resource strategies must also address issues such as the aging of the workforce, the need to reflect the growing diversity of Canadian society, and the changing nature of work as technology alters how we do business.
As a result, the Board will oversee strategies to deal with the recruitment of new employees and the development of middle managers to move into senior-level positions as they become vacant.
The CRA is a separate employer, and the collective agreements with the two major unions will expire in 2007. The Board is responsible for approving the negotiating mandate for collective bargaining.
The Board will also guide job classification reform, which is another key human resource initiative.
Information Technology
The CRA’s IT infrastructure is a cornerstone of both current operations and the CRA’s planned business expansion. In addition to the development of new online services and automated functions, there is a focus on renewal of the Agency’s legacy systems.
The Board will continue to play a critical role in ensuring that IT resources continue to be properly managed and that risks to the IT base continue to be appropriately identified and mitigated.
Financial Control and Reporting
In the CRA’s case, the government-wide focus on reporting and accountability is augmented by the stringent auditing and reporting requirements found in new tax collection agreements with the provinces and territories.
In addition, the Board carefully monitors public sector accounting standards in Canada to ensure that the CRA responds appropriately to changes in those standards as they are instituted.
For these reasons, the Agency is documenting and evaluating the CRA’s internal control over financial reporting. The Board—and the Audit Committee in particular—will play an important role in overseeing this initiative.
Project Oversight
The CRA’s Project Management Policy (approved by the Board in September 2006) will help the CRA effectively and economically manage approved projects that have a clearly established and visible project leadership.
Board approval is required on plans for major projects. The Board’s ongoing reviews then ensure that approved projects are effectively managed, that risks are identified and mitigated, and that appropriate monitoring processes are in place.
Implementing the Report on Plans and Priorities
The 2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities sets out the CRA’s plans and objectives for the upcoming three-year period.
The Board of Management plays an integral role in identifying those plans and objectives and also in determining how best to achieve them. This includes enterprise risk management, and regular reviews and monitoring, to ensure that plans are being successfully implemented or that they are adjusted as required to respond to changing circumstances.
Especially in this period of change as the CRA pursues its Agency 2010 strategic vision, the Board’s oversight role is a cornerstone of the CRA’s successes and its growth as a world-class administrator of tax and benefit programs.
Conclusion by the Commissioner
I am very pleased with the progress displayed by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) since I was appointed its Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer in late 2004. The 2007-2008 Report on Plans and Priorities provides the direction that the Agency will follow over the next three years. Our focus will be on continually enhancing relationships with our client governments, improving service delivery to taxpayers and benefit recipients, maximizing tax debt collections, addressing compliance challenges, and promoting trust in the CRA’s administration.
Our key areas of focus are well defined. We are clarifying our objectives for performance measurement and expanding our ability to report on the results. We are building on our existing accountability framework and managing public resources with prudence and transparency.
By following the direction provided in this report, we aim to ensure that individuals and businesses pay the correct amount of tax due and that we deliver in a timely manner the exact amount of benefit payments to recipients under the applicable legislation.
I believe that the employees of the CRA bring life to our vision and values depicted in this report. Through their dedication and their facility to learn and adapt, we will continue in the direction set for us by our governing legislation.
Michel Dorais, ICD.D
Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer
Canada Revenue Agency