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ARCHIVED - RPP 2007-2008
Human Resources and Social Development Canada


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Departmental Priorities and Performance Measurement Framework

Human Resources and Social Development Canada has identified priorities for 2007 - 2008 based on an assessment of its mandate, as part of the broader Government of Canada objectives, and the environment in which the Department is operating.

Departmental Priority 1

Our Commitment to Canadians

Supporting Children, Families and Seniors

Supporting Canadian families is a fundamental aspect of the Department's commitment to Canadians as addressing these needs will help ensure the well-being of Canadian society as a whole. HRSDC's priority is to ensure that Canadian families are able to meet the needs of their members and that they are provided with every opportunity to participate actively in society.

Families with children are the building blocks of society and HRSDC is committed to their care, development and in the case of low-income families, their support. A key aspect of this is providing choice in childcare by fulfilling commitments under the Universal Child Care Plan, which consists of two components:

  • Universal Child Care Benefit, started in July 2006, to provide direct financial assistance of $100 per month per child under the age of six; and the
  • Child Care Space Initiative, an initiative that aims to create new child care spaces to help parents balance their work and family responsibilities.

The Department will continue to work collaboratively with provinces and territories to support children and families, which includes fulfilling commitments relating to the Early Childhood Development Agreement, the Multilateral Framework on Early Learning and Child Care and the National Child Benefit. Further, we will support the Department of Finance, to fulfill the Government's commitment to implement a Working Income Tax Benefit to help make work pay for low- and modest-income Canadians.


HRSDC 2007-2008 Priorities

Build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians' quality of life.

Our Commitment to Canadians

  • Support children, families and seniors
  • Promote skills and learning
  • Provide service excellence

Our Commitment to Taxpayers

  • Accountability and effective spending

Our Commitment to Employees

  • Workplace of opportunity

HRSDC will also work to assist vulnerable Canadians by working with other orders of government and communities to address the needs of homeless people. The creation of a new Homelessness Partnering Strategy will be the cornerstone of the government's efforts to assist this vulnerable community.

The Department will support and promote the full participation of people with disabilities, in employment, learning, society and community life, and develop a proposal for a Canadians with Disabilities Act aimed at improving accessibility and inclusion for all Canadians with disabilities. The Department will work with provinces and territories towards the extension of the Labour Market Agreements for Persons with Disabilities, and will explore options for the future of these agreements. Canada Pension Plan Disability program income support to people with disabilities and their children will continue. Also, work will continue to provide opportunities to access return to work support as a means of enhancing the social and economic participation of persons with disabilities. Similarly, HRSDC will continue to promote the use of gender-based analysis throughout the Department and is running pilot projects for official language minority communities.

HRSDC is committed to the well-being and quality of life of Canadian seniors. This includes addressing the opportunities and challenges that an aging population presents and ensuring the long-term effectiveness and sustainability of our public pension programs. This includes implementing proposed amendments (Bill C-36) to the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security Act that will help ensure the programs meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's seniors and persons with disabilities. HRSDC will also provide secretariat support to the new National Seniors Council that is being developed to advise the Government of Canada on matters related to the well-being and quality of life of seniors.

Lastly, the Department will support the Expert Panel that is conducting, in partnership with provinces and territories, a feasibility study to evaluate current and potential measures to address the challenges faced by displaced older workers, including the need for improved training and enhanced income support, such as early retirement benefits. The Expert Panel will be supported by a Secretariat to assist in its consultations and research and may call on the Department's expertise. To address their immediate needs, we are working with provincial and territorial governments through the Targeted Initiative on Older Workers to support unemployed older workers in communities affected by significant downsizing or closures in an effort to reintegrate them into employment.

Promoting Skills and Learning

The Government's economic plan Advantage Canada: Building a Strong Economy for Canadians is a long-term, national economic plan designed to make Canada a world economic leader and will improve the country's economic prosperity and quality of life. A key aim under this plan and a key commitment for HRSDC will be to ensure that Canadians, across the spectrum of skills, have access to a wide array of opportunities and choices that will assist them in becoming the best-educated, skilled and most flexible workforce in the world.

The directions and initiatives that are most central to HRSDC relate to the principle of creating new opportunities and choices for people. With a focus on improving opportunities for Canadians, Advantage Canada proposes action and initiatives on numerous fronts:

Increasing Participation of Canadians and Immigrants in the Workforce:

  • Reviewing and eliminating barriers to workforce participation for under-represented groups such as Aboriginal peoples, older workers and persons with disabilities;
  • Improving labour market programs in order to help Canadians develop the skills they need and employers want;
  • Making improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker program to respond to needs of employers.

Enhancing Opportunities to Acquire Knowledge and Skills:

  • Strengthening the quality and competitiveness of the post-secondary education system by providing stable and predictable funding to provinces and territories;
  • Working with provinces and territories to develop shared objectives and targets, clarify roles and responsibilities and enhance public accountability;
  • Modernizing Canada's student financial assistance to make it more effective;
  • Encouraging more students to attend Canadian colleges and universities by marketing the excellence of Canada's post-secondary system;
  • Working with provinces and territories and the private sector to make training and skills development more widely available to Canadian workers and better aligned to the needs of the country.

Reducing Barriers to the Mobility of Canadians:

  • Supporting the removal of barriers to labour mobility across the country;
  • Enhancing labour market information available to Canadians so that they can make optimal choices for themselves.

Provide Service Excellence

Underlying our commitment to Canadians is the provision of excellent service which means a seamless, single-window approach centered on the needs of Canadians. Service Canada's mandate is to work with federal departments, other levels of government, and community-based partners to transform government service delivery for Canadians across all service delivery channels - telephone, Internet and in-person.

For 2007 - 2008, our priority will be Improving Access for Canadians. This provides focus on improving performance relative to our service standards, designing and implementing new service offerings and service enhancements, and implementing initiatives that improve our efficiency and modernize our infrastructure. It means supporting the Government's overall agenda:

  • Focusing government on what it does best: Focusing on service offerings, such as Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security and service enhancements where most needed by Canadians through improvements to the passport receiving agent service, better assistance to Canadians to find the services and programs they need and simplified processes for Persons with Disabilities;
  • Creating new opportunities and choices for people: Supporting government policy initiatives through effective service strategies and delivery as well as improved service across our delivery channels;
  • Investing for sustainable growth: Over the next few years, we will continue to invest in One Client View, infrastructure modernization, and related initiatives to improve efficiency at the same time as improving service;
  • Freeing business to grow and succeed: Investing in processing automation, electronic Record of Employment, and other initiatives to reduce the paper burden on business related to Employment Insurance and Canada Pension Plan; implementing simplified application processes to reduce requirements for individual Canadians on existing and new service offerings.

Departmental Priority 2

Our Commitment to Taxpayers

Our commitment to taxpayers is to use their money wisely to achieve results and value for money. Accountable and effective spending will be achieved through strengthened comptrollership, audit, financial stewardship, improved performance measurement and evaluations that demonstrate value for money. An important part of meeting our commitment to Canadians and to taxpayers is addressing the requirements of the Federal Accountability Act and implementing it across the Department.

A key consideration when working to achieve effective management and results is clarifying roles and responsibilities of the Department compared to those of other departments and other orders of government. This will allow us to ensure we are working together towards the same end in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible that provides the programs and services that taxpayers expect.

Further, we will continue departmental integration to ensure effective organizational structures are in place to achieve efficiency in our operations, and coherence in our programs and our policies. HRSDC and Service Canada will continue to deliver on savings commitments. Moreover, by reducing complexity in accessing programs and services and the paper burden on employers, Service Canada will reduce the administrative burden on taxpayers.

An important aspect of our commitment is to support Parliament, its standing committees and the democratic process including reporting our results in a clear and transparent fashion. This includes our efforts to develop and implement new performance measurement strategies at the branch and program levels to ensure that investments achieve clear results and measurable outcomes that demonstrate benefits to Canadians.

HRSDC and Service Canada will continue its efforts to streamline the management of grants and contributions by balancing accountability and reporting burden to rationalize requirements and to reduce inefficiencies while ensuring program efficiency and effectiveness is well established. This includes addressing recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel established to review grants and contributions across the Federal Government.

Efficient and effective programs will be supported through our research on human resource and social development issues. We will ensure a knowledge base and expertise that guides policy development.

Through research, audits and evaluations and improved reporting HRSDC will gain a better understanding of how programs are administered and determine their effectiveness with respect to their intended purpose.

Requirements of financial stewardship and effective audit are essential for the sound management of taxpayer dollars. The Department will maintain due diligence to ensure assistance is approved only for eligible recipients and that payment is made only when the terms and conditions are met. Further, we will maintain proper documents and records to ensure transparency.

Departmental Priority 3

Our Commitment to our Employees

Our commitment to our employees is essential in addressing our commitments to taxpayers and Canadians. A key aspect of our commitment to employees is a Department with a positive and healthy work environment that supports recruitment, career and professional development and continuous learning.

Further, establishment of HRSDC as a centre of excellence for human resources and social development policy by building its knowledge, research, policy, and program capacity is an important aspect of this commitment. This includes building the capacity to create, share, and use knowledge to enhance organizational productivity and effectiveness.

Teamwork will also be an important concept in this new department to move toward innovative approaches to common goals and objectives. In addition, Service Canada will build a service excellence culture by supporting its people, encouraging innovation, and building leadership and capacity to provide citizen-centred service.

Our guiding vision for HRSDC is that of an organization that is recognized as a centre of excellence. This means that:

  • The best recruits are attracted to our organization because we develop leading-edge policy, deliver high-quality programs effectively, and consciously develop and provide challenging learning opportunities to our people;
  • Our culture of excellence, integrity, diversity, innovation and people development means that we attract and retain the best talent;
  • Our information, human resources and knowledge management systems are flexible so we can effectively manage in a rapidly changing environment.

To fulfill its commitments under the Official Languages Act (Part VII) and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, the Department will continue to raise employees' awareness to promote best practices.

HRSDC will also serve as a model of accessibility for the Federal Government, and provide leadership by example to promote accessible workplaces throughout government.


Diagram 1 HRSDC Performance Measurement Framework

HRSDC Vision

Is to build a stonger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives, and to improve Canadians' quality of life

 Long-Term

Contextual Indicators

 Strategic Outcomes

 Enhanced Canadian productivity and participation through efficient and inclusive
labour markets, competitive workplaces and access to learning

 Safe, healthy, fair,
stable, cooperative,
productive workplaces and effective international labour standards

 Enhanced income security,
access to opportunities and
well-being for individuals,
families and communities

 Policies and Programs that meet the human capital and social development needs of Canadians

 Achieve better outcomes for Canadians through Service Excellence

 Long to Medium-Term

 Strategic Outcome Indicators

 Program Activities

 Labour Market

 Workplace Skills

 Learning

 Labour

Social Investment

Children and Families 

 Housing
and Homelessness

 Policy, Research and Communication

 Service Canada

 Short-Term

 Program Indicators

 


Performance Measurement Framework*

HRSDC is committed to measuring its performance, managing for results and reporting on its progress. To accomplish this, HRSDC has established a performance measurement framework that allows the Department to understand its operating environment, define clear performance expectations and track progress. The performance measurement framework provides Parliament and Canadians with information to assess the Department's progress in achieving results.

The Department's performance measurement framework, as depicted in Diagram 1 below, sets out three types of indicators: contextual indicators, strategic outcome indicators and program indicators.

Contextual indicators help depict the environment in which the Department operates by describing broad trends in society, the economy and labour markets - such as population growth and gross domestic product per capita. Contextual indicators guide policy development and departmental plans and priorities by allowing the Department to assess the continued relevance of programs and the requirement for new programs.

During 2007 - 2008, the Department is expected to launch its Indicators of Well-Being Website, which will include over 80 indicators organized under 11 areas of well-being (work, learning, financial security, family life, housing, social connectedness, leisure, health, environment, security, community involvement).

Within each area of well-being the indicators are organized into three groupings related to well-being:

  • Status: indicators of condition or progress (such as educational attainment, number of Canadians employed, or life expectancy).
  • Life events: indicators related to significant events that we may experience over the course of our lives (such as getting married, changing jobs, or experiencing a major illness).
  • Key influences: indicators that reflect individual and societal resources (for example, access to computers at schools, daily exercise, or the availability of public transit).

* For more information on HRSDC performance indicators please visit www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/sp/hrsd/index/cpa.shtml


Diagram 2 HRSDC Performance Measurement Framework: Strategic Outcome Indicators
Strategic Outcomes Enhanced Canadian productivity and participation through efficient and nclusive labour markets, competitive workplaces and access to learning Safe, healthy, fair, stable, cooperative, productive workplaces and effective international labour standards Enhanced income security, access to opportunities and well-being for individuals, families and communities Policies and Programs that meet the human capital and social development needs of Canadians Achieve better outcomes for Canadians through Service Excellence

Long to Medium-Term

Strategic Outcome Indicators

  • Productivity
  • Participation rate
  • Percentage of unemployed looking for work for one year or more (52 weeks and over)
  • Percent of youth (15 - 24 year-olds)not in the labour force or in school
  • Unemployment rates by Designated Group
  • Percentage of adult workforce who participated in job-related formal training
  • Percent of adult workforce who participated in employer-supported job-related training
  • Percentage of adult population aged (25 - 64) who participated in adult learning opportunities
  • Percentage of total working days lost due to work stoppages (federal jurisdiction)
  • Percentage of working-age Canadians who score below the literacy level which is considered the minimum to cope in today's economy and society
  • Post-secondary participation of 18 - 21 year-olds by family income
  • Proportion of adults who were attending university or college, by age group
  • Representation of designated groups in all occupations and workforce availability, employers covered under the Legislated Employment Equity Program
  • Number and proportion of individuals aged 65 years+ who had low family income
  • Number and proportion of individuals age 65 years+ who would have had low income without public pension support
  • Primary child care arrangements for children aged six months to six years in 2002 - 2003
  • Percentage of young children with average to advanced levels of verbal development
  • Percentage of children living in families exhibiting positive family functioning
  • Core housing need

Accountability for Departmental Performance

Strategic outcome indicators reflect the ultimate results that the Department is striving to influence over the medium-to-longer term. It is important to note that while the strategic outcomes are within HRSDC's sphere of influence, the Department is not the sole contributor to their attainment. In some cases, as in the percentage of children with behavioural problems and in good parenting situations, the Department has limited influence. Other orders of government, other federal departments, key stakeholders and partners, as well as individual Canadians make important contributions.

Program indicatorsrelate directly to the programs that the Department delivers. These indicators facilitate the setting of targets or objectives for the Department's programs and the monitoring of results. Most of these indicators are measures over which the Department exercises substantial control. Program indicators can be operational in nature and related to outputs and include client satisfaction, program access and reach, as well as measures of the impacts or results achieved by the program. Different from contextual and strategic outcome indicators, program indicators provide a mechanism through which the outcome of departmental actions can be acknowledged, identifi ed and accountability can be applied. These indicators form the basis of the Department's scorecard for reporting in the Departmental Performance Report.

Positive change in program indicators should be interpreted as a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to achieve improvement in strategic outcomes. The Department recognizes that performance indicators are only part of a comprehensive performance measurement framework. Program evaluations also provide an important source of information on the effectiveness of HRSDC programs.

During 2007 - 2008, HRSDC will continue to work on strengthening performance indicators, drawing on evaluation and research results. The Department will continue to assess the relevance and validity of the performance indicators as they relate to the achievement of expected results for Canadians.

Service Indicators: Service Canada has created a standard performance scorecard to report on performance. The Scorecard includes Service Indicators and additional measures related to the quality, timeliness and volumes associated with the delivery of services to Canadians. Service Canada's annual Scorecard tells Canadians how performance compares to our Service Standards, showing both positive results and areas that need work. Service Canada will continue to build on the existing performance indicators, create new ones where few exist and create composite indicators to measure performance from a results-based perspective. This work will help us achieve our commitment to "demonstrate accountable and responsible government by delivering results to Canadians and Government."


HRSDC Report Card

Program Indicators

Enhanced Canadian productivity and participation through efficient and inclusive labour markets, competitive workplaces and access to learning
  2007-2008 Target
Clients Employed
Number of clients employed and / or returns to school following an employment program intervention and as a proportion of the total number of clients who complete their employment program intervention (s).
Number Range:
205,000-225,000
Proportion:
55%-60%
Job Ready/ Job Search
Number of Job Ready/Job Searcha clients employed or returned to school following an employment program intervention.b
Number Range:
87,000-95,000
Developmental
Number of clients who become employed or return to school following a developmentalc employment program intervention.
Number Range:
118,000-130,000
Number of clients participating in Skills Development and as a proportion of the total number of clients who participate in a developmental employment program intervention. 85,000-94,000
68%
Number of apprenticeship clients who received benefits provided through EI Part I or II. 50,000-56,000
Percentage of Sector Councils that meet or exceed expected level of performance. 90%
Increase in the number of trades people who are fully mobile in Canada through Red Seal endorsement. 17,000
Portion of skilled immigrants in occupations targeted by systemic Foreign Credential Recognition interventions. 53%
Percentage of Canada Student Loan borrowers who would have been severely impacted if it were not for the loan. 71%
Client satisfaction with the overall quality of services provided by the Canada Student Loans Program. 75%
Percentage of children 0-17 who have ever received a Canada Education Savings Incentive. 36%
Safe, healthy, fair, stable, cooperative, productive workplaces and effective international labour standards
Percentage of collective bargaining disputes settled under Part I (Industrial Relations) of the Canada Labour Code without work stoppage. 90%
Percentage of unjust dismissal complaints settled by inspectors (Part III of the Canada Labour Code). 75%
Disabling Injury Incidence Rate (DIIR) measuring the change in the rate of lost time injuries, illnesses and fatalities within federal jurisdiction industries from year to year. Reduce the DIIR by 10% over five years (by 2008-2009) in those high-risk industries where we are targeting proactive interventions
Percentage of money collected in relation to the amount found to be owed for complaints under Part III (Labour Standards) of the Canada Labour Code (excluding unjust dismissal complaints). 75%
Client satisfaction with the quality of Workplace Information Directorate data. 80%
Enhanced income security, access to opportunities and well-being for individuals, families and communities
Number and percentage of clients with enhanced employability. 2,200 clients or 40%
Number of new community-based social development projects or initiatives that have been supported to promote the participation of children and families, persons with disabilities or other vulnerable populations. 30 projects
Number of persons participating in New Horizons for Seniors community projects. 50,000 participants
Percentage of families who are receiving the Universal Child Care Benefit for their children under age 6. 100% of eligible families
Amount invested in communities by external partners (not-for-profit groups, private sector organizations and other government departments) for every dollar invested by the Homelessness Partnership Initiative. $1.50
Percentage of all Homelessness Partnering Strategy investments targeted to long-term stable housing and related services. 65%
aJob Ready / Job Search: support programs that help clients find a good job match as quickly as possible.
b This will be a baseline year for calculating proportions for this indicator, and as such, actual results will be reported in the Departmental Performance Report for the following: "Proportion of the total number of Job Ready/Job Search clients who complete their employment program intervention(s)"; and "Average duration of unemployment for active claimants who become employed in the Job Ready/Job Search stream".
c Developmental: benefit programs that help clients gain work experience, improve job skills or start a new business.

 


HRSDC Report Card(continued)

Service Indicators

  2007-2008 Target
Achieve better outcomes for Canadians through service excellence
Specialized calls answered by an agent within 180 seconds-information and transaction 95%
General calls answered by an agent within 18 seconds (1 800 O-Canada). 85%
Access to automated telephone information services. 95%
24/7 availability of Internet-information and transaction. 98%
Number of forms online in formats accessible for people with disabilities. 10
Percentage of Canadians with access within 50 kms of where they live. 90%
Number of Service Canada Centres with extended hours of service. 60
Number of established points of service for Official Language Minority Community Groups. 17
Languages offered other than English and French. 10
Notifications sent within seven days of receipt of applications. 80%
Canada Pension Plan retirement benefit payment or non-payment notification issued within first month of entitlement. 85%
Employment Insurance benefit payment or non-payment notification issued within 28 days of filing. 80%
Employment Insurance Umpire Appeals sent to the Office of the Umpire within 60 days. 100%
Employment Insurance Board of Referee Appeals scheduled within 30 days. 90%
Old Age Security basic benefit payment or non-payment notification issued within first month of entitlement. 90%
Pleasure craft licences issued in a visit. 90%
SINs issued in a visit. 90%
Accuracy rate of payments (includes Employment Insurance and Old Age Security) (Canada Pension Plan under development). 95% (EI)a
Client satisfaction in relation to services provided 80% b
a A combined indicator for Employment Insurance and Old Age Security payments will be implemented in 2007-2008.
b Refers to biannual client satisfaction survey which will be supplemented by a range of client feedback and related mechanisms.

In addition to the indicators included above, the Department will report in its 2007 - 2008 Departmental Performance Report on corporate management statistics related to Employment Equity by Designated Group and on Official Language complaints.

Corporate Services

In the Department, corporate services (such as human resources, information technology, information management and financial comptrollership) support the achievement of HRSDC's priorities. Corporate services will implement strategies and build capacity to meet all key responsibilities and accountabilities under the Federal Accountability Act. HRSDC will also continue to work with Service Canada to ensure the efficient and effective provision of transactional services.

Plans

Plan: Strengthen and ensure effective management in the Department.

  • Ensure effective and efficient corporate services.
  • Strengthen information and knowledge management systems.
  • Address issues identified in the Management Accountability Framework assessment.
  • Ensure effective governance relationship among policy development, program design and service delivery through Service Canada.

Plan: Maintain and enhance financial stewardship in all areas of the department.

  • Enhance and sustain transparency and oversight functions through accountability measures, including implementation of the Accountability Act.
  • Support the Deputy Minister in the new role of "accounting officer".
  • Address findings from the Auditor General reports.
  • Strengthen integrity of programs by improving identity information and reducing error and fraud.
  • Realize expenditure review savings and effective spending commitments.
  • Enhance processes to provide reasonable assurances regarding effectiveness and efficiency of operations; reliability of financial reporting; and compliance with government policies.
  • Continue to work to meet the Office of the Comptroller General deadline for an external audit of departmental financial statements in 2008-2009.

Plan: Ensure appropriate human resources strategies are employed throughout the Department.

  • Ensure effective recruitment and staffing practices in order to attract the people our organization requires to fulfill our mandate and responsibilities to Canadians.
  • Ensure that frameworks and policies are in place to support integrated operational and human resources planning and a values-based approach to staffing and the development of employees.
  • Ensure a culture of excellence, integrity, innovation, and the effective delivery of high-quality programs by providing challenging learning opportunities to our people and the tools they require for the job.