Departmental Plan 2021-2022

• Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the President of the Treasury Board, 2021
• Catalogue No.: SC100-9E-PDF
• ISSN: 2371-8382

From the Minister

As the Minister responsible for the Canada School of Public Service (the School), I am pleased to present the School's Departmental Plan for 2021-22. The School is the Government of Canada's common learning provider, offering a wide variety of courses, events, programs, and learning tools to establish a strong learning culture within the public service.

The School delivers its learning products under five business lines: Government of Canada and Public Sector Skills, Transferable Skills, Digital Academy, Indigenous Learning, and Respectful and Inclusive Workplace. With a focus on providing public service employees with knowledge, skills, and competencies in these areas, the School is committed to supporting the development of an agile, equipped, and inclusive public service.

For 2021-22, the School will meet its mandate by providing public service employees with current, relevant, accessible learning that is available in both official languages. It will deliver common learning that is responsive, high quality, and accessible, and it will strengthen the capacity for innovation across the core public service.

In particular, the School will:

• focus on improving data literacy and using robust data applications to ensure that learning priorities are defined through evidence-based decision making that prioritizes the user experience
• continue engaging and consulting with stakeholder groups and learners across the public service to develop high-quality learning and ensure existing learning products are relevant, applicable, and up to date
• leverage evaluation data and learner feedback to improve the learner experience
• increase its digital capacity to allow learners to participate in courses and events, and access the School's learning materials, from anywhere in the world
• implement a new, modern learning platform that aligns with the Government of Canada digital and accessibility standards, and improves the user experience
• continue working with other departments and external partners to develop and share innovative practices that encourage novel solutions for core government functions

Through these efforts and others, I am confident the School will achieve its vision of offering the highest-quality learning experiences, allowing public service employees to deliver the best service to Canadians.

Plans at a glance

Established on April 1, 2004, under the Public Service Modernization Act, the School operates under the authority of the Canada School of Public Service Act (CSPS Act).

Under the CSPS Act, the School has the mandate to:

• encourage pride and excellence in the public service
• foster a common sense of purpose, values, and traditions in the public service
• support deputy heads in meeting the learning needs of their organizations
• conduct research and encourage greater awareness of public management, administration, and innovation

The School plays a key role in helping public service employees assist Canadians with excellence in a digital age, where Canadians expect their government to be effective, transparent, and open by default.

The School delivers a common curriculum to equip public service employees with knowledge, skills, and competencies across five business lines:

• Government of Canada and Public Sector Skills
• Transferable Skills
• Digital Academy
• Indigenous Learning
• Respectful and Inclusive Workplace

For more information on the School's organizational commitments, see the Minister's mandate letter.

For more information on the Canada School of Public Service's plans, priorities, and planned results, see the "Planned results and resources" section of this report.

Core responsibilities: planned results and resources

This section contains detailed information on the department's planned results and resources for each of its core responsibilities.

Common public service learning

Description

The School provides common learning to all employees of the core public service to serve Canadians with excellence.

Planning highlights

The School has four expected results under its core responsibility. It will deliver common learning that is responsive, accessible, high quality, and it will strengthen the capacity for innovation across the core public service.

1. Common learning is responsive to learning needs

   The Government of Canada and Public Sector Skills business line provides learning opportunities in areas such as human resources, financial management, and career transitions. It is complemented by a focus on executive learning, which offers expertise on learning needs unique to public service executives. Through this business line, the School will provide learning, knowledge, and skills related to the craft of government and working within a public-sector context. Areas of focus will include Public Sector Foundations, Management Development, Government of Canada (GC) Policy, Programs and Services, and GC Corporate Skills.

   The Transferable Skills business line helps public service employees develop portable knowledge and skills of value both inside and outside of government. Innovative, accessible, and client-centred learning and events will be delivered to respond to learners' needs. The School will continue delivering learning and events to support public service employees in adapting to workforce challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. This will include topics such as supporting virtual work arrangements and resilience during times of change.

   The Digital Academy will continue supporting the Government of Canada's commitment to the delivery of digital services to Canadians. Digital learning products and events will emphasize improved transparency, reduced administrative burden, and the use of data to drive evidence-based decision making.

   Learning opportunities and events on the current realities, history, heritage, cultures, rights, and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples in Canada and their relationship with the Crown will continue to support the Government of Canada's commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Under the four themes of Recognition, Respect, Relationships, and Reconciliation, the Indigenous Learning business line will offer a growing suite of resources to increase cultural skills and awareness of Indigenous realities.

   Through the Respectful and Inclusive Workplace business line, the School will deliver learning products and events that promote an inclusive workplace for all public service employees. Key topics will include Diversity and Inclusion Foundations (e.g. Gender-based Analysis Plus [GBA+], civility and respect, unconscious bias, combatting systemic racism and discrimination), accessibility, anti-Black racism, mental health, LGBTQ2+ issues, and fostering a healthy workplace.

2. Quality common learning is provided to the core public service

   Engagement and consultation are essential to developing and delivering high-quality learning. The School will engage in partnerships across the public service, and with Indigenous Peoples, academia, policy centres, functional communities, and other stakeholders, to enhance curriculum development.

   In developing learning content to support diversity and inclusion, the School will apply the "Nothing About Us Without Us" principle. Under this approach, the individuals affected or concerned participate directly in the collaborative creation of learning products.

   The School will use data as an asset and ensure that learning priorities are defined through evidence-based decision making focused on the user experience. To this end, the School will increase data literacy and implement robust data applications across its activities.

   The School will continue to systematically review its learning products to ensure they are relevant, applicable, and up to date, leveraging evaluation data and learner feedback to improve the learner experience.

3. Common learning is accessible to all employees of the core public service

   The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for accessible technology for public service employees across Canada. At the School, learning accessibility from coast to coast to coast is increasingly reliant on virtual delivery. Accessibility barriers will be eliminated through increased digital capacity, making courses and learning materials open and shareable by default, and working with client departments and Shared Services Canada to ensure that Government of Canada technology is compatible with virtual learning delivery.

   Virtual events will continue to be a significant mode of learning delivery, allowing learners to participate from anywhere in the world. By leveraging emerging technologies in translation and replacing tools that have been identified as not bilingual or difficult to access, the School will continue to make its events more accessible.

   A modern learning platform aligning with the Government of Canada's digital and accessibility standards will be implemented. The user experience will be improved as a result of our increased understanding of learning needs and user behaviours. This will allow self-authoring and self-service data-driven analytics to empower product owners to make decisions based on learning and business requirements.

4. Strengthened capacity across the core public service to use innovative approaches

   The School will promote innovation through its work, and the work of its partners, in developing the skills necessary to strengthen capacity for innovation across the Government of Canada. "Learning through doing" and "giving transformational experiences" will continue to underpin many learning products, particularly in digital skills.

   The School will share innovative practices, both across government and with external partners, by providing learning opportunities and encouraging novel solutions for core government functions, including in the areas of digital enablement, accessibility, and data sharing.

   Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)

   The School will continue developing a framework to integrate GBA+ into departmental decision-making processes.

   In delivering learning and events, the School will ensure that public service employees are equipped to uphold the goals, objectives, and indicators of the Gender Results Framework across functional communities by developing learning products in collaboration with Women and Gender Equality Canada (formerly Status of Women Canada).

   Experimentation

   The School will continue to develop its capacity to undertake experiments. With a focus on learner and client feedback, the School will experiment with innovative teaching and delivery methods. Based on existing capacity, areas of focus include user experience, self-service data tools, and learning delivery in a virtual environment.

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Canada School of Public Service's program inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Financial, human resources, and performance information for the Canada School of Public Service's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Internal Services: planned results

Description

Internal Services are those groups of related activities and resources that the federal government considers to be services in support of Programs and/or required to meet corporate obligations of an organization. Internal Services refers to the activities and resources of the 10 distinct services that support Program delivery in the organization, regardless of the Internal Services delivery model in a department. These services are:

• Management and Oversight Services
• Communications Services
• Legal Services
• Human Resources Management Services
• Financial Management Services
• Information Management Services
• Information Technology Services
• Real Property Management Services
• Materiel Management Services
• Acquisition Management Services

Planning highlights

Internal Services that support learning delivery are underpinned by a commitment to raise the bar on inclusion, openness, effectiveness, and transparency. The School will optimize internal planning processes and forecasting strategies to gain efficiencies and transparency for internal services processes and support. 

The School will implement the CSPS Data Strategy to foster a cultural transformation where data is widely available, trusted, and valued as an organizational asset, and used to take timely, informed, and strategic actions.

Spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of the department's planned spending and human resources for the next three consecutive fiscal years, and compares planned spending for the upcoming year with the current and previous years' actual spending.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2018-19 to 2023-24

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory spending) over time.

Statutory spending is comprised of employee benefit plans, forecasted respendable revenue, and unspent revenues carried forward from the previous fiscal year in accordance with subsection 18(2) of the Canada School of Public Service Act.

Increased spending in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20 is mainly due to an increase in salary expenses resulting from collective bargaining, including retroactive payments, investments in the development and implementation of the School's new learning platform, and renovations to implement a modern and effective workplace.

Planned spending is expected to decrease as a result of a permanent transfer to Shared Services Canada and will remain stable over the next two years. It will include sustained investments in the School's digital learning platform to keep it up to date and meet the needs and expectations of learners.

A higher spending level through 2020-21, compared to future years, is mainly due to investments in the School's digital learning platform, the evergreening of tools and devices for employees, and the shift to virtual learning offerings.

Over the next three-year planning period, the School will continue to invest in the modernization of its digital learning platform and the review and update of its curriculum to meet the learning needs of public service employees and reflect governmental priorities.

Innovative learning initiatives, including artificial intelligence demonstration projects and tailored learning products, will be pursued and strengthened through partnerships with other government departments.

The School will continue to host pan-governmental initiatives to leverage, on behalf of the entire public service, knowledge and research in public service administration and policy development.

Planned human resources

The following table shows actual, forecast and planned full-time equivalents (FTEs) for the core responsibility in the School's departmental results framework and to Internal Services for the years relevant to the current planning year.

The number of FTEs is expected to be stable over the next three years after a slight increase over previous years resulting from the creation of a new branch and the implementation of new initiatives.

Expenditures by vote

Information on the School's organizational appropriations is available in the 2021-22 Main Estimates.

Future-oriented condensed statement of operations

The future‑oriented condensed statement of operations provides an overview of the School's operations for 2020-21 to 2021-22.

The amounts for forecast and planned results in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The amounts for forecast and planned spending presented in other sections of the Departmental Plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future‑oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on the School's website.

Total expenses include amortization costs and costs related to services received without charge for accommodations, as – well as the employer's contribution to employee benefit plans. Total expenses exclude those related to the acquisition of capital assets.

The reduction in the net cost of operations before government funding and transfers is mainly due to increased spending in 2020-21 for the retroactive payment of salaries, a reduction in funding and related expenses as a result of a permanent transfer to Shared Services Canada, and a decrease in revenue, as the School is not projecting to carry forward unspent revenues from 2020-21 to 2021-22.

Corporate information

Organizational profile

Appropriate minister: The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board

Institutional head: Taki Sarantakis, President

Ministerial portfolio: Treasury Board

Enabling instrument: Canada School of Public Service Act, S.C. 1991, c. 16

Year of incorporation/commencement: 2004

Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do

"Raison d'être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do" is available on the Canada School of Public Service's website.

For more information on the department's organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister's mandate letter.

Operating context

Information on the operating context is available on the School's website.

Reporting framework

The Canada School of Public Service's approved departmental results framework and program inventory for 2021-22 are as follows.

Supporting information on the program inventory

Financial, human resources and performance information for the Canada School of Public Service's Program Inventory is available in the GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information table is available on the Canada School of Public Service's website:

• Gender-based analysis plus

Federal tax expenditures

The School's Departmental Plan does not include information on tax expenditures that relate to its planned results for 2021-22.

The tax system can be used to achieve public policy objectives through the application of special measures such as low tax rates, exemptions, deductions, deferrals and credits. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for these measures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis. The tax measures presented in this report are solely the responsibility of the Minister of Finance.

Organizational contact information

Telephone: 1-866-703-9598
Fax: 1-866-944-0454
Email: csps.registrar-registraire.efpc@canada.ca
Website: https://www.csps-efpc.gc.ca/

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)

Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

budgetary expenditures (dépenses budgétaires)

Operating and capital expenditures; transfer payments to other levels of government, organizations or individuals; and payments to Crown corporations.

core responsibility(responsabilité essentielle )

An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.

Departmental Plan (plan ministériel)

A report on the plans and expected performance of an appropriated department over a 3 year period. Departmental Plans are usually tabled in Parliament each spring.

departmental priority (priorité ministérielle)

A plan or project that a department has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.

departmental result (résultat ministériel)

A consequence or outcome that a department seeks to achieve. A departmental result is often outside departments' immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.

departmental result indicator (Indicateur de résultat ministériel)

A quantitative measure of progress on a departmental result.

departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)

A framework that connects the department's core responsibilities to its departmental results and departmental result indicators.

Departmental Results Report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)

A report on a department's actual accomplishments against the plans, priorities and expected results set out in the corresponding Departmental Plan.

experimentation (expérimentation)

The conducting of activities that seek to first explore, then test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform evidence-based decision-making, and improve outcomes for Canadians, by learning what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from innovation (the trying of new things), because it involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, using a new website to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new website against existing outreach tools or an old website to see which one leads to more engagement, is experimentation.

full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)

A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. For a particular position, the full time equivalent figure is the ratio of number of hours the person actually works divided by the standard number of hours set out in the person's collective agreement.

gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])

An analytical process used to assess how diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people experience policies, programs and services based on multiple factors including race ethnicity, religion, age, and mental or physical disability.

government-wide priorities (priorités pangouvernementales)

For the purpose of the 2019-20 Departmental Results Report, those high-level themes outlining the government's agenda in the 2019 Speech from the Throne, namely: Fighting climate change; Strengthening the Middle Class; Walking the road of reconciliation; Keeping Canadians safe and healthy; and Positioning Canada for success in an uncertain world.

horizontal initiative (initiative horizontale)

An initiative where two or more federal organizations are given funding to pursue a shared outcome, often linked to a government priority.

non-budgetary expenditures (dépenses non budgétaires)

Net outlays and receipts related to loans, investments and advances, which change the composition of the financial assets of the Government of Canada.

performance (rendement)

What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.

performance indicator (indicateur de rendement)

A qualitative or quantitative means of measuring an output or outcome, with the intention of gauging the performance of an organization, program, policy or initiative respecting expected results.

performance reporting (production de rapports sur le rendement)

The process of communicating evidence based performance information. Performance reporting supports decision making, accountability and transparency.

plan (plan)

The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally, a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead to the expected result.

planned spending (dépenses prévues)

For Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in Main Estimates.

A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports.

program (programme)

Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.

program inventory (répertoire des programmes)

Identifies all the department's programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department's core responsibilities and results.

result (résultat)

A consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization's influence.

statutory expenditures(dépenses Statutory)

Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.

strategic outcome (résultat stratégique)

A long-term and enduring benefit to Canadians that is linked to the organization's mandate, vision and core functions.

target (cible)

A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.

voted expenditures (dépenses votées)

Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.

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