Program directory · Public Service Commission of Canada
Oversight and Monitoring
- Department
- Public Service Commission of Canada
- Program code
- BWB03 (PSC)
- Core responsibility
- Public Service Staffing and Non-partisanship
- In Departmental Plans
- 2018-19 – 2025-26 · Appeared and later dropped
What it does
The Oversight and Monitoring Program exists to ensure the integrity of the merit-based public service hiring process and to identify areas for continuous improvement of the public service. The program performs audits and investigations and conducts surveys to monitor organizational compliance with staffing legislation, regulations and policies, and to provide a system-wide view of the staffing environment of the public service. This program also monitors and analyzes hiring data and conducts research to provide departments and agencies, and Canadians an informed view of the dynamics of public service hiring.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2018-19. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oversight and Monitoring | This program | 2018-19 – 2027-28 | $108M |
No earlier or later program in the same department has a similar name.
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | Indicators added: Among departments and agencies that underwent a Public Service Commission audit, percentage of deputy heads who indicate that the audit will enable the improvement of organizational staffing practices; Percentage of departments and agencies under the Public Service Employment Act with internal audit functions that have considered staffing oversight in their risk based audit planning process; Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey response rate | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2019-20 | Renamed from “Oversight, Monitoring and Non-partisanship” to “Oversight and Monitoring”. | GC InfoBase program names by year |
| 2022-23 | Indicators added: Number of times data and information were downloaded through the open government portal; Percentage of all investigations cases completed by the Public Service Commission in 280 days or less; Percentage of PSC audit recommendations for which progress is assessed as satisfactory | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2022-23 | Indicators dropped: Number of times datasets were downloaded through the Open Data portal; Percentage of all investigations cases completed in 280 days or less; Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey response rate | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators added: Percentage of cases for which the Commission’s ordered corrective actions were completed following founded investigations.; Percentage of organizations having completed or progressed on implementing recommendations from Public Service Commission audits.; Percentage of Public Service Commission audit recommendations which it has, as a central agency, completed or is on track to completing within agreed timelines. | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
| 2023-24 | Indicators dropped: Percentage of all investigations cases completed by the Public Service Commission in 280 days or less; Percentage of departments and agencies under the Public Service Employment Act with internal audit functions that have considered staffing oversight in their risk based audit planning process; Percentage of PSC audit recommendations for which progress is assessed as satisfactory | Departmental Results Framework (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Among departments and agencies that underwent a Public Service Commission audit, percentage of deputy heads who indicate that the audit will enable the improvement of organizational staffing practices
Expected result: Effective organizational oversight of staffing
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 80% | 2020 | 77% The Public Service Commission (PSC) is on track to meet its performance target, with a variance of 3% from the expected result of 80%. The results from this first System-Wide Staffing Audit (SWSA) post-audit feedback questionnaire were analyzed in order to identify opportunities for improvement. The findings will be used to enhance the PSC’s oversight effectiveness for future audits and the PSC’s… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 80% | 2022 | 84% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 80% | 2023 | — Not available For operational reasons, the publication of the audit reports is now planned for late Fall 2023. | No result reported |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 80% | 2024 | — Two audit reports were approved in March 2024 (Results of the Second System-Wide Staffing Audit and Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments). Post-audit feedback surveys will be sent to deputy heads after the reports are published. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 80% | 2025 | 77% While the target of 80% was surpassed for the second System-Wide Staffing Audit, it was not achieved for the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments. However, only 9 of the 14 participating departments and agencies responded to the questionnaire. For the 3 organizations that did not indicate the audit would enable improvement, 1 was neutral, and 2 did not know. It is like… | Not met |
Number of times data and information were downloaded through the open government portal
Expected result: Data and information are accessible to Canadians
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 3,250 | 2023 | 4,170 | Met |
| 2023-24 | ≥ 3,250 | 2024 | 3,932 | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 3,250 | 2025 | 2,442 Our development of several data visualization tools has reduced the need for users to download the information from the Open Government Portal. This likely explains the decline in the number of downloads. As a result, this indicator is outdated and should be reassessed at the earliest opportunity. | Not met |
Percentage of cases for which the Commission’s ordered corrective actions were completed following founded investigations.
Expected result: An efficient approach to oversight
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 100% – 100% | 2024 | 100% | Met |
| 2024-25 | 100% – 100% | 2025 | 100% | Met |
Percentage of organizations having completed or progressed on implementing recommendations from Public Service Commission audits.
Expected result: Effective organizational oversight of staffing
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≥ 90% | 2024 | — No audit has been carried out. | No result reported |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 90% | 2025 | 80% While the target of at least 90% implementation progress was not met by departments and agencies for the Audit of Employment Equity Representation in Acting Appointments, it was surpassed for the second System-Wide Staffing Audit. Twenty-seven percent of departments and agencies reported they had not implemented monitoring activities related to acting appointments for employment equity groups. Th… | Not met |
Percentage of Public Service Commission audit recommendations which it has, as a central agency, completed or is on track to completing within agreed timelines.
Expected result: Effective organizational oversight of staffing
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≥ 75% | 2024 | 100% | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 75% | 2025 | 100% | Met |
Percentage of all investigations cases completed by the Public Service Commission in 280 days or less
Expected result: An efficient approach to oversight
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | ≥ 90% | 2023 | 57% In 2022−23, 174.6% more investigations were completed than in the previous year. The completed files included a significant number of related investigations involving a high volume of appointments, several complex issues, as well as a high volume of evidence to gather and analyze. These files represent 24% of total completed files. The backlog of older investigation files was eliminated. These fi… | Not met |
Percentage of departments and agencies under the Public Service Employment Act with internal audit functions that have considered staffing oversight in their risk based audit planning process
Expected result: Effective organizational oversight of staffing
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | — | 2020 | 95% Target was established at 95%. | No result reported |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 95% | 2021 | 94% This is a good result; despite the challenges of the pandemic, all but one of the medium and large organizations continued to consider staffing in their risk-based audit plans. | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 95% | 2022 | 97% The target is already set as follows: At least 95% | Met |
| 2022-23 | ≥ 95% | 2023 | 81% In 2021−22, the target was met, and was even exceeded, at 97%. Considering this, the result of 81% is good, also bearing in mind that staffing oversight in the risk-based audit planning process does not have to be considered each year by every department and agency. This indicator is no longer part of our 2023−24 performance measurement framework. | Not met |
Number of times datasets were downloaded through the Open Data portal
Expected result: Useful and accessible data is available to Canadians
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 2,500 | 2020 | 5,480 | Met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 2,500 | 2021 | 3,485 | Met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 2,500 | 2022 | 3,731 | Met |
Percentage of all investigations cases completed in 280 days or less
Expected result: An efficient approach to oversight
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-20 | ≥ 90% | 2020 | 79.8% Although the target was not met, measures were implemented and progress was made in improving oversight efficiency. The gap analysis, shows that the changes made to modernize the investigations function have had a positive impact on oversight performance, while having a negative impact on calculating the result. Recent data shows that the Public Service Commission (PSC) receives fewer investigati… | Not met |
| 2020-21 | ≥ 90% | 2021 | 67% Although modernization changed the operational context, the PSC improved the efficiency of the investigation process. For example, due to our outreach efforts to support the informal resolution of simple cases by organizations, we now deal primarily with more complex cases. While this is a better use of public funds, it means investigations take longer to complete, due to both the greater complex… | Not met |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 90% | 2022 | 80% The aftermath of the pandemic influenced the 2021–22 results. Many files were delayed from the previous year, mainly due to the shortage of available investigations personnel. As well, some complex files, which normally require a longer investigation time, were also negatively affected by the availability of personnel, increasing the length of some investigations. Despite these factors, the Inves… | Not met |
Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey response rate
Expected result: The Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey is a valid and effective tool for gathering data on the perception of public servants
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | ≥ 50% | 2021 | — The next survey data will only be available in 2021–22 as the survey launch (originally planned for March 2020) has been postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | No result reported |
| 2021-22 | ≥ 50% | 2022 | 34% The target for the response rate was established before the pandemic and does not reflect its impact. Although the survey did not meet the 50% target, the response rate is still significant for public servants. Higher response rates are difficult to achieve without much more effort (similar to what is done for the Public Service Employee Survey). In general, for population surveys, a 10% to 20% r… | Not met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
No indicators in the 2026-27 plan.
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | $18.4M | $14.6M |
| 2019-20 | $14.7M | $15M |
| 2020-21 | $12.6M | $13.5M |
| 2021-22 | $14.4M | $13.4M |
| 2022-23 | $13.6M | $15.9M |
| 2023-24 | $12.3M | $17.5M |
| 2024-25 | $16.6M | $18.5M |
| 2025-26 | $18.9M | — |
| 2026-27 | $18.6M* | — |
| 2027-28 | $18.6M* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 117 | 110 |
| 2019-20 | 112 | 114 |
| 2020-21 | 115 | 104 |
| 2021-22 | 108 | 100 |
| 2022-23 | 105 | 124 |
| 2023-24 | 124 | 125 |
| 2024-25 | 126 | 120 |
| 2025-26 | 121 | — |
| 2026-27 | 119* | — |
| 2027-28 | 119* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2018-19 | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 plan | $18,370,738 | $18,280,642 | $18,303,658 | |||||||
| 2019-20 plan | $14,676,605 | $14,672,797 | $14,672,797 | |||||||
| 2020-21 plan | $12,632,726 | $12,693,827 | $12,720,212 | |||||||
| 2021-22 plan | $14,442,015 | $14,475,521 | $14,450,584 | |||||||
| 2022-23 plan | $13,597,568 | $13,574,256 | $13,161,896 | |||||||
| 2023-24 plan | $12,255,921 | $11,883,532 | $11,908,766 | |||||||
| 2024-25 plan | $16,581,219 | $16,483,409 | $16,351,107 | |||||||
| 2025-26 plan | $18,897,646 | $18,600,105 | $18,559,360 | |||||||
| Actual | $14,567,504 | $15,013,879 | $13,487,817 | $13,401,572 | $15,863,436 | $17,470,438 | $18,501,968 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
