Archived - AANDC's 2014–2015 Departmental Performance Report Priorities

Increase Partnering to Ensure Programs Are More Responsive

Aligned to The Government, The People, The Land and Economy, The North and Internal Services Strategic Outcomes

Summary of Progress

To increase partnering to ensure programs are more responsive, in 2014–2015 the Department accomplished the following:

• Worked with its partners to strengthen collaboration on First Nation education and advanced joint initiatives that improve educational outcomes of First Nation students through tripartite education agreements. There are now eight tripartite education agreements between the Government of Canada, provincial governments and groups of First Nations, with a further two (Innu Nation and Institut Tshakapesh) nearing completion.
• Participated in the National Committee on Inuit Education in an advisory capacity, leveraging relevant knowledge and expertise, in its quarterly discussions.
• Improved the on-reserve Income Assistance Program, through Enhanced Service Delivery and the First Nations Job Fund (administered by Employment and Social Development Canada). By offering case management to more than 6,800 youth since the reform was launched in 2013–2014, AANDC assisted 2,000 youth transition from Income Assistance to either full-time employment or education. By the end of 2014–2015, 160 of 540 First Nations across Canada (29%) were participating in the Income Assistance Reform program.
• Continued to work with provinces and Yukon Territory to strengthen delivery of protection and prevention services to First Nations women and children as well as the implementation of tripartite and bilateral accountability frameworks, resulting in improved outcomes for First Nations communities.
• Worked with the Major Project Management Office–West to develop and implement a governance structure to support decision making related to West Coast Energy developments, and led the development of a whole-of-government action plan to support Aboriginal participation.
• Continued to build partnerships with federal, provincial, territorial, and third-party emergency management providers to support First Nations in emergency management. Negotiations of emergency management bilateral agreements to enhance emergency management were initiated with provinces and territories, and a historic 10-year agreement was signed between AANDC and the Province of Alberta on March 17, 2015.
• Contributed actively to the advancement of the Arctic Council agenda, in collaboration with territorial governments, Aboriginal organizations, and domestic partners, by supporting the delivery of all Canada’s Arctic Council Chairmanship priorities.
• Approved the Joint Statement by Canada and the European Union on Access to the European Union of Seal Products from Indigenous Communities of Canada in October 2014. This was achieved in collaboration with Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and European Union negotiators.
• Advanced scientific research and monitoring related to contaminants in the North and their impacts on the ecosystem and human health through the Northern Contaminants Program.

Leading Improvements to the Management of the Funding Cycle to Recipients

Aligned to The Government, The People, The Land and Economy, The North and Internal Services Strategic Outcomes

Summary of Progress

To lead improvements to the management of the funding cycle to recipients, in 2014–2015 the Department accomplished the following:

• Adopted Health Canada’s financial management system and supported the implementation of AANDC’s grants and contribution system for use by Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. For the Department’s funding recipients, including First Nations, these new business processes will bring efficiency to community and stakeholder dealings with the federal government by reducing red tape and recipient reporting, and by improving management of transfer payments.
• Supported the use of the additional contribution funding approaches (fixed, flexible and block) for transfer payments to Aboriginal recipients. In 2014–2015, 59% of departmental contribution funding was provided to Aboriginal recipients using these various approaches to provide increased flexibilities while ensuring consistency in program delivery and implementation across program sectors and regions.
• Offered the new streamlined agreement model as an option to any interested First Nations wishing to become early adopters of this model. Ten streamlined agreements were signed in 2014–2015. The plain-simplified funding agreement model for project funding was also available to recipients other than First Nations for use in 2014–2015, with 42 plain-simplified funding agreements signed in 2014–2015. To improve the models for use in future fiscal years, recipients were given the opportunity to offer feedback on these models during regular regional funding agreement discussions.
• Made available draft funding agreement models in November 2014 to improve the management of the ongoing renewal of contribution agreements by allowing enough time for departmental officials and recipients to complete their reviews on the proposed adjustments to the national models. The Department’s suite of six national funding agreement models with the Reporting Guide was posted on the Internet by the December-15 service standard. Funding agreements signed by First Nations were returned to regions in time for First Nations to receive funding on April 1, 2015.

Implementing the Results of the Administrative Shared Services Review

Aligned to The Government, The People, The Land and Economy, The North and Internal Services Strategic Outcomes

Summary of Progress

To implement the results of the Administrative Shared Services Review, in 2014–2015 the Department accomplished the following:

• Continued efforts to transfer from AANDC’s GroupWise email solution to the Government of Canada standardized Microsoft Outlook solution; provided analysis and support to Shared Services Canada to deliver on the Cost-Effective Telephone Services Initiative (which replaces desktop phones); and developed an IM/IT Plan to support other Government of Canada modernization initiatives, including the consolidation of data centres, and transition to a government-wide document management solution standard.
• Continued to align systems and human resources organizations consistent with the government-wide initiative to streamline and modernize human resources management processes and systems. AANDC continued to liaise with the Pay Centre in Miramichi, New Brunswick to ensure that pay issues resulting from the Consolidation of Pay Services initiative were effectively addressed.
• Put plans in place to prepare the full implementation of PeopleSoft 9.1 human resources system by end of 2015–2016.
• Completed the human resources management component of the devolution initiative to the Northwest Territories resulting in an organization better aligned with its updated mandate.
• Developed and implemented a Corporate Human Resources Plan that spans to 2020 and established human resources service standards to improve quality and timeliness of services.

Implementing Public Service Renewal and Supporting the Excellence Agenda via Blueprint 2020

Aligned to The Government, The People, The Land and Economy, The North and Internal Services Strategic Outcomes

Summary of Progress

To implement public service renewal and support the Excellence Agenda via Blueprint 2020, in 2014–2015 the Department accomplished the following:

• Embraced the Blueprint 2020 vision and the Clerk of the Privy Council’s priorities (Destination 2020), and integrated these elements into AANDC’s Corporate Human Resources Plan 2014–2020. In 2014–2015, several initiatives were implemented at the corporate level with strong engagement throughout the Department, including communicating the Blueprint 2020 vision and progress to AANDC employees (through webcasts, intranet pages and email bulletins), and successfully completing two pilot initiatives resulting from AANDC’s 2013–2014 Blueprint 2020 "Dragons’ Den" event: an initiative supporting electronic ratification and voting for First Nations determining whether to operate under the First Nations Land Management Regime, and also piloting an initiative targeting Aboriginal student recruitment and retention. AANDC’s 2015 Blueprint 2020 Progress Report, Building on the Momentum of Destination 2020, was submitted to the Clerk of the Privy Council in January 2015.
• Conducted internal consultations with functional areas and key sectors on an integrated business planning approach to increase alignment of financial and non-financial information.
• Undertook a rigorous talent management approach for all executives. Follow-ups on 100% of senior executives’ input (EX-03 to EX-05) into the Executive Talent Management System and on 91% of junior executives’ input (EX-01 and EX-02) were completed.
• Developed a departmental Integrated Well-Being Strategy, including a Disability Management Strategy to address government-wide priorities.
• Established working groups that engage staff in dialogue and discuss ways to improve workplace well-being, particularly in areas for improvement identified in the results of the 2014 Public Service Employee Survey.
• Implemented the new Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) directive on Performance Management, provided training to employees and managers, promoted standardized best practices to engage employees in the pursuit of excellence and established review panels to examine employees requiring an action plan to improve performance as well as those with high performance for talent management. This directive was implemented with 91.5% of employees registered with the TBS application by November 2014. By March 31, 2015, 68.9% of employees and 72.4% of managers had signed their year-end assessment.