Statement outlining results, risks and significant changes in operations, personnel and program

1.Introduction

This quarterly report has been prepared by management as required by section 65.1 of the Financial Administration Act and in the form and manner prescribed by the Treasury Board Directive on Accounting Standards. This report should be read in conjunction with the 2020-21 Main Estimates (and as applicable – Supplementary Estimates and previous quarterly reports for the current year).

The mandate of the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat (CICS) is to support federal, provincial and territorial governments in the planning and conduct of senior level intergovernmental conferences held across Canada. The primary objective of CICS is to relieve client departments of the numerous technical and administrative tasks associated with the planning and conduct of multilateral conferences, thereby enabling participants to concentrate on substantive intergovernmental policy issues. CICS provides continuous, effective, impartial administrative services to these meetings.

This quarterly report has not been subject to an external audit or review.

Basis of Presentation

This quarterly report has been prepared by management using an expenditure basis of accounting. The accompanying Statement of Authorities includes the department’s spending authorities granted by Parliament and those used by the department consistent with the 2020-21 Main Estimates and Supplementary Estimates (as applicable). This quarterly report has been prepared using a special purpose financial reporting framework designed to meet financial information needs with respect to the use of spending authorities.

The authority of Parliament is required before moneys can be spent by the Government. Approvals are given in the form of annually approved limits through appropriation acts or through legislation in the form of statutory spending authority for specific purposes.

As part of the departmental performance reporting process, CICS prepares its annual departmental financial statements on a full accrual basis in accordance with Treasury Board accounting policies, which are based on Canadian generally accepted accounting principles for the public sector. However, the spending authorities voted by Parliament remain on an expenditure basis.

2.Highlights of fiscal quarter and fiscal year to date (YTD) results

2.1 Statement of Authorities

CICS’ authorities currently available for 2020-21 are approximately $1.55 million lower than last fiscal year due to the reduced supply of the Main Estimates. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and limited sessions in the spring for Parliament to study supply, the Standing Orders of the House of Commons were amended to extend the study period into the fall. CICS is expected to receive full supply for the 2020-21 Main Estimates in December 2020.

2.2Statement of Department Budgetary Expenditures by Standard Object

Year to date operating expenses to September 30, 2020 are some $1 million lower than for the same period in 2019-20. This decrease is partially attributable to a shift in service delivery of CICS services resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, transportation expenditures (commonly employee travel) decreased by $367 thousand due to a complete shift to virtual conferences and teleconferences. Professional and special services expenditures have decreased $357 thousand, also due in part to a shift to virtual conferences. Personnel expenditures are also lower due to ongoing vacancies in both the conference services and internal services divisions. This has resulted in a reduction of $209 thousand.

Forecasting further reductions in transportation spending over the year due to the pandemic, CICS has prioritized new investments including digitizing the agency’s records to maximize CICS operations while continuing to position the agency for an increasingly digital conferencing landscape.

3.Risks and Uncertainties

Our program mandate is to provide administrative services for the planning and conduct of First Ministers, Ministers and Deputy Ministers level federal-provincial-territorial and provincial-territorial conferences. The number of conferences and meetings in the second quarter of 2020-21 doubled from the same period in 2019-20 (39 versus 19). CICS does not convene intergovernmental meetings. It is called upon to respond to decisions taken by governments to meet on key national or specific issues. Decisions concerning the location of such meetings, their number in a given fiscal year, their timing and duration, are all factors beyond the control of the Secretariat.

Like many other departments and agencies, CICS is facing a critical demographic issue as we enter a phase where a significant number of our personnel are or will be eligible for retirement. Plans are in place to ensure as seamless a transition of knowledge as possible. CICS continues to target greater provincial/territorial representation amongst Conference Services staff to maintain a high level of neutrality and welcome diverse perspectives to its service delivery model.

4.Significant changes in relation to operations, personnel and program

In response to the evolving needs of clients, the Conference Services Division, as in the previous fiscal period, continues to identify, pilot and implement innovative solutions. Innovative solutions consist of new technologies and process efficiencies that improve service delivery resulting in positive client feedback and efficiencies in operations, the key areas being web-conferencing and teleconferencing with remote simultaneous interpretation, online registration and online document retrieval. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CICS only served conferences by videoconferencing and teleconferencing after mid-March 2020.

Approval by Senior Officials

*Includes only Authorities available for use and granted by Parliament at quarter-end.

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