The Executive

Executive Government in Canada: The Privy Council

The Privy Council Office (PCO) is the hub of public service support to the Prime Minister and Cabinet and its decision-making structures. Led by the Clerk of the Privy Council, PCO facilitates the smooth and effective operations of Cabinet and the Government of Canada through the work of the PCO secretariats.

PCO helps to clearly articulate and implement the Government's policy agenda and to coordinate timely responses to issues facing the government and the country. It also works to maintain the highest professional and ethical standards in the federal Public Service.

Some of PCO's main roles are:

• Providing professional, non-partisan advice to the Prime Minister and Cabinet;
• Managing the Cabinet's decision-making system (including coordinating departmental policy proposals and conducting policy analysis);
• Arranging and supporting meetings of Cabinet and Cabinet committees;
• Advancing the development of the Government's agenda across federal departments and agencies and with external stakeholders;
• Providing advice on the government's structure and organization;
• Managing the appointment process for senior positions in federal departments, Crown corporations and agencies;
• Preparing Orders-in-Council? and other statutory instruments to give effect to Government decisions;
• Fostering a high-performing and accountable public service;
• Submitting an annual report to the Prime Minister on the state of the Public Service.

PCO works to ensure that the Prime Minister and other PCO ministers receive the highest-quality, consistent and appropriate policy advice and objective recommendations. The Privy Council Office reports directly to the Prime Minister and is staffed by career public servants.

Roles and Responsibilities of Senior PCO Staff

Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

The Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet is Canada's most senior public servant supporting the Prime Minister. The Clerk has three main responsibilities:

• As the Prime Minister's Deputy Minister - provides professional, non-partisan advice and support to the Prime Minister in carrying out all his or her responsibilities as head of Canada's government. This includes managing the federation.
• As Secretary to the Cabinet - provides support and advice to the ministry as a whole and oversees the provision of policy and secretariat support to Cabinet and Cabinet committees.
• As Head of the Public Service - sets strategic directions for the Public Service. The Clerk ensures the Public Service delivers quality, expert, professional and non-partisan advice and service to the Prime Minister, the ministry and all Canadians.

The first Clerk of the Privy Council was appointed in 1867.

National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet

The National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet assists the Clerk and provides information, advice and recommendations to the Prime Minister as follows:

• As Associate Secretary to the Cabinet he or she can act on the Clerk's behalf on any of the policy and operational issues that come before the Privy Council Office.
• As National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister he or she ensures the effective coordination of Canada's security and intelligence community and, together with the Deputy Minister of National Defence, is responsible for the Communications Security Establishment1. The National Security Advisor also oversees the provision of intelligence assessments to the Prime Minister, other ministers and senior government officials.

The National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister is supported by two secretariats via the Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister:

• Security and Intelligence
• International Assessment Staff

Deputy Minister (Intergovernmental Affairs)

The Deputy Minister (Intergovernmental Affairs) provides advice and support to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs on policies, communications and parliamentary affairs relating to federal-provincial-territorial relations. This includes fiscal federalism, the evolution of the federation and Canadian unity.

The Deputy Minister’s mandate covers:

• Policy advice and strategic planning related to national unity, the broad federal-provincial-territorial agenda, constitutional and legal issues, and fiscal federalism. These files require close collaboration with a number of departments, including Finance, Justice, Treasury Board, and several others;
• Liaison and advice on relations with the provinces and territories and the renewal of the federation; and
• Communications and parliamentary affairs support on issues and initiatives with important federal-provincial-territorial dimensions.

The Deputy Minister directs and manages the Intergovernmental Affairs office. Two Assistant Deputy Ministers and a Director of Communications and Parliamentary Affairs support him or her in this work.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations)

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) provides policy advice to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Clerk of the Privy Council and ensures interdepartmental coordination on a wide range of domestic policy and program issues of concern to the Government.

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) is accountable for the effective operation of the Cabinet Committee for Operations, the Cabinet Committee for Social Affairs and the Cabinet Committee for Economic Affairs.

He or she has overall responsibility for three secretariats:

• Social Development Policy
• Economic and Regional Development Policy
• Operations

The Orders in Council Division and Cabinet Papers System Unit also fall under his or her mandate.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultation)

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultation) is responsible for considering all matters of government policy from the standpoint of the Government's key priorities and plans. He or she provides direction to the following secretariats:

• Priorities and Planning
• Liaison Secretariat for Macroeconomic Policy
• Communications and Consultation

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultation) provides advice on strategic policy issues. He or she is also responsible for supplying secretariat support to Cabinet and offering advice on communications and consultations across government.

The Deputy Secretary and the three secretariats pay particular attention to the Budget, the Speech from the Throne and other special or priority issues that may arise from time to time. Emphasis is placed on ensuring that ministers are informed of interrelationships between issues in the context of the Government's strategic priorities.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Legislation and House Planning and Machinery of Government) and Counsel to the Clerk of the Privy Council

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Legislation and House Planning and Machinery of Government) and Counsel to the Clerk of the Privy Council provides advice to the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council on the management of the Government's legislative program, the structure and functioning of government as a whole, and issues relating to electoral and democratic reform. He or she also provides legal advice on a wide range of matters.

The Deputy Secretary and Counsel is supported by two secretariats: Legislation and House Planning, and Machinery of Government, and two sections: Legal Operations and Cabinet Confidences.

Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister

The Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister supports the Prime Minister in his or her dealings with other heads of government and heads of state. This involves a variety of tasks ranging from providing policy advice to handling correspondence and arranging visits to Canada and foreign travel. The Advisor also communicates directly, on behalf of the Prime Minister, with foreign government representatives in Canada and senior officials of foreign leaders' offices.

The Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister provides advice to Cabinet on major foreign policy and defence issues. In addition, he or she shares accountability with the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister for the effective operation of the Cabinet Committee for Foreign Affairs and National Security. Two secretariats (Security and Intelligence and the International Assessment Staff) report through the Foreign and Defence Policy Advisor to the National Security Advisor.

The Foreign and Defence Policy Secretariat works with the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency and National Defence on key policy and related funding issues. It also participates in or coordinates interdepartmental work on issues related to Canada's international relations.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Senior Personnel and Special Projects)

The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Senior Personnel and Special Projects) supports the Prime Minister and the Clerk of the Privy Council in building a strong and competent public service. The Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet provides advice and support on human resource management policies and services for the effective recruitment, selection, retention and management of Governor-in-Council? appointees. This work focuses largely on deputy ministers, chief executive officers of Crown corporations and heads of agencies.

The Senior Personnel and Special Projects Secretariat works with other central agencies to ensure excellence in public service management and service delivery. Its key responsibilities include:

• Appointments - establishing and administering policies and services that promote high-quality Governor-in-Council? appointments.
• Compensation Policy and Operations - establishing, administering and reviewing compensation and classification policies that facilitate the recruitment and retention of senior personnel.
• Leadership Development - planning future public service leadership needs and ensuring the development of senior public servants (deputy ministers, heads of agencies, etc.). This includes supporting the Committee of Senior Officials in administering the Performance Management Program for senior personnel.
• Public Service Human Resource Management - advancing the Government's public service management agenda and supporting the Clerk in his or her role as head of the Public Service. This involves providing advice and working with other central agencies on issues such as public service renewal, human resources modernization, diversity, official languages, labour relations, modern comptrollership and pride and recognition. It also includes supporting the Committee of Senior Officials in providing strategic human resources direction for the Public Service.

The secretariat also supports the Clerk in delivering key messages to the Public Service and in preparing the Clerk's Annual Report on the Public Service.

Assistant Deputy Minister (Corporate Services Branch)

The Assistant Deputy Minister (Corporate Services Branch) provides strategic and operational advice on all matters pertaining to corporate services and is responsible for overseeing the delivery of all related services. The Assistant Deputy Minister also oversees the provision of certain advisory and administrative services to commissions of inquiry, committees, task forces and other independent agencies in the Prime Minister's portfolio.

The Assistant Deputy Minister is responsible for providing administrative, financial and corporate planning, human resources, information, informatics and technical services to the Prime Minister's Office, the Privy Council Office and associated ministers' offices. Some of these services are also available to commissions of inquiry.

In addition to these standard services, the Corporate Services Branch responds to requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It also processes mail (excluding political and personal) addressed to the Prime Minister, the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of La Francophonie and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.

Seven directors support the Assistant Deputy Minister in this work.

Afghanistan Task Force

The Deputy Minister, Afghanistan Task Force, provides advice and support to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan in the delivery of a strategic plan to transform Canada’s role in Afghanistan.

This work is shaped by the five key recommendations made by the Independent Panel on Canada’s Future Role in Afghanistan. The task force has a mandate for:

• strategic policy development and integration;
• coordination of the Government’s activities and operations in Afghanistan; and
• communications and tracking implementation follow-up to ensure coherence across Government activities.

It also provides secretariat support to the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan.

The new committee of deputy ministers chaired by the Deputy Minister of the Afghanistan Task Force provides advice and support to the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan.

A 25-member task force has been staffed with key personnel with the relevant capacities from Foreign Affairs and International Trade, National Defence, Treasury Board, the Canadian International Development Agency and the Privy Council Office.

Involved departments will develop plans regarding their Afghanistan-related activities in close coordination with the PCO-led task force for review and consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan and ratification by the Priorities and Planning (P&P) Committee. Departments will remain responsible for Afghanistan-related programming, including seeking Treasury Board approval of resource proposals following their consideration by the Cabinet Committee on Afghanistan and ratification by P& P.

Key deliverables for the task force include:

• preparing a renewed diplomatic strategy, to be led by the Prime Minister, to advance Canada’s goals in Afghanistan;
• supporting the Prime Minister’s efforts to secure an additional battle group and key equipment;
• designing a reprofiled development assistance program to enhance the profile and resonance of Canada’s contribution in Kandahar;
• establishing metrics for measuring progress toward each of these deliverables; and
• redesigning Government communications on Afghanistan.

The Office of the Coordinator for 2010 Olympics and G8 Security

The Office of the Coordinator for 2010 Olympics and G8 Security was established in October 2007.

The Office of the Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the federal response to the security tasks of hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver-Whistler, British Columbia, and the 2010 G8 Summit in Huntsville, Ontario.

The Office of the Coordinator serves as a task force with the goal of ensuring a whole-of-government approach to the immense challenges of securing two major international events within a relatively short time frame. The Office reports to the Prime Minister through the National Security Advisor.

The Office of the Coordinator works closely with the various departments and agencies involved in the security efforts and serves as a central point of contact between provincial and federal agencies, as well as international partners.

Key tasks of the Office include:

• Coordinate with relevant federal departments and agencies on all aspects of security planning, and ensure such planning is integrated with provincial and municipal organizations;
• Ensure that comprehensive exercise programs are in place to test security plans and interoperability, and prove operational readiness;
• Establish a framework to provide for a coordinated approach to communications relating to security plans;
• Identify funding requirements among the various federal departments and agencies;
• Provide advice and recommendations to ministers, the Cabinet and the Prime Minister on issues regarding security for the 2010 Games and G8 Summit; and
• Coordinate ongoing bilateral discussions between Canadian departments and international partners, notably the U.S.

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Related Links

• Clerk of the Privy Council
• PCO Secretariats