Department of Intergovernmental Affairs Annual Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Table of Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Department of Intergovernmental Affairs Annual Accountability Report Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Table of Contents Accountability Statement ...............................................................................................1 Message from the Minister and Deputy Minister ........................................................... ~ Financial Results ..........................................................................................................1. Measuring Our Results .................................................................................................§. Overall Performance .......................................................................................§. 1. Government of Canada Relations ....................................................................§. 2. Provincialfferritorial (Pff) Relations ..................................................................z 3. Council of the Federation (CoF)/National Aboriginal Organizations- 2012 ....... ~ 4. International Trade, Commerce and Relationships .......................................... 10 5. Protocol ............................................................................................................~ 6. Government House .............................................................................16 Public Interest Disclosure of Wrongdoing Act ............................................................... 19 Accountability Statement The Accountability Report for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs for the year ended March 31, 2013 is prepared pursuant to the Finance Act and government policies and guidelines. These authorities require the reporting of outcomes against the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs Statement of Mandate for the fiscal year 2012- 2013. The reporting of the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs outcomes necessarily includes estimates, judgments and opinions by the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs management. We acknowledge that this accountability report is the responsibility of the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs management. The report is, to the extent possible, a complete and accurate representation of outcomes relative to the goals and priorities set out in the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs 2012-2013 Statement of Mandate. The Honourable Darrell Dexter Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Catherine Blewett Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Department of Intergovernmental Affairs: Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Page 1 of21 Message from the Minister and Deputy Minister We are pleased to present the Accountability Report for the Department of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) which outlines the department's progress and achievements for the 2012-13 fiscal year. IGA has a mandate to coordinate and advance Nova Scotia's interests with the Government of Canada, other provinces, and foreign governments at national and sub national levels. It also serves as a central point of contact for the coordination of the province's strategic intergovernmental priorities and protocol requirements. IGA facilitates and promotes a coordinated approach within the Government on international matters, and is also responsible for the operation of a Protocol Office and Government House. In 2012-2013, IGA met its objectives and has advanced Nova Scotia's intergovernmental priorities across the country and internationally through meetings, events, and engagement activities. Progress and achievements are noted on a number of corporate public policy matters, particularly in the areas of trade, regional cooperation, energy and health. In July 2012, Nova Scotia took on a national leadership role as chair of the Council of the Federation (CoF). CoF met twice in 2012-2013 (July 26-27 and November 22-23) in Nova Scotia. At these meetings, Canada's premiers were focused on working together to grow Canada's economy, with a particular emphasis on joint interests in the areas of labour market, employment insurance, immigration, health care, energy, infrastructure and trade and investment. Prior to the July meeting of CoF, IGA facilitated and led a meeting of premiers and Leaders of National Aboriginal Organizations held in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia to discuss issues of mutual importance, specifically in the areas of education, economic development, housing, disaster mitigation and violence against Aboriginal women and girls. In September 2012, Nova Scotia led a delegation of Canadian premiers and business leaders on a successful trade mission to China which positioned Canada's premiers well to advance our collective and unique trade and investment priorities with our partners and emerging economies. In addition to this mission, IGA commenced preparations for Nova Scotia to be represented at an Atlantic mission to Brazil in 2013-2014. During Nova Scotia's tenure as CoF chair, premiers announced a coordinated approach to price setting for six widely-used generic drugs. This initiative could produce savings of up to $100 million for provincial and territorial drug plans, including approximate savings of $7 million for Nova Scotia. IGA engaged with Atlantic counterparts in the planning and coordination of the Council of Atlantic Premiers meeting at Brudenell, PEl, (June 6, 2012). At this meeting the Premier led and advanced the Atlantic Workforce Partnership initiative which aims to address concerns over federal Employment Insurance changes. The Premier also participated in important discussions regarding federal service reductions in Atlantic Department of Intergovernmental Affairs: Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Page 2 of21 Canada; federal transfer funding agreement renewal; benefiting from more joint procurement initiatives; and pursuing the development of new, clean and renewable electricity resources. At the end of July 2012, Nova Scotia attended the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian premiers' conference in Burlington, Vermont. The conference theme was Energy and Transportation: Opportunities for Economic Growth, and resulted in resolutions to accelerate the development of renewable energies, support the development of emerging transportation technologies, and lead nationally and internationally on climate change initiatives. Through its participation in the May 2012 conference of the Southeastern United States and Canadian Provinces Alliance, the Nova Scotia delegation strengthened relationships with key international leaders. In addition to the meeting, the associated trade mission had a robust Business Delegation program that matched over 250 delegates from across the 13 Alliance jurisdictions in a business-to-business matchmaking program. The Protocol Office, in conjunction with Government House, delivered a host of events throughout 2012 commemorating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the ll's Diamond Jubilee, and installed Brigadier-General John James Grant as Nova Scotia's 32nd Lieutenant Governor since Confederation. By all accounts 2012-2013 was a productive year for Intergovernmental Affairs in Nova Scotia. In 2013-2014 it is expected that IGA will leverage its previous successes and continue to effectively represent Nova Scotia's interests in the Province's intergovernmental dealings. The Honourable Darrell Dexter Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Catherine Blewett Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Department of Intergovernmental Affairs: Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Page 3 of 21 Financial Results INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS I 2012-2013 2012-2013 Estimate Actual Program and Service Area ($'thousands) ($'thousands) Intergovernmental Affairs -Admin $2,918 $2,293 Government House $852 $762 Ottawa Office $224 $103 Protocol Office $685 $649 Total Program Expenses $4,679 $3,809* Provincial Funded Staff (FTEs) 30.71 27.44** *The difference between the Estimate and the Actual is $878,000. This is primarily due to the CoF Secretariat directly procuring a majority of the necessary items and services for which IGA had budgeted relating to the 2012 CoF Summer Meeting and CoF China Mission. In addition, Intergovernmental Affairs realized $127,000 savings during the Ottawa Office closure process. This savings and others helped Intergovernmental Affairs achieve its budget reduction targets. Moreover, with careful planning it has been able to reduce costs while continuing to maintain the same level of advice and support that it was previously providing. ** The Executive Director position remained vacant for seven months during the hiring process. A few other positions remained vacant for a number of months due to timing of competitive process. Department of Intergovernmental Affairs: Accountability Report for Fiscal Year 2012-2013 Page 4 of21 Measuring Our Results Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) works to anticipate, identify, and advance government's strategic priorities and provide a corporate understanding of opportunities and challenges in an intergovernmental context. IGA will continue to work with the Premier's Office and other departments and agencies to develop priorities and reinforce a strong understanding of corporate positions and priorities relative to intergovernmental issues and negotiations. In 2012-2013 IGA reviewed its measurement system with a view to better assessing the department's performance. Due to the nature of IGA work, its performance is most effectively measured through qualitative information gathering. For this reason IGA engaged a third party to conduct focus group sessions with representatives