Conclusions Against Our Expected Outcome

We have one expected outcome: Performance of our business services and operations is maximized through modern and innovative management approaches – We have met our expected outcome through our strong performance against each of our five key CMD anticipated results. CMD's performance has met our innovations and compliance strategic outcomes.

This third Annual Report comes at a turning point for the CCRA as we now consider ourselves an established Agency. Over the last three years, we have made significant progress in implementing our transformation agenda. Many challenges were met and addressed, and adjustments were made where initiatives lagged. Overall, we are on track towards meeting our innovation goals and performance expectations.

The CCRA's management practices that support the principles of modern comptrollership have been established. We judge that the key elements of a management regime based on our modern comptrollership principles (strategic leadership, shared values and ethics, rigorous stewardship, and clear accountability among others) are largely in place and are providing sound financial and treasury support across the CCRA. In our Transparent Management for Results (TMFR) agenda, our Corporate Business Plan and Annual Report establish the linkage of resources to results. Performance and risk information to improve decision-making have now been identified and are being used, but more needs to be done.

In mitigating financial risks, financial systems controls are being jointly reviewed by CCRA's corporate audit and evaluation function and the OAG, the results of which help to provide assurance of the existence and adequacy of internal controls for the major revenue application systems.

In addressing the decrease in the public's trust in the CCRA after the provincial overpayment issue of last year, the corporate audit and evaluation function reaffirmed the completeness and accuracy of the revised CCRA's account structure for capturing tax amounts transferred to the provinces and territories. This work was carried out in conjunction with the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), with the aim of strengthening CCRA's credibility in revenue transaction recording.

Many of the Human Resources Reform and Renewal (HRR&R) initiatives are either completed or on schedule for completion. The CCRA is assessing the remaining work to be done to ensure that our modernizing concepts and designs are still valid for meeting future Agency needs.

Across the CCRA, security has been heightened and is driving program change and system upgrades. We have developed a comprehensive emergency management strategy that defines roles, responsibilities, and procedures in the event of a serious threat to the security of our employees and assets. Security of assets such as lap-top computers are being reviewed to enhance all levels of risk for moveable goods. Managers must continue to exercise constant vigilance to mitigate internal and external risks.

Information Technology continues to meet business requirements, such as increased availability for customs security requirements, while maintaining existing applications. The implementation of our e-business computing platform will help meet future Agency business compliance requirements.

The following testimonial acknowledges the best practices being set by the CCRA. Linda Duxbury, a Carleton University professor, has described the IT Renewal transformation as “closer than anybody else I know of, in the Federal Public Service context” to being successful in seeking, attracting, and retaining a skilled and motivated workforce. IT Renewal was selected as a finalist at the Government Technology Exhibition (GTEC) 2002. As well, the CCRA received two gold GTEC awards for information technology achievements in e-government for the Address Change On-Line project and the Customs Self-Assessment (CSA) project.

CMD continues to assist the CCRA's core business in meeting our Compliance Outcome. Stakeholders' feedback indicated that our legal counsel and advisory service has a “significant/high level” of influence in ensuring that the legal aspects of CCRA operations and policies are meeting legislative requirements across all business lines.

CMD supports the other business lines in their efforts to manage compliance within a self-assessing tax administration and security-conscious customs environment. Our CMD areas support all our mission-critical programs, systems, and assets that promote continued support for the Government of Canada's commitment to public health and safety.

The next section presents our Performance Summary for the Corporate Management and Direction business line against our five anticipated results. Anticipated results 1 through 5 deal with our strategic outcome of managing the compliance continuum and to our strategic outcome of innovating for the future. These anticipated results support our one expected outcome—Performance of our business services and operations is maximized through modern and innovative management approaches.

Performance Highlights

Key Volumetrics

Date modified:

2003-10-29