Supporting Strategic Objectives
To focus efforts and serve as a guide for activities during the 40th Parliament, the House Administration has established four strategic objectives that reflect its mandate, vision and values:
1. To Respond to the Evolving Role of Members and the Institution
Supporting the Evolution of
Parliamentary Practices and Rules
The House Administration has an ongoing commitment to support the evolution of parliamentary practices and rules for the benefit of Canadian parliamentary democracy. In accordance with instructions, the House Administration may be called upon to assist in the drafting of amendments to the Standing Orders. The House Administration also updates the procedural reference works available to Members for Chamber and committee work. In addition, they regularly update the Compendium of House of Commons Procedure to integrate changes to practices and usages in the House, as procedures continue to evolve. The Clerk and the teams of Table Officers and procedural clerks are always available to respond to procedural questions from Members of Parliament, their staff and members of the public.
A significant accomplishment for the House Administration in 2009 was the publication of the second edition of House of Commons Procedure and Practice. Members of Parliament, their staff and the House Administration use this comprehensive guide every day in their work on behalf of Canadians.
The House Administration was pleased to introduce closed-captioning of both live and archived webcasts of Question Period in 2009 and to initiate planning for expanding the service to televised committee meetings. These accomplishments help bring Parliament closer to Canadians.
In 2010-2011, an improved method for the tracking of
procedural research requests and rulings made by the
Speaker in the House of Commons will be put in place.
This will serve as a useful tool for research
purposes.
Improving Members' Access to
Parliamentary Information
To meet the evolving publication needs associated with
both paper and Web-based documents throughout the House
of Commons, in 2009-2010 the House Administration
successfully developed and deployed SmartBook II. This
software tool, which is used to publish both hard-copy
and electronic documents, was made fully operational in
January 2010. The House Administration used this software
to publish the online version of House of Commons
Procedure and Practice, 2009; Smartbook II also
allows authors to easily maintain and update this
publication.
The administrations of the Senate, the House of Commons
and the Library of Parliament will of a common long-term
vision and strategy for the enhancement of parliamentary
information services throughout Parliament. In the coming
year, the Parliamentary Information Management (PIM)
committee will continue to support existing collaborative
initiatives related to parliamentary information. The
goal is to offer more coordinated and accessible
information to clients. In particular, the
tri-institutional Joint Initiative for Legislative
Information (JILI)
will present the information in a more integrated and
collaborative manner. The work on producing more Members'
and Senators' information more efficiently and
collaboratively will also continue in earnest.
Facilitating the Involvement and Awareness of Canadians
About Their Parliament and the Parliamentary
Process
To help Canadians become more engaged with the House of Commons, in 2009 the House Administration introduced closed-captioning for both live and archived webcasts of Question Period. They also initiated the planning phase with Public Works and Government Services Canada for a project to expand these services to televised committee meetings. In addition, the House Administration completed the development of the infrastructure and functionality required to provide links from the live video feed to the transcripts of parliamentary proceedings on the parliamentary Web site. This new service will be introduced within the ParlVU portal, where Canadians will be able to see and hear Parliament live and on demand, in 2010-2011.
Working on an implementation plan for viewing the proceedings on ParlVU, in the 2009-2010 fiscal year the House Administration completed the development of desktop tools that will display the events currently taking place on ParlVU and give viewers direct access to the ParlVU webcast from their desktop. A planning phase was also initiated for the development of services via the ParlVU portal that will facilitate mobile access and reuse of the parliamentary proceedings. These new services will also be introduced within the ParlVU portal in 2010-2011.
2. To Enhance Ongoing Services to Members and Sustain the Institution
Advancing the Long Term Vision and Plan to Rehabilitate Heritage Buildings and Grounds, and Provide Additional Parliamentary Accommodations
The House Administration is responsible for providing
strategic direction and input at all stages of the Long
Term Vision and Plan, from planning to implementation.
Public Works and Government Services Canada, as custodian
of the parliamentary buildings and grounds, manages all
projects related to the maintenance, repair and
construction of accommodation facilities and secures the
required funding.
The three main components with regard to the
implementation of the Long Term Vision and Plan program
of works are:
-
Major Capital Program
-
Recapitalization Program
-
Planning Program
Major Capital Program
The ongoing major rehabilitation of Canada's heritage
buildings in the Parliamentary Precinct requires that the
House Administration develop functional, symbolic and
technical requirements for the relocation of
parliamentary functions and support services. This
complex process requires knowledge of planning, design
and construction as well as extensive coordination and
logistics expertise.
To allow the West Block and the East Block to be vacated,
La Promenade Building (151 Sparks Street) and the
Wellington Building (180 Wellington Street) had to be
vacated to provide interim space for parliamentary
offices and committee rooms. This required a concerted
effort by the House Administration in 2009-2010 to
contribute to the completion of alternate accommodations,
including the related infrastructure and connectivity
projects.
The House Administration is actively involved in the
following major projects:
- La Promenade Building - This building is under construction to accommodate 62 Members' offices and three committee rooms. The House Administration reviewed all aspects of the design and construction to ensure House of Commons standards were met.
-
The Wellington Building - This
building has been vacated for rehabilitation. Over the
past year, the House Administration designated
alternate sites for the then occupants of the
Wellington Building and coordinated the relocation of
hundreds of employees to alternate
accommodations.
-
One Wellington Street (former Canadian Museum
of Contemporary Photography) - This building
is under construction to accommodate four committee
rooms. The House Administration is involved with all
aspects of the design and construction to ensure
requirements are met.
-
Former Bank of Montreal building -
This building will permanently house the ceremonial
events presently held in the West Block. The House
Administration participated in the review of design
options to ensure functional and operational
requirements are incorporated.
-
West Block - Design work also
progressed on this future project. The West Block will
be used to temporarily house the legislative functions
from the Centre Block. The House Administration has
already completed the first stages of that planning
process; the functional programs have been completed
and the preliminary design is under way.
-
Information technology - In 2009-2010,
the House Administration identified the functional
information technology requirements for parliamentary
locations that are not on Parliament Hill and ensured
their implementation. The House Administration planned,
designed and implemented technology services,
infrastructure and connectivity to a number of sites.
They also established fibre-optic connectivity to all
remote parliamentary sites.
Recapitalization Program
For those buildings that are not about to undergo major rehabilitation but need repair work and upgrades to reduce deterioration, the House Administration is conducting client-impact assessments on a project-by-project basis. This past year, a pilot project was initiated to provide a comprehensive approach to the repair and upgrade work on the Confederation Building and ensure priority projects are coordinated to have minimal perations. In future, this model can extend to similar projects in other buildings such as the Centre Block.
Restoring the heritage buildings and grounds in the Parliamentary Precinct is not a simple undertaking. It is an intensive and complicated process requiring an immense amount of planning and long-term vision. Employees with a variety of expertise- in architecture, heritage conservation, project management, information technology, parliamentary procedure, infrastructure, human resources and finance, for example-must work closely together. The accomplishments associated with this process in the Parliamentary Precinct are sources of pride for the House Administration.
To learn more about the modernization of these historically significant Canadian buildings, please visit www.parliamenthill.gc.ca.
Planning Program
This past year, the parliamentary partners-the Senate,
the House of Commons and the Library of
Parliament-provided their input to Public Works and
Government Services Canada to obtain approval for funding
for the continuation of the work associated with the Long
Term Vision and Plan. The House Administration reviewed,
updated and consolidated into a report the long-term
requirements, and developed a communication strategy to
keep Members and employees informed of the various
programs, projects and relocations.
As well, the House Administration identified requirements and provided project-direction statements for a number of projects at the planning phase. The Administration was involved with the development of broad requirements for the master plans dealing with the west sector area of the Parliamentary Precinct including the West Terrace Pavilion, the underground infrastructure, the material-handling facility, transportation and landscaping.
Providing a Flexible Technology Infrastructure to Respond to the Needs of Members and the Institution
In their committee work, Members rely on tools to support
collaboration and conferencing with participants across
the country and around the world. Last year, the House
Administration completed the review of existing processes
and requirements for videoconferencing services.
In 2010-2011, recommendations for service improvements
will be brought forward to support Members in their work
and committee meetings.
In an effort to manage the scheduling requirements of
security services in a more cost-efficient manner, staff
confirmed their requirements to replace the current
electronic scheduling system and issued a request for
proposals during the year of this report. A funding
strategy is in place for implementation.
Ensuring the Guardianship of the Institution
During the reporting year, the House Administration
continued its efforts to strengthen the level of security
at the House of Commons through its membership in the
Master Security Planning Office. In partnership with the
Senate Protective Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police, it pursued several key strategic activities. The
Master Security Planning Office also conducted a review
of existing security standards and practices to determine
where policy and procedures can be best aligned to
maximize interoperability.
Additionally, the House Administration has advanced a
standardized incident management model. While this model
has been in practice for responses to major security
incidents since 2007, preliminary planning has been
completed to use the model across the House of Commons
for the effective management of an array of events.
As effective communications are critical during major
incidents, a communication strategy is in place to ensure
that consistent and timely information is shared with
Members, their staff and the House Administration in the
event of a disruption or emergency situation within the
Parliamentary Precinct. The communication strategy has
recently been updated in keeping with the incident
management model.
The House Administration continues to proactively protect
the health and safety of everyone within the
Parliamentary Precinct. Over the past year, as part of
overall business continuity planning efforts, the House
Administration put a pandemic plan in place, structured
on best practices established by the World Health
Organization and the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan. It
outlines steps the House of Commons would, and did,
follow during the specific pandemic phases the
Administration faced during this reporting period.
At the same time, the House Administration continued to work on business continuity plans for Members' offices, the Chamber, committee and caucus lines of business and House of Commons administrative services.
Further to the outbreak of H1N1 flu in Canada, the House Administration developed a Pandemic Plan and took immediate measures to protect visitors, Members and employees. These actions included: increased cleaning in high-traffic areas, the installation of additional hand sanitization stations and ongoing communications with Members and employees.
3. To Promote Understanding and Support the Advancement of Legislative Institutions
Ensuring the Availability of Up-to-date Information on
Parliamentary Procedure
On November 18, 2009, the Speaker of the House tabled
House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Second
Edition, 2009, written by the House Administration and
edited by the Clerk, Audrey O'Brien and the Deputy Clerk,
Marc Bosc. Originally published in 2000, this book is a
comprehensive study of House of Commons jurisprudence
that examines the forms, customs and procedures
established since Confederation. This new edition,
containing more than 1,500 pages and 6,900 footnotes in
each of the French and English versions, includes a
description of the changes to the Standing Orders and
practices of the House since the release of the first
edition. It also includes a number of revised and
reorganized chapters, several new graphics, an improved
index and a more complete bibliography. To make the book
available to readers across the country and around the
world, the House Administration launched the printed
version and an online edition on the same day.
Providing Learning Opportunities for Parliamentarians and
Legislative Officials from Jurisdictions in Canada and
Abroad
In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, 32 information and training
sessions were offered on procedural topics to Members of
Parliament and their staff, the House Administration, the
research services of the various caucuses, the public
service and university students. In addition, the House
Administration offered an intensive training program for
new procedural clerks hired during the period. A renewed
emphasis was placed over the past year on these training
sessions and the manner in which they are offered.
As is described in detail in the Representing Canada
section of this report, the House Administration
organized Speaker-led delegations from and to other
parliaments and organized meetings, seminars and
conferences related to the various parliamentary
associations. Of note during the last year were
interparliamentary meetings in La Malbaie, Québec; Saint
John, New Brunswick; and Ottawa, Ontario.
The Clerk of the Senate, the Clerk of the House and the
Parliamentary Librarian host the Parliamentary Officers'
Study Program (POSP)
for officials from other legislatures who want to learn
more about procedural and administrative practices in
Canada. During 2009-2010, there were two POSPs,
the first in English and the second in French.
The House Administration and the Library of Parliament
work on the Members' Orientation and Election Readiness
Program to ensure the House Administration is ready to
welcome new and re-elected Members of Parliament
following an election. The program coordinates a variety
of timely services for Members throughout the weeks
surrounding a general election, from the dissolution of
one Parliament to the opening of the next. Although no
election was held during 2009-2010, the House
Administration continued to refine the program by
reviewing the lessons learned and collecting feedback
from new Members.
Increasing Public Awareness and Sustaining the
Independence and Traditions of the House of Commons
In its role of increasing public awareness of the House
of Commons, the House Administration produces
publications and online information for citizens and
visitors. To streamline content and reduce duplication
across publications, over the past year the House
Administration began a review of several of these
publications and online tools. The purpose of this
review
is to identify duplication, determine how to best serve
the needs of the users of each product, ascertain which
products might need to be modified, and make
recommendations about which ones the House should
continue to produce.
4. To Apply the Highest Standards of Public Sector Governance in a Parliamentary Context
Promoting Strong Stewardship and Effective Management of
Public Resources
As part of the emphasis on the strong stewardship of
public resources, a transition plan is in place to fully
harmonize printing and postal services, from ordering of
services to final delivery. The harmonized operations
will provide a more efficient and streamlined service. In
2009-2010, the House Administration secured a new
location for the consolidation of these services and
completed the necessary fit-up. It also completed
preparations for the temporary relocation of electronic
printing services. Currently, the House Administration is
working toward the replacement of its information
management tool, with the intention of launching a Web
portal that will allow for online submission of postal
instructions.
In 2010-2011, client services and planning and production
processes related to Members' printed communications will
be consolidated and streamlined. This service
consolidation will provide Members with faster turnaround
times and more efficient delivery of services.
Over the past year, the House Administration strengthened
the corporate Planning and Measurement Framework. It
prepared an in-depth environmental scan to help establish
strategic priorities and completed an organization-wide
Multi-Year Business Plan. The Multi-Year Business Plan
sets out concrete projects to achieve strategic
objectives, establishes quantitative performance metrics
for measuring success and complements business plans in
Service Areas. Last year, the House Administration
completed a reporting format that provides semi-annual
data about the implementation of the Multi-Year Business
Plan. The first versions of the report will be prepared
in 2010-2011. Also in 2009-2010, the House Administration
began work on developing a common framework for planning,
measuring and reporting at the Service Area level, which
will be completed in 2010-2011.
The House Administration continues to ensure that it is
meeting its financial fiduciary responsibilities. Each
year, the House of Commons hires an independent
accounting firm to audit its financial statements. The
public can access these statements on the parliamentary
Web site at www.parl.gc.ca.
A compliance assessment was recently initiated against
the requirements of the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Model
which reflects a strategic approach to finance and
resource management. This assessment was done to confirm
progress to date and to prioritize the next steps for
implementation. Planning is also underway to implement
two procurement modules to promote more competitive
pricing and to monitor the performance of
suppliers.
Attracting, Engaging and Retaining Our Talent
Like many employers in Canada, the House Administration
is preparing for new challenges related to employee
retention and an aging workforce. During the past year,
the House Administration put in place a number of key
elements for a succession planning program. These
included the development of competency profiles in most
Service Areas and the implementation of a succession
planning pilot project.
An important initiative of the House Administration is to
build leadership capacity. Leaders need skills to deal
with organizational challenges such as change and
transformation in the workplace. In an immediate future
that will see the retirement of seasoned workers and the
potential loss of critical knowledge, leaders must be
able to recruit and retain talent within a diverse and
multigenerational environment. Aligned with the House
Administration's succession planning program, the
leadership development program will ensure that the House
Administration is well positioned to lead in a time of
demographic and technological change. In 2009-2010 the
requirements for the leadership development program were
established, and during 2010-2011 an external provider
for the program will be identified.
The innovative program Finding Solutions
Together combines a range of services designed to
give employees the skills and tools they need to resolve
conflict on their own, or with help when required. This
program, now under way, is based on the principles of
communication, collaboration and respect. Over the
2009-2010 fiscal year, the House Administration held a
number of program-related managerial and supervisory
training sessions.
Strengthening Environmental Practices
Ever-conscious of the importance of the environment to
Canadians, the House Administration continues to conduct
its business with an eye on ecological issues. For
example, in the planning and implementation of all
ongoing projects under the Long Term Vision and Plan, the
House Administration works with Public Works and
Government Services Canada to ensure that the best
environmental practices are used.
In 2009-2010, the House Administration developed an
implementation plan to transfer to 100 percent
post-consumer, EcoLogo-certified recycled paper and
completed the transition within the year.
The House Administration is pleased to participate with
the environmental committee Partners for a Green
Hill. This past year, the committee initiated a
document that provides guiding principles for the partner
institutions and ensures a coordinated approach to
environmental stewardship across the Hill.
Supporting an Integrated Approach to Information
Management
To promote responsible stewardship of information
resources, the House Administration continues to develop
the foundation for enhanced information-management
practices, collaboration and information-sharing.
Over the past year, guidelines and metadata standards were published, supporting the management of electronic documents that are stored using Symphonie, a Web-based program used to create, retrieve, share and manage information.