Treasury Board of Canada

Role

The Canadian Cabinet is arranged into several committees with varying responsibilities, but all other ones are informal structures and frequently change. Currently organized under the Financial Administration Act, the Treasury Board is the only one created by law and is officially a committee of the Privy Council.

Its role in government makes it far more powerful than most Cabinet committees as it is responsible for "accountability and ethics, financial, personnel and administrative management, comptrollership, approving regulations and most Orders-in-Council". It is also unique in that its committee chair, the president of the Treasury Board, is a member of Cabinet by virtue of holding that office—other Cabinet committees are chaired by minister holding seats in Cabinet by virtue of some other office.

It has administered since February 2009 the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector through its Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. It took on this role from the Canada Public Service Agency.

Expenditure management

The Treasury Board oversees the expenditures of the federal government. Ministers submit funding proposals on behalf of their departments to seek financial approval for programs and policies approved in the federal budget or by Cabinet. The president of the Treasury Board is responsible for presenting the Estimates from these submissions to Parliament. The Estimates are prepared by the Secretariat in collaboration with the Department of Finance Canada.

Management and performance policies and principal employer

The Treasury Board, on advice of the Secretariat, sets policies regulating the authority of ministers and deputy ministers to administer and manage their departments, ensuring a government-wide approach to administration.

As the principal employer of the Government of Canada, it is responsible for labour relations, collective bargaining, and pension and benefits across the core public administration.

Secretariat

Main article: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

The Treasury Board is supported by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, a federal department which acts as a central agency of the Government of Canada and is administered by members of the public service. The role of the Secretariat is to advise members the Treasury Board, develop policies for approval and administer certain programs on behalf of the Treasury Board.

Membership

The Treasury Board is composed of six Cabinet ministers, always including its president and the minister of finance. The current members, as of May 2, 2025, are as follows:

There are also a number of alternate members, who may attend Treasury Board meetings in the event of conflicts of interest. The prime minister, through a Governor in Council appointment, may designate as many alternate members as the committee may need. As of May 19, 2025, the following are alternate members of the Treasury Board:

References

Bibliography

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References

1. Smith, Alex. (23 April 2009). "The Roles and Responsibilities of Central Agencies". [[Library of Parliament]].
2. (1985). "Financial Administration Act. Part I: Organization. Treasury Board". [[Department of Justice (Canada)]].
3. "About the Treasury Board". Treasury Board Secretariat.
4. (15 December 2011). "Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector".
5. "Cabinet Committee Mandate and Membership".